The perks of having a deaf cat
Also known as the continuation of the heat saga...
I take the day off of work to be here when the heater guy comes-some time around 9:30 AM. The temperature in my apartment has dropped to about 55 degrees. I dress in layers and climb under the blanket, while the heater guy works. Beta is of course fascinated, and thinks the heater closet is a good place to play and hide. It's not and I chase him out of there several times.
The heater guy fiddles with the HVAC unit a bit, pronounces it okay, flips the switch and blows the electricity out again. He checks the breaker box and notes that the breakers the guy put in last night are too small to support the heater (duh-I could have told you that last night; he swapped 20 amp breakers in where there were supposed to be 50 amp breakers.) Some more messing with the panel, installing a new 50 amp breaker and when he flips the breakers, they spark on him. He decides this is an electricity thing and they may need to get the power company out here, and/or an electrician. He calls his boss, who happens to be an electrician, she comes over checks it out and decides they need to get their contractor out here. He's in Baltimore, and won't be here for a couple of hours. I decide this is enough time to go find food and a phone that doesn't require electricity (I had only cordless phones and my cell in the house, but my cell battery had run down and not been charged, rendering me phoneless.) I stop at 7-11 for a ginormous hot chocolate on the way home-need to keep warm, and run into the maintenance manager who says she'll come by in a bit to check on something else before the electrician comes. She checks on things but decides not to open anything else. The electrician shows up at a bit after 2...I haven't had heat in 24 hours at that point. I've been without electricity for about 12 of the last 24 hours by then. It's quite cold. I've added layers. And gloves. They mess with the box. It sparks a lot. They change breakers, it sparks more. They cut the power from downstairs. The decide it's been damaged so much by the water from upstairs that they're going to pull the box and replace the whole thing. This shouldn't take too long. Except they don't have a box. Someone goes to Home Depot to get a box, and returns-with the wrong one. He goes back to exchange it, they pull the wires and the old box out in the meantime. The new box is brought back, but they're waiting on a saw because the new box is much bigger than the old. THey do much cutting-someone will have to come and repair drywall and plaster. But the cutting...I've locked the cats in the bedroom...it's easier with so many maintenance people in and out. Oblivion sleeps through the whole thing. She really is deserving of her name, and she's curled up asleep next to me on the desk, where she's sat for hours. Beta is on the other side of the desk, but he was terrified of all the noise. He cowered under the bed, cried, and was upset. So upset that he went to Oblivion and instead of jumping on her, he put his head down and needed comfort. She licked him on the head, which she does on occasion, although he usually jumps on her.
Shortly after 7 PM....29 hours after my electricity first went out, I have heat and electricity.
And one of the first things I wanted was a shower.
The apartment was about 45 degrees. I was wearing tights, leggings, jeans, several pairs of socks, slippers, a t-shirt, long sleeved shirt, sweatshirt, fleece, gloves, and under two blankets.
I take the day off of work to be here when the heater guy comes-some time around 9:30 AM. The temperature in my apartment has dropped to about 55 degrees. I dress in layers and climb under the blanket, while the heater guy works. Beta is of course fascinated, and thinks the heater closet is a good place to play and hide. It's not and I chase him out of there several times.
The heater guy fiddles with the HVAC unit a bit, pronounces it okay, flips the switch and blows the electricity out again. He checks the breaker box and notes that the breakers the guy put in last night are too small to support the heater (duh-I could have told you that last night; he swapped 20 amp breakers in where there were supposed to be 50 amp breakers.) Some more messing with the panel, installing a new 50 amp breaker and when he flips the breakers, they spark on him. He decides this is an electricity thing and they may need to get the power company out here, and/or an electrician. He calls his boss, who happens to be an electrician, she comes over checks it out and decides they need to get their contractor out here. He's in Baltimore, and won't be here for a couple of hours. I decide this is enough time to go find food and a phone that doesn't require electricity (I had only cordless phones and my cell in the house, but my cell battery had run down and not been charged, rendering me phoneless.) I stop at 7-11 for a ginormous hot chocolate on the way home-need to keep warm, and run into the maintenance manager who says she'll come by in a bit to check on something else before the electrician comes. She checks on things but decides not to open anything else. The electrician shows up at a bit after 2...I haven't had heat in 24 hours at that point. I've been without electricity for about 12 of the last 24 hours by then. It's quite cold. I've added layers. And gloves. They mess with the box. It sparks a lot. They change breakers, it sparks more. They cut the power from downstairs. The decide it's been damaged so much by the water from upstairs that they're going to pull the box and replace the whole thing. This shouldn't take too long. Except they don't have a box. Someone goes to Home Depot to get a box, and returns-with the wrong one. He goes back to exchange it, they pull the wires and the old box out in the meantime. The new box is brought back, but they're waiting on a saw because the new box is much bigger than the old. THey do much cutting-someone will have to come and repair drywall and plaster. But the cutting...I've locked the cats in the bedroom...it's easier with so many maintenance people in and out. Oblivion sleeps through the whole thing. She really is deserving of her name, and she's curled up asleep next to me on the desk, where she's sat for hours. Beta is on the other side of the desk, but he was terrified of all the noise. He cowered under the bed, cried, and was upset. So upset that he went to Oblivion and instead of jumping on her, he put his head down and needed comfort. She licked him on the head, which she does on occasion, although he usually jumps on her.
Shortly after 7 PM....29 hours after my electricity first went out, I have heat and electricity.
And one of the first things I wanted was a shower.
The apartment was about 45 degrees. I was wearing tights, leggings, jeans, several pairs of socks, slippers, a t-shirt, long sleeved shirt, sweatshirt, fleece, gloves, and under two blankets.
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