BROWNOUT

Last night, we had a power outage. There we were, getting ready to settle down for the night, when POOF! all the lights went off. Normally, the city's backup generator would kick in within a few minutes, but this time, the power stayed off.

I was quite intrigued about this, especially since a quick peek outside revealed that the houses in the next block had their lights on as usual. I called the Modesto Police non-emergency line, and was promptly informed that someone had hit a power line on Hatch Road. I should've figured as much. While brownouts in Manila are indications of a coup d'etat brewing, here in Modesto it merely means someone has taken too much brew.

I had just put Troy down to sleep, but Lance, who was still wide awake, was quite scared at first. He quickly calmed down, however, when his Daddy found a flashlight and left him in charge. Lucky for me I remembered where I put the emergency candles, part of our Y2K stash. Lorenzo lit a couple of these, and we proceeded to enjoy the novelty of the experience.

I remember the frequent brownouts we had in Manila, during Cory's tenuous rule. Those were days of uncertainty, punctuated by a string of attempted military takeovers. One day some rebel soldiers came close to taking over my radio station, lucky for me it was my day off.

Despite the prevailing political turmoil however, we managed to rack up some pretty good memories of those dark days, eating by candlelight, exchanging gossip and the latest coup rumors, gathering around the piano after dinner, listening to my Daddy play and sing. Sometimes, we would skewer marshmallows on toothpicks and roast them over the candle flames, exulting in victory when they came out perfectly plumped, starting anew when they came out singed and burned.

Is it just me, or did marshmallows seem more delicious back home? The marshmallows of my memories came in all sorts of pastel colors. Over here, the selection is limited to plain surgical white.

We did have a few of these virginal marshmallows tucked away in my kitchen, which Lorenzo proceeded to roast over the stove. (Good thing we have a gas range, which works even during a power failure.) I put a pot over the fire to steam some sweet potatoes, and came up with some cans of vienna sausage to complete our repast.

It was a midnight snack fit for a king! Lorenzo roasted the sausages just right (I ended up burning mine, but he generously gave me his), and we ate them between slices of white bread, folded over like buns. Lance, being three-years-old, was more interested in his flashlight, and did not have an appetite for flame-roasted food (except for the marshmallows, which he consumed with gusto).

The lights came on again after a couple of hours, but we turned them off, not wanting to relinquish the moment just yet. The three of us stayed huddled over the stove, roasting the last of the marshmallows and sausages, staying up way too late, but hardly caring.

Lorenzo ended up staying home from work today. He is upstairs, sleeping, and I am letting him rest. I figured he needed all his strength for what I had planned for later.....

Last minute Christmas shopping at the mall!