Power outage musings

We have thunderstorms tracking over us this afternoon and a little while ago they caused a power outage. Here were my immediate thoughts as the TV went off:

*Where do I have the flashlights and emergency radio/TV?
*Sh*t, I haven't purchased batteries in a long time.
*I won't be able to open the fridge until the power comes back. Should I grab a couple of beers while it is still cold?
*Yes, I should.
*Okay, the flashlights and stuff are in the basement...where it is completely dark. Good planning, smart guy.
*(Standing in the basement) If the power stays off, should I break into the disaster wine supply (aka wine cellar) down here?
*Dammit, I need to fix these stairs. They're more dangerous than a storm.
*(Back upstairs) Ya know, if you still had dial up you could be online blogging this on the laptop.

You'll all be happy to hear the power outage only lasted 5 minutes. The disaster wine supply is safe and the beer is still cold.

I love a rainy night

There was a great scene in our southern sky tonight, and I wish I had the photography equipment and skills to have recorded it. In the east-southeast sky was a full moon that was still low in the sky. The light of the moon was illuminating some fast moving clouds just below. Meanwhile, in the southwest sky there was a storm rapidly moving across the sky with lightning flashing in the clouds tops. I didn't have a wide enough lense to get them both in, and even if I did, it wouldn't have done the moon justice. On top of that, I wasn't sure how to handle the settings on the camera. I would have preferred to have held the lense open until a lightning flash, but the light of the full moon would have wreaked havoc with that. On top of that, the clouds were moving across the sky so quickly that a faster shutter speed and wider aperture would have been preferable. Since I didn't get it on camera, you'll have to recreate it with the 40 or so words that I gave you. Consider it low resolution.