A Powerless Remembrance Day

It has been a long while ─ many months ─ since I last failed to make a daily post, but it was so yesterday. And not because it had anything to do with Remembrance Day.

I never posted because, upon rising at 1:30 a.m. to ready for a five-mile+ walk, the electrical power almost immediately went off.

And it was not to be restored until something like 5:05 p.m. late last afternoon ─ a tad over 15½ hours later. No reasonable time was left me to blog because I had plans for an evening walk as well ─ the round trip 5.625-mile hike to Real Canadian Superstore.

The earlier hike was almost abominable. I left home at 1:54 a.m., finding it storming. Initially the blowing rain was tolerable, and I was not too daunted that I had only worn my heavy denim jacket over a sweatshirt.

But soon the rain was blowing in sheets across the streets. The wind seemed mostly from the south, whereas normally I find that it will come from the east when it is windy.

I steadily became more and more wet ─ forget any exercising!

The outward half of my walk is mainly to the east, so initially for a half mile or so when I was walking north, the driving rain was at my back. But when I was walking east, it came at my right ─ that side of me gradually became drenched. As well, debris from trees littered the way, and often there were no street lights ─ it was surreal.

At the halfway point I turn to the right and walk a half mile south, so my front faced the wind and rain.

Then I turned right again to walk westward, and for the next two miles my left side was drenched.

I jogged as much as I was able, but I was wearing the inferior no-name AliExpress boots that I often complain about.

Nevertheless, I made very good time and ─ having grown quite chilly ─ I was back home at 3:39 a.m. at latest.

Since the power was still out ─ and it had been out everywhere I had walked, although most traffic lights and street lights seemed to have an alternate power source to that of the darkened buildings ─ I had no choice but to get to bed. I put on a pair of sweatpants after getting out of my soaked stretch jeans, but instead of removing my quite wet sweatshirt and the tee-shirt beneath it, I merely put on a bomber-style jacket overtop in the hope that it would help warm me enough to facilitate the drying of my sweatshirt.

I figured that the wetness would become warm and not pose any problem.

That was not to be specifically true. I never did find myself comfortably warm in bed, but it was tolerable. 

Without electricity, our gas furnace was not kicking in. Its fan was not operational, and I suppose the thermostat was not, either. So we had no heat.

Come the morning, I felt no urgency to rise. What for? It was impossible to watch T.V. or entertain my self with my computer ─ I could not even listen to the radio. So I remained in bed.

My younger brother had to pick up his girlfriend Bev around 10:10 a.m. to drive her to work, so he decided to just not bother coming back home ─ there was nothing to do here. My youngest stepson also decided to take off after he was up for awhile.

I think that I remained in bed (apart from one or two bathroom visits) until something like 1:30 p.m. To my estimation, this was maybe a span of well over nine hours of bed time.

I was undergoing a Sabbath fast, by the way.

With nothing to do, I just bided time, thinking that after dark I would eat a couple pieces of pizza that my youngest stepson had given me the previous evening.

Then around 3 p.m., he showed up ─ and he had a coffee for me, realizing that I would not have had any coffee that day due to an inability to boil water.

Yes, to drink it would indeed break my fast, but I was not going to be drinking it out of weakness ─ I was merely acknowledging my stepson's selflessness and consideration.

Darkness of course arrived by 4 p.m., but I waited a little longer before finally eating.

And then the power finally returned.

I did later have that second walk to do some grocery shopping, and was back home shortly after 10 p.m. My brother was not yet back.

However, maybe five minutes afterwards, he did arrive. This suited me because I was in the mood for some drinking and T.V., even though I only had one can of Cariboo Malt (8% alcohol) in my exhausted supply, and would thereafter have to indulge in spiced rum.

So I used our Android TV Box to tune in an episode of The Graham Norton Show ─ the premiere episode of season or series 31. I found a source using the Cinema HD App.

Then I tuned in an episode of American Ninja Warrior ─ it was season 15's episode five's Qualifying Course six. This time, the Nova app was the source for the episode.

After that we just watched random YouTube videos. I think my brother called it quits towards 2:30 a.m., and I sat up at my computer and never got to bed until possibly nigh 3 a.m.

It was after 9:30 a.m. before I checked the time this morning and rose. My brother was still involved with the Sunday morning edition of The Province that I subscribe to, but he soon enough had the T.V. on, so I went downstairs to join him.

When finally invited to put our Android TV Box to use, I tuned in Odessa Orlewicz's hour-long (59:35) video from Friday: BRICS Is Here. Canada Giving Up Their Gold TO BRICS Along With Other Nations.

BRICS is here. We are entering the digital credits era with a new global dollar. While we have been distracted with the war, everything is changing and the mainstream news conveniently won't talk about it. I provide the best clips with information to explain what's happening. Ignorance will not be bliss when this transition happens. It's time to protect yourself for what will be coming.

Economics bore me to death ─ the first section had me zoned right out, and I got absolutely nothing from it. The video snippets Odessa played may as well have been in some language other than English. The view out our living room window was of more interest ─ I should know, for I spent a lot of time gazing out there and ignoring the video.

After that I tuned in an episode of Yellowstone ─ this proved exceptional, being season two's episode seven ("Resurrection Day").

And that was it for morning T.V. My brother sought some bed rest with the plan to watch some NFL early in the afternoon here at home. I fixed up a hefty lunch, and did not seek a nap until after my brother was already back downstairs watching his football.

He was gone for the day when I later rose around 3 p.m.

I hoped to get out early this evening to visit the government liquor store two miles off before it closed today at 7 p.m., but I needed to get away no later than 6 p.m. and failed (I do not drive).

So my dilemma now is whether to just get out for an evening walk to relieve me of having to take it on in the wee a.m. ─ doing it this evening would allow of some evening T.V., but I would only have hard liquor to drink. I am almost out of spiced rum, and would then ─ once finished it ─ have to resort to Kraken Rum (it is a killer 47% alcohol).

Getting to bed early this evening will be problematic in that due to Diwali celebrations locally, there is nearly as much fireworks activity immediately outside and into the remotest distance in every direction as was happening Hallowe'en.

I will likely tackle the walk, but that is not definite. I will report on my choice tomorrow.