I just got power back in NJ after 49 hours.

[SemperEadem]

45. When the Derisho blew through DC back in late June

I was without power for about 5 days. Other areas were down for far longer; some had their power back within hours.

And it got hellishly hot and humid right after that storm--mid 90's kind of hot. It was miserable, to say the least. I had to reach back to channel my great grandmothers and square myself with the truth that if they could stand not having AC and electricity for the whole of their lives, then being of that strong stock meant that I could withstand that inconvenience.

I wasn't expecting the lights to go on the 5th day, but when they did, I could hear a lot of my neighbors scream with delight, along with the whoosh of their AC units starting up. It literally was like stepping from the 19th century back into the 21st century. There is nothing more soul crushing than to spend the day in an air conditioned office, hoping, praying that your electricity would come back on so that the treasury of food in your fridge wouldn't have to be thrown out and that you could at least have some semblance of normalcy, only to put the key in the door and all was still dead quiet.

It lifted my heart on Sunday when I saw a number of utility trucks driving down the street before the Hurricane hit because that meant that they were preparing for this. The Derisho was a totally different kind of event that no one a. had ever seen and b. could plan for, so there's that difference. But knowing how this country performed after Katrina with a republican led government, it was marvelous to see this administration's ability to take a path to see it forthcoming. That is what people need to remember when going to the polls.

And speaking of which, I did my early voting today and I voted for the President and a full Democratic ticket.