Waiting out the Storm

Back porch during Snow Dump '11

..and a storm it was! Wednesday night the forecast called for a 'few' inches of snow. I didn't think much of this, because snow has been in the forecast a lot since I've been here, and the result has typically been a lite dusting. Wednesday was the exception. The snow came fast and furious and before we knew it, our power was OUT. Apparently, Parkside is infamous for being without electricity when a storm blows in. Last year during Snowmaggedon, these poor residents didn't have power for 3-4 days, and were basically confined to their homes because the roads were so bad. So awful.

Anyway, the first night wasn't so bad because our place stayed relatively warm. And thankfully these girls were prepared. We had plenty of candles/flashlights/blankets to go around. Some other neighbors came over, we made rice krispie treats (the stove is gas so were still able to use it), roasted marshmellows over tealights and made the most of the situation.

Thursday was a different story. The temperature in our apartment was steadily dropping and I knew I needed to get out. There is a mall not far from our place so I had my roommate drop me off there so I could revel in the heat. It was almost comical how many other people were there doing exactly the same thing. Laptops and cellphone chargers galore; people sprawled out on benches reading. After a few hours I walked back to our the apartment, and decided while I was tromping through the snow that cold is easier to handle than the AZ summertime heat. Because at least when you're cold you can layer adequately and eventually reach a comfortable temperature.

Which is exactly what had to be done to sleep Thursday night. The temperature dropped to around 55 degrees in our aparement. Holy miserable. Imagine my sheer delight when I woke up Friday morning to a note from my roommate insisting that I use her car and go to her gym to take a hot shower. Of course I took advantage and got in a good work out; endorphins = huge bonus. Done and done. I spent most of the day out and about at Barnes & Noble bumming free wi-fi and did some other errands. The power was finally restored around 7pm Friday night so life is good again. One thing is for sure, I'm certainly getting my fair share of adventure here in DC.

Shortly after the power came back on. 57.2 and rising!