So...funny story.

There I was at Cloverdale Mall, about to enter the Dominion to find my parents. *Click* No power. People kind of glanced at each other like they do when something weird happens. I did the same. Then I saw my dad and just walked over to him. Within a few seconds, some emergency lights came on, and...get this...every cash register started working again. Well, the important thing is that the money was rescued. Riiiiight.

My brother called me on my cell to tell me he was going to go out into the mayhem. "Power's out at our house," he informs me. Okay, whatever. We drove home fairly easily thanks in part to the convenient stretch of highway located close by, allowing us to bypass every intersection that has been transformed into a four-way stop during rush hour. It isn't until my brother comes home soon afterwards that we find out that this was bigger than we thought. "Did you know that the whole eastern seaboard is out of power?" Uh...no. Listening to the radio, it turns out that it isn't just our little part of the city that's powerless. It was a great throwback to the 1940s, sitting around as a family, gathered around a radio. The stories started coming in. People on the street who took it upon themselves to help direct traffic not just downtown, but virtually everywhere. People helping other people out. Awesome. One of the many reasons why I love this place.

Had a realization in the early evening. The annual Perseids meteor shower is happening this month, and Toronto is dark. So, I grabbed a beach towel, spread out on my picnic table and looked up. I have never seen so many stars in my backyard before. A little while after I started looking, there was a small dot that was crossing the sky in a steady straight line in front of me. Took me a couple of seconds, and then I said to myself, "How cool was that?!? I just saw a satellite!!" I was out there for about an hour and was ready to give up when suddenly a huge bright streak passed overhead. That totally made my night. Then the weird night noises started to freak me out, and since I didn't want to be attacked by the local raccoon, I headed back indoors.

I kept dreaming different scenarios where the power had been restored. Each time, I woke up, looked at my clock, said to myself "The power is still out", and then went back to sleep. This happened about three times. How weird am I?

In the morning, despite what Mayor Mel had told us the night before, power had not been restored to our neck of the woods. I took a dark cold shower, then headed over to Howie's house. We hung out, annoyed each other for a while, then (cue heavenly music) the power came on. I headed home soon after to help with the aftermath, but found that it seemed to be only a very local phenomenon. My house was still in the semi-dark (there was natural light, after all). I went out in search of lunch, and found a place that was open and selling food products. The guy made me sandwiches by candlelight, but still kind of gouged me ($30 for four sandwiches and a half-dozen bagels). Ah, whatever, he was at work in the dark, after all.

Finally, 22 hours after the lights went out at the supermarket, a big 'whirrr' started up in the kitchen. Things started up instantly. Dad started charging every battery that we owned. My mom started making dinner (it was 2pm). As luck would have it, things in our freezer were still mostly frozen (we hadn't opened the door once, which could be why).

So, we survived the Blackout of 2003. I wonder if I'll remember these details 40 years from now (my dad remembers the blackout of '65).

"One thing I know about the rest of my life, I know that I'll be living it in Canada"