Martha Thomases: Say Good Night, New York
Here’s where my plan went wrong.
Ever since Friday, the media have been telling New Yorkers to prepare for the storm. Be sure to have candles and batteries and water.
I do.
Still, I am not prepared. I am too high maintenance to function without electricity. If this was the NBC series, Revolution, I would have died before the opening credits began.
It is not until the power goes out that I realize how much I depend upon it. My hand automatically goes to the light switch when I walk into the bathroom. I know the coffee-maker won’t work, but I don’t know that the gas stove also requires electricity to light. I have to drink my coffee cold, like a Neanderthal. Luckily, I have a friend who only likes instant coffee, so I do not have withdrawal.
There is also no cable, no Internet, no cell service. My iPad is fully charged, but I can’t watch anything on Netflix because I can’t stream.
I can’t send in my column by deadline. With no subways or buses, I can’t go to a Starbucks for the WiFi because no place is open. I can’t even buy a newspaper.
Things are happening outside. I can hear sirens. Because I am old-fashioned and have a landline, I can talk to people. Friends and family from California, Michigan, Ohio and Brooklyn, all exotic foreign lands that have power, have called to tell me what is happening across town.
It would be a quiet day except for the wind blowing over the scaffolding on the building across the street. I have been reading the pile of graphic novels on my coffee table, saving my Kindle battery for later, when there is less natural light.
Then I will hunker down in the darkness, with candles and backlighting. I will eat my cold food and drink my room-temperature water.
There are rumors of light and power uptown. I may gather my devices for recharging and walk the three or four miles necessary to ascertain if this is true. If you are reading this, then I was successful.
I will feel like Kamanda, the Last Girl in Earth.
SATURDAY: Marc Alan Fishman, “Team” Player
I’m happy to hear you are surviving, Martha!
Can’t you light your stove with a match?
Yes. See if you can get a stick style lighter (long metal tube with a plastic handle and trigger) or some long fireplace matches. You should be able to light your stove; as long as you work quickly.
It has been 40 years since I lit a stove that way, and I was afraid I would blow up the apartment like Rockaway Beach.
Thanks, guys. the lights are back.