San Diego Blackout 2011

We had just gone out onto the field when the power went out.  During our band and color guard practice we were all unaware of the severity of the power outage.  I was just going about my business when my friend that has credit recovery walked out a lot earlier than usual.  I chuckled when he told me that all the power was out in the school, but little did I know that all of San Diego and even parts of Arizona and New Mexico were also out.  It wasn't until my grandma picked me up that I came to realization. 

We got home and as I was walking to my front door I noticed new faces.  Faces of my long lost neighbors who never made it out of their front doors.  It was so much louder than usual, but in a good way.  It was the sweet sound of the presence of human beings and I enjoyed it.  The sun was beginning to set and I was scrambling looking for as many flashlights and lighters as I could possibly find.  We had plenty of candles to light our living room and kitchen, but they were purely just for decor.  By this time we were desperate and we needed them.  There was maybe one or two of our flashlights that actually worked and we were completely out of lighters.  I panicked so I resorted to making face-to-face time with the unknown faces and voices that lurked outside.

The older man who let me borrow his pocket lighter seemed very nice and silly.  It was difficult to light the wick that was deep inside the candle so I ended up burning my thumb and melting my nail.  The rest of the night was mostly family time.  My grandma made my brother and I peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and we just talked until about ten, when they fell asleep on the living room floor.  The neighbors were barbecuing and having a little party until about twelve o'clock.  I enjoyed hearing them talk, laugh, and enjoy themselves but then again they were pretty loud.

I walked outside and I saw nothing besides the moving dots of light from cars traveling the dark roads.  I looked up and I could see that the moon was brighter than it had ever been and there more stars out in San Diego than ever before.  It was beautiful.  A wonderful sight to see. 

It's amazing how different the world would be without electricity.  I felt so helpless without a working refrigerator. I had no idea what to eat or how to cook real food without a stove or microwave because in my house we are completely dependant on those three appliances which I realized wasn't such a good thing. Without lights in our house it was very dark and eerie; I didn't feel comfortable leaving our living room.  But the outside world without lights was very beautiful. Seeing the earth in its natural state was purely amazing.  Without the distractions of technology such as cell phones, computers, and television we are forced to be social and make contact with people around us. The experience of a blackout was just what San Diego needed to make connections and get out of individual bubbles that prevented people from socializing.