In the middle of the night we lost power, which happens regularly for NO REASON because we have some sort of weird faulty wiring on our street. We became aware of it this time because we have a back-up power thing for our computers that beeps if it’s being used. Or rather, _I_ became aware of it, because Paul slept on. I jostled him and told him what was happening, and he said, “Oh. Uh huh,” and went back to sleep. So I got up and shut down my computer, but I can’t shut his down (it needs a password), so I went back to our room and this time was louder and less gentle, and he got up and started messing around trying to shut down his computer and stop the beeping sound.
Meanwhile, I’d gone to get a flashlight. I keep one in the cupboard by the phone so that there’s always one where we can find it quickly. But we have children in our house, so FAIL: flashlight gone. I lit a couple of candles instead, and brought one to Paul so he could see what he was doing.
And here is another example of how I am more AWAKE in the middle of the night than Paul is: As I brought him the candle, I thought of something and said, “Oh! This means your alarm won’t go off in the morning!” And both of us set about solving this problem. You decide whose solution shows more cunning:
My solution: Take my alarm clock, which runs on batteries. Go over to a candle so I can see what I’m doing. Set the alarm for Paul’s wake-up time.
Paul’s solution: Take wall clock down off wall. Balance heavy, round clock against jewelry box on bureau, so that time can be seen from bed. Put lit candle right next to clock so time can be seen in the dark. Go back to bed.
So I disabled his little fire-starting kit and we went back to sleep. Then, at about 3:30, there was a BANG sound. I JUMPED out of bed and went at a quick clip to the big window in the living room. I could see flashes coming from around the side of the house, so I went back to our room where we have a window that faces that side. I put up the shade and looked out, and…. Well, I’m going to say a transformer was exploding, because I don’t know WHAT was happening and those sound like the right words even though I don’t know what a transformer is or whether they explode. The top part of a telephone/electricity pole looked just like fireworks, with flashes that were bright enough to bother my eyes, and showers of sparks, and loud cracking/banging sounds. After a little while (a minute?) it stopped, and all the lights on the street went out. (The power had come back on while we were asleep.)
In the other room, THREE kids started crying. And THAT’S when Paul first woke up. And he went right back to sleep while I was patting down the fearful children. I stayed awake for another half hour, looking out the window periodically to make sure no fires were starting. Keeper of the Night, that’s me.
Speaking of the Keeper of the Night, today the complete series box set of Angel (THIRTY DISCS) is on sale for $51 down from $140. David Boreanaz is SO HOTTT!!! such a good actor.
Ha Ha. I hate when the power goes out. I think it freaks me out more than my hubby and the kids. I have a hard time sleeping in totoal darkness. Yeh, that sounds like a transformer alright. Go You!
That’s so scary! It’s like something out of Harry Potter. Also, I love how you call Paul’s ridiculous plan his little fire-starting kit. Hahaha.
Yep, that’s a transformer blowing up. I saw that happen one night on a business trip (it was the most exciting thing that happened all week, because we were in BFE Alabama). And I LOVE Paul’s solution. Sounds like something my hubby would set up. My alarm clock has battery backup, which I highly recommend. It runs a little fast if the power stays out for a very long time, but better fast than slow, right?!
We also loose power quite frequently in Tiny Town- it happened in our old neighborhood, but happens even more here. We DO live in an old house, in an old neighborhood, so I guess that probably has something to do with it.
I’ve also both SEEN and heard a “transformer” explode. I’m not sure if it’s really a “transformer” either, but that’s the term I’ve used as well. I know at least a couple of times it exploded because of a squirrel. We have MANY squirrels in our neighborhood.
We’ve woken up to no power a number of times, but were not late thanks to our non-battery operated alarm clock: aka: Marin. =)
Sleepy Paul=funny.
I think you deserve some toast with Nutella for being such a good Keeper of the Night!
Maybe now the power company will look into the crazy power situation.
Um, how does having a clock lit by a candle next to the bed alert a sleeping person to wake up on time? Huh. Your idea = way better, obvs.
Keeper of the Night made me laugh out loud. Because that’s you, TOTALLY.
omg what a night!
I’m totally “keeper of the night” also. I have a really hard time falling asleep if DMS goes to bed before me so I lie awake and ponder every noise. When something does happen (power goes out, imaginary burglers try to break in) I’m up and rearin and DMS is trying to ignore me with a pillow over his head.
I guess I am not sure how being able to potentially see a clock by candle light suffices as an alarm. The notion that I could potentially SEE the time has never woken me up. But maybe Paul is different.
I love that Paul needs no noise to make him up, only fire.
Oh wait, maybe part of his plan was setting the fire so the smoke detectors would wake him…
Alternatively, I have been waking sans alarm clock for a few weeks, and normally at about my usual wake up time so it’s possible his set up would work – you know besides that whole fire setting business – but I have a flexible job, so if I’m a little late, no one really cares.
This sucks so bad. I don’t ahve money to be spending on DVDs that I’ll never have time to watch, but it’s such a great sale. whine, whine, poor me.
I was grouchy when reading this post. When I got to your and Paul’s different solutions, I was going to smile appreciatively and go back to being grouchy. But I couldn’t help laughing. And then I couldn’t help laughing out loud. And now, every time I think of that clock and candle on the dresser, I laugh again. Poor Paul. That’s how I think sometimes when I’m fully awake.
(Word Verification is “houncha” which sounds like something you’d say in high school when the cute guy walked past.)
Not long after 9/11 a transformer exploded in the middle of the night. I jumped out of bed and screamed “We are under attack!” We still laugh about it now. The sucky thing is we were with out power for almost a week because we had a terrible ice storm and almost the entire city was without power.
How would the wall clock have woken him UP?
Geez, that sounds scary. I was hearing what sounded like strangers knocking on our door late at night, but it turned out to be…the freezer making ice cubes. Whoops.
hahaha! Fire starting kit. lol
“So I disabled his little fire-starting kit and we went back to sleep.” BWAAA HAA HAA HAA!!
The other night, when Hub had no job scheduled and when I knew he did not have to be up in the morning, I took one of my floating on a cloud, good sleep migraine pills. (Yes, I did have a migraine) Of course, this was the 1st night in 2 months that the baby woke in the middle of the night.
Why was I able to function better when high as a kite from a pain pill than he was just groggy? I got up and made the bottle and set him all up to feed her. I never got that treatment when I was sleep deprived and nursing.
Hmmm..
Fire starting kit is too funny. I say a transformer explode once too. It is scary.
I love how Paul’s solution assumes he’ll wake up on time anyways, to see the clock of course. MEN!
That happened at my Mom’s house twice one year. They do spark and make a very loud bang when they go.
The house we lived in when I was in junior high/high school was near a transformer…which my bedroom window had a lovely view of when it would blow. It would of course wake me up every single time, and nobody else in the entire house would even notice except the scaredy cat dogs who would then pee on the carpet in response (not that I blamed them, it is a scary sound/sight). Good times!
I think you deserve the Angel box set for making it through that night. Much less making it through that night without smacking anyone! ;)
My husband can sleep through the baby screaming at full volume. Even when it is his turn to go take care of the baby. I do not understand men!
Fire starter kit…that sounds about right, and sounds like a man – practical, um no. They live on the edge, I tell you.
Get some rest.
Wow. That is freaky! Glad no one was injured or otherwise damaged. Too funny about your husband not waking up. I’m usually slower to wake up (but not as bad as your husband sounds) but can NOT fall back asleep once up. Especially if I get out of bed. Oh, and my solution for the alarm clock? My cell phone has an alarm on it somewhere. I think I’d go for that — and only partly because I don’t have an alarm clock that runs on batteries! :)
The transformer in our backyard blew during the massive Ohio power outage this fall – the power was already out when it happened – WTF? And my first thought was that surely we were at war and our neighborhood had just been bombed.
The fire starting kit made me laugh out loud.