Jim: Does Mose have nightmares?
Dwight: Oh, yes… ever since the storm.

This morning I put in my contacts by candlelight. Ike blew through Kentucky yesterday—not a drop of the rain we desperately need, but high winds in excess of 70mph—and knocked down hundreds of trees and power lines. This morning on the news, they said over 200,000 people were still without power, and as of 7:30 this morning I was one of them. Still had to go to work, though, which seems entirely unfair, so I’m retaliating by blogging on the clock.

Some random observations:
There’s a busy strip of road in Louisville near my apartment with tons of stores, restaurants, car dealerships, strip malls, etc. Last night, everything was in darkness and it was the strangest thing to find myself disoriented. The concept of orienting oneself by modern structures is kind of funny, and I definitely felt lost and displaced without lighted storefronts.

People get along surprisingly well when streetlights are down. It reminds me of a story I read somewhere about a section of road in Europe that was completely stripped of all road signs, in order to create more harmony among pedestrians and drivers. The assumption was because there was no strict order or regulation, that everyone would drive more cautiously and generously. Somewhat shockingly, it worked amazingly well. Same seems to be true in lawless Louisville when the lights go down.

Along the same lines, people in general are incredibly considerate and helpful these days. Neighbors bringing out chainsaws and clearing roads (although it could be argued this is just an excuse to play with toys), people sharing candles/batteries, and most heartwarming for me were the hand-written signs on neon posterpaper, guiding drivers through an impromptu detour caused by downed trees.

All in all, I really do love this town, the people that live here are the sweetest bunch of dixiecrat rednecks you’ll ever meet, and the fuckers from LG&E had better get my power back on before I start resenting the few of my neighbors that do have electricity.