Foodstuffs

When I get up in the morning I attempt to do a chore or two before dashing out the door.

Laundry, scrubbing out the tub, loading the dishwasher; whatever---just as long as I have one less task to do when I drag my ass in from a long day at work.

I had finally finished washing the cat’s bedding and popped it and an entryway rug in the dryer. It was getting close to the time I was supposed to leave so I started grabbing food from the fridge.

An odd thing happened, though. The refrigerator light wasn’t coming on.

Well I suspect after four years the bulb should burn out so I didn’t think it was a big deal

When I got back home last night I realized that yes, it was a big deal.

Everything was still cold but my ‘fridge seemed out of whack.

I couldn’t put my finger on it so I checked the freezer. My ice was still solid but the telltale heart of a ‘fridge and freezer is the ice cream. My Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches were beginning to melt.

Fuck that.

At $5.79 a rip for six of those tasty treats I wasn’t going to let them melt into a puddle of goo without putting up some resistance.

Because of their lofty price I rarely get them but Jewel was having a buy one get one so how could I resist?

I started doing some basic troubleshooting.

I attempted to flip on the light in the laundry room and start up the washer and dryer. No go.

I called my neighbor Tony as extra muscle might be needed. I then pulled the ‘frig out from it’s nook to see if the issue was the appliance or the electricity. After attempting to plug in and activate my curling iron, the electricity seemed to be the culprit.

The rest of the lights were on in my unit so the problem had to be a blown fuse or a tripped circuit breaker. That meant that I had to go downstairs.

Now I was pissed.

Our circuit breakers are located in the creepiest basement of all time. It’s dark, dank and also has that Texas Chainsaw massacre vibe that I just despise---all and all a treat.

Did I mention the dead bird that’s directly underneath my circuit breaker box?

Fun everywhere you look.

Tony found my circuit breakers and began to flip them in an attempt to see if the power would come back on to the laundry room and the refrigerator socket. I thought I had left the light to the on position in the laundry room so if we hit the right switch we wouldn’t have to employ any guess work.

I forgot to leave the switch in the on position.

Naturally, nothing happens as Tony is flipping switches.

I cursed loudly.

Thinking that this might work better with me upstairs in my unit and him downstairs flipping switches, I go back up grumbling all the way.

Apparently Tony must have done something right as I tested the old curling iron again and I had power to my refrigerator’s outlet. The laundry room’s electricity was okey dokey as well.

The Skinny Cows were saved along with $300 worth of other assorted frozen and refrigerated foodstuffs.

I vaguely remember hearing someone say that the electricity problem couldn’t be as dire as the professional evaluation made it out to be as most of us have been living in the buildings for several years and have yet to have a major problem.

I beg to differ.