Sunday, October 30, 2011

Setting your priorities

AP tonight:
Police in Oregon say a man broke into a home in Portland to watch television.
Now, see, I can totally understand that. The poor guy just really needed to see some TV. Privation can make you crazy. If he lost his home and didn't have a job, he might very well need an emergency intravenous dose of TV. I get it. Give the guy 12 or 24 hours in front of a set, and send him on his way with a pat on the butt and a TV Guide. Case closed.

Privation can make you nuts. I did not like spending the past 24 hours without power. So what were my priorities when the lights came back on? This is what I did: I put on a pot of espresso, published the post below and washed the goddamn dishes. After 24 hours off the grid, spent in freezing cold, the things I truly craved were a cup of hot coffee and access to Pandora. I think the last was the greatest privation for me: without Wi-Fi, Pandora went poof. But thanks to the Flying Spaghetti Monster, she's back! 

Back to the lead-in story about the TV break-in: after months of privation on the road, I too might have to break into a house to use someone's iPod to hook into Pandora. I'm tellin' ya; I just might hafta!

What are your priorities? Undoubtedly, you've lived through a blackout. What did you miss the most, and what did you grab for the instant the power surged back?