Dark and gritty...
The joys of summer in Los Angeles...116 degree heat. An out of date freeway system choked by choked out cars -- many of them rusted out wrecks abandoned by illeg...er...undocumented workers. Add an out of date electrical grid broken down by excessive demand.
Meanwhile, local politicians (who haven't invested a dime into the freeways or grid in decades) spend millions studying whether or not police "racially profile" in South Central LA.
All that adds up to my day today -- housesitting for friends in Studio City. I had to send the following e-mail...
...
1) Brown-outs continue throughout the Valley. The lights continually flicker. Sometimes appliances work, and sometimes they don't. It's that air of uncertainty that makes it so much fun. It's all candles and flashlights right now.
2) After two days of this, your freezer is a disaster. I'll empty it before you get back.
3) I unplugged the TV, the TIVO, etc., as the power surges could damage them.
4) I unplugged the phones and fax for the same reasons.
5) Sophie now has a doggie cage big enough for her doggie bed, so she goes in there when I'm out. If I'd have done that from the outset, you'd have been saved hundreds of dollars in woodwork damage.
6) I talked to my brother in law -- the heating and air conditioning specialist -- and the A/C is not working because a) There isn't enough power to the house to drive it b) The original power surge that tripped the house's main breaker probably blew the separate fuses inside the A/C unit itself up on the roof. I could replace those fuses, if only I knew where the box is.
7) I can deal with the lack of air conditioning, no TV, a dog that eats wood...But, I draw the line at a Christian rock band rehearsing over the backyard hedge. I threw a statue of the Blessed Virgin at them...
Meanwhile, local politicians (who haven't invested a dime into the freeways or grid in decades) spend millions studying whether or not police "racially profile" in South Central LA.
All that adds up to my day today -- housesitting for friends in Studio City. I had to send the following e-mail...
...
1) Brown-outs continue throughout the Valley. The lights continually flicker. Sometimes appliances work, and sometimes they don't. It's that air of uncertainty that makes it so much fun. It's all candles and flashlights right now.
2) After two days of this, your freezer is a disaster. I'll empty it before you get back.
3) I unplugged the TV, the TIVO, etc., as the power surges could damage them.
4) I unplugged the phones and fax for the same reasons.
5) Sophie now has a doggie cage big enough for her doggie bed, so she goes in there when I'm out. If I'd have done that from the outset, you'd have been saved hundreds of dollars in woodwork damage.
6) I talked to my brother in law -- the heating and air conditioning specialist -- and the A/C is not working because a) There isn't enough power to the house to drive it b) The original power surge that tripped the house's main breaker probably blew the separate fuses inside the A/C unit itself up on the roof. I could replace those fuses, if only I knew where the box is.
7) I can deal with the lack of air conditioning, no TV, a dog that eats wood...But, I draw the line at a Christian rock band rehearsing over the backyard hedge. I threw a statue of the Blessed Virgin at them...
posted by John at 1:11 AM
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