That was the night the lights went out in New York

So that's what it's like when there's no electricity. I was at work, trying to see the season three pictures again, when suddenly the lights flickered for a second (I thought it was just because I was very tired) and then everything turned off.

Getting home was uneventful (we had to shut down the office early), had some random conversations with people on the bus (shared theories, all of which turned out to be wrong).

Came home, and actually had a great night. Mom, Sara and I went over to the neighbor's and since they had a gas BBQ grill, we had an amazing dinner of steak and pork and vegetables and we sat around and ate by candlelight and there were no other sounds at all. It was interesting, almost surreal in a way to not hear other TV sets, or video games, or be able to check email.

Then, some of us went driving for a bit and found one place that was open, one tiny little deli place had its own generator, and people had congregated around it, the parking lot was packed. I wonder if they stayed open all night.

Came back, sat on the front steps for a while having an off-tune hootennany. It felt like camp but it also made me realize how much electricity rules our lives.

With no power, everything - everything - went down. I'm not even sure if I have work today because so many people have to commute from the city. That's assuming they were able to get home last night at all.

But, maybe it's a good thing to be without power for a few hours, to reconnect with a world that isn't made up of 0s and 1s or dependent on a laugh track.

It was so quiet last night, it was like being in the middle of nowhere even though I live about a minute from a main road. It actually reminded me a lot of being out in the woods and it was nice to take a break from worrying about so many things and just existing.

We were joking around earlier that it was SkyNet taking over. Another friend joked that it was world turning to magic. I liked that explanation. It's actually frightening how much just stops when the lights go out. People couldn't even get gas.

Luckily, it wasn't hot outside last night, it was actually one of the nicest nights of the summer.

I'm glad electricity is back, but it was actually very nice to just listen to the sounds of nature.

GIP

From Harry Potter website - one of my favorite characters :)

Foray into Potter-Fic

Answer to a challenege on hp100.

Title: A useless search
House: Ravenclaw
Word Count: 100 words
Characters/Pairings: Neville/Luna
Author's Notes: Challenge #18-18) Neville and Luna set out searching for an amphibian and a hairbrush, and find much more. (MissBexy)
Challenge #18

"We have much in common." Luna said, waving her wand to create a path across the stream.

Clutching his rescued frog in one hand, Neville followed her reluctantly.

"You ever wish you were normal?" Luna whispered as she turned on the wet rock and started slipping off.

Neville caught her around her waist, still surprised at his own strength.

She smiled up at him, her awkward features suddenly pretty, and touched his face.

Luna reached up and kissed him as the frog squirmed out of his grip.

Neville saw her lost hairbrush floating in the water.

"Ignore it," she said.