I was on the set of “Treme” yesterday afternoon, and shortly after 5 p.m. (close to “lunch” that day) I asked David Simon if I could leave early. I’d been the writer on set Thursday night when it rained buckets on us. The crew had to hustle to flee an approaching lightning storm.
Anyway, Simon was cool, and to the hotel I went, expecting to catch up on cable news. (I’ve been out of touch for the past seven weeks. Obama’s still president, right?)
So there I am in my hotel room, surfing the Web, thinking about some room service. Then, around 6:30, the power goes out. In the whole building. Including my Internet connection.Looked out my window and concluded that some portion of the French Quarter was in the midst of a blackout. (So much for cable news and room service.)
Thought about going outside to see what a Friday evening blackout on Bourbon Street would be like. (Nutty, I bet.) But I wondered whether my electronic key would even work when I got back.
So I figured I’d just go to bed, catch up on sleep, and everything would be normal in the morning.
Here’s something funny, though. Just a few minutes before the power went out, I had a knock on the door. A server was holding a small tray of fresh fruit, candy bars and a bottle of wine... a gift from the hotel to mark the upcoming end of my long stay.
Only thing missing was a damn corkscrew. Server said he’d fetch one and bring it right up. That’s when the power went out (including, of course, the elevators). Couldn’t even drink myself to sleep.Cut to this morning. After 12 hours of restful, dream-filled sleep, I awoke to discover the power was still out. On top of that, no hot water.
I can go without bathing, and I can go without TV. But lack of Internet access puts a serious crimp in my lifestyle. So I packed my laptop, hit the stairwell, got my car from the hotel garage, and drove to the “Treme” production office where, through the magic of wireless, I now put before you these words.
Power’s expected to be restored in the Quarter later this afternoon.
UPDATE (03/29/09): Turns out the blackout was caused by an underground fire. Supposedly all fixed now. I shall soon find out.
7 comments:
@UBM thanks for being so dedicated. This blog has cut my gossip addiction in half and I haven't looked at internet porn in a month. I'm cured!:)
I relate--bathing, eating, drinking are optional.Internet is a must. Congrats on nearing the end of yr project and break a leg (I cannot bring myself to say G--- L--- to anything related to acting).
"and shortly after 5 p.m. (close to “lunch” that day)"
So you're working them kinda hours huh? 12 hour nap? That's championship, pro-league, sleeping! Impressive! Congrats on getting back on line. Your readers (me) are glad.
I can commiserate! On Tuesday, our Internet went out. It seems that our ISP was optimizing its system to users of their modem, which we didn't have. By Thursday I was literally in tears; my kid was in the middle of exam week and I need to pull info off the 'Net to help her study. That and I couldn't download Rachel Maddow.
They gave us a credit, but that little bit of money won't make up for the inconvenience. I realized how dependent I'd become on the 'Net. I could probably live without my phone sooner than the Internet.
lawegohard: That makes me proud. (And I think gossip is much more socially corrosive than porn.)
Kellybelle: Thanks for the good wishes.
intrepidideas: There's nothing like a 12-hour sleep when your body really needs it. And you dream extra intensely when you've missed out on dream sleep.
By Thursday I was literally in tears... I realized how dependent I'd become on the 'Net.
What a scary feeling, GG. It truly made me physically ill-at-ease... twitchy. That can't be good.
On the bright side, the French Quarter did its part for "Earth Hour." :-)
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