I live in Ontario, Canada. Yesterday we lost power at around 4:15. The streets where in chaos as every intersection turned into a four way stop. Although everyone was polite and helpful, it really brought to light (no pun intended) how reliant we are on electricity.

I was separated from my family all night and we all spent the night worrying about each other. Everyone is well. This morning I am at work trying to get network/systems to recover. But as I'm typing this, I hear my government asking everyone to stay home and for business to shutdown. The executives at my place of work, discussed shutting down, but that was an hour ago and we're still up. I urged them to shut down until the situation stabilizes, I hope they listened. Aside from the liabilities we incur by operating, there are hospitals right now without power, where people are at risk of death. I feel terrible being here and keeping this place up. I'm actually considering creating a "situation" which will force the issue (IT people can do that you know, we read your e-mail![just kidding :D ]).

I hope this is over soon. I hope those of you that are affected by this are well. I hope we find answers for the cause of this disaster (make no mistake - this is a disaster! - the economic cost after such a terrible string of bad luck for us: War, SARS, BSE, West Nile Virus). I hope we can make the neccessary changes for this never to occur again. I hope all of us will realize that we should be spending our efforts on keeping civilization functioning and not wasting it on fighting one another. Peace and love to all.

Well said Why

I actully enjoyed the silence and lack of light pollution

short of my freezer and fridge not working I could do well without electricity

I am going to take a very serious look at alternitive forms of electric generation so if it ever happens again I wont be at the mercy of the GRID

This has been all over the news...obviously.... and a lot of people affected....thank God they did not find it to be terrorist related....

I wish to say to Why that I'm glad you and your family are together now and safe....and I'm sorry you had to go through everything you described....Hopefully, as you said, it will all be over soon.....:)

Andrew is in this area also and Im sure will have his own stories to tell, What a horrible situation.

Oh my God that's right...I forgot...thanks Crissy. Andrew just moved to this area for his job. Hope he is okay....prayers for Andrew as well:)

Not all of Ontario has been affected, I am up near the Manitoba border and we didn't even notice it...

But I have a great deal of sympathy and prayers for those southeast of me as well... :(

Speaking of stories....

As some of you may already have known, I was in the process of moving into my new apartment in New York City when the power went out. My family had just landed at the airport and the movers had just finished moving the last of the boxes into my apartment.

86f and humid in NYC, no beds set up, boxes piled high, no food in the house, and soon to follow....no WATER! Things went from bad to worse, with the only food establishment still open for business charging $5.00 for a small container of cooked rice!

In any event, I didnt get much sleep last nite, and I was back to moving and unpacking today. No shower, shave, sh*t (that's right, couldn't flush) or anything else for that matter. I had to grab some emergency supplies from the car (3 water bottles, flashlights, batteries and cyalum light sticks), thank goodness my car was nearby!

In any event...this was a move I will not forget anytime soon!

Originally posted by BIG
thank goodness my car was nearby!
Wow! And I was thinking, "thank goodness you had 3 water bottles, flashlights, batteries and cyalum light sticks in your car!" :D Now THAT'S thinking ahead! What an experience. Good Luck Big!!

Originally posted by BIG
Speaking of stories....

As some of you may already have known, I was in the process of moving into my new apartment in New York City when the power went out.

In any event...this was a move I will not forget anytime soon!


Oh Andrew, you poor thing.....Well, if I ever have to move again, I will never again complain of a "bad moving experience"....as I know yours definitely took the cake.....

I was sitting on my deck last night Big about 2:00 in the morning and thinking about your story.

86f and humid in NYC, no beds set up, boxes piled high, no food in the house, and soon to follow....no WATER! Things went from bad to worse, with the only food establishment still open for business charing $5.00 for a small container of cooked rice!


I have to give you credit my man as there is not very much in this world that I wouldn't take a shot at doing

But you just showed me something that I can't even comprehend!!!

Moving to NEW YORK CITY would be so overwhelming to me.

As I was sitting there I could smell the fresh cow manure that some farmer had spread on the land at some point in the day and I relized at that time that I welcome that smell in comparison to the smells of the city.

I envy you that you have the nerve and the stamina to make such a horendus move and I wish you the very best.

New York city is only a short plane ride to London Ontario and a 1 hour car ride to Clinton Ontario Canada so if you ever need to escape from NEW YORK City feel free to give me a call and come visit and enjoy the fragrences of county life.

Thanks! New York isn't all that bad. I grew up here, and spent most of my life in and around the New York City area, until about 4 years ago. My relocations to California and then Florida were certainly adventures in an of themselves, but they also made me appreciate some of the things that I took for granted when I was living in NYC, such as being able to get anythingm anytime of the day or nite. Believe me, it makes a difference :)

I want to move to the country. Been wanting to for some time now, this black out just comfirmed my instincts. Gary, what's it like for a "hunter" to live on a farm? Talk me out of this idea if you think a city is better for us, because I've been looking out your way: Guelph, London, K/W...

Go farther, north, young man, thats young city thats soon to be swallowed up by Toronto.

I guesstamate ten years it will be like one big city all along the 401 from Kitchener to far side of Toronto

You are a computer type person are you not WHY

http://jobbank.gc.ca/ShowJob_en.asp?OrderNum=468399&Source=JobPosting Exeter Computer Job

Map to show exeter in relation to London , Kitchener, Lake Huron(is 15 minuets from exeter)

http://ca.maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?ed=M7tNO.p_0TqT&csz=exeter%2Contario%2CN0M+1S3&country=ca


http://www.herc.on.ca Area Manpower

Grin I live in Clinton and my house cost me $ 43000 + 15000 in materials and a lot of labour

3 more months of a labour of love and Ill need a new house to start again (not as far as my wife is concerened grin)

You are more than welcome to come up for a visit and fall in love with the laid back lifestyle

You have a wife and family and they are welcome also

Did a Real Estate search for Grand Bend and surrounding areas....I am more interested than ever... I think you once posted that "life is a journey and if you don't like your current stop, get back on the bus and find a stop you like". I can hear the bus around the corner, just have to brave enough to hop on it... :D

Why: We will help you hop on....do you need a push??:D

:D Thanks Joan! Being here is push enough. Now I just have to get my fingers to release the death grip on the here and now.

Originally posted by why
[B Now I just have to get my fingers to release the death grip on the here and now. [/B]


Hmmm. I do believe there's a potential new quote in these words somewhere:)......Why

Grand Bend is only a short hop from Clinton

Come up some weekend and we can go gravel running

Ok. You've stumped me... Gravel running? What is gravel running?

*Like plain running but with the added fun of gravel?
*The illicit transport of building materials?
*The dune buggy experience - on gravel?
*................................................. .............?
(I can't even think of funny wrong answers...totally stumped!)

That is what we call it up here in Canada when a bunch of people get together in a vehical and head out to No Where In Paticular.

In Canada we call it Gravel Running as it ussually all takes place back on the gravel roads where we will travel many many miles going absulutly nowhere and sooner or later we always end up somewhere.

Thats what is the fun about it as you cant get lost when your not going anywhere in paticular, becuse it doesnt matter if you never get there, becuse you are there from the moment you get in the vehical to when you get out ( nowhere and every where ) Both at the same time

Garry...heck you taught me a new saying..never heard of it before...I usually call it a Sunday drive and it doesn't have to be Sunday to do it..lol...

Us small town Canadians have many strange customs

Ahhhh. I know that custom! Except in the GTA we allways called it "Going to Barrie for doughnuts."

Gravel Running = Cruising

Originally posted by why
I want to move to the country. Been wanting to for some time now, this black out just comfirmed my instincts.
Why - Sounds like you could use the sage advice found in a John Prine song. Here are the lyrics and pay close attention to the chorus!

"Spanish Pipedream" by John Prine

She was a level-headed dancer on the road to alcohol
And I was just a soldier on my way to montreal
Well she pressed her chest against me
About the time the juke box broke
Yeah, she gave me a peck on the back of the neck
And these are the words she spoke

Chorus:
Blow up your t.v. throw away your paper
Go to the country, build you a home
Plant a little garden, eat a lot of peaches
Try an find jesus on your own

Well, I sat there at the table and I acted real naive
For I knew that topless lady had something up her sleeve
Well, she danced around the bar room and she did the hoochy-coo
Yeah she sang her song all night long, tellin’ me what to do

Repeat chorus:

Well, I was young and hungry and about to leave that place
When just as I was leavin’, well she looked me in the face
I said "you must know the answer."
"she said, "no but I’ll give it a try."
And to this very day we’ve been livin’ our way
And here is the reason why

We blew up our t.v. threw away our paper
Went to the country, built us a home
Had a lot of children, fed ’em on peaches
They all found jesus on their own

Thanks tig. That was cool. :)

No problem. Did I notice you said something about hunting before? What do you hunt?

No tig, I don't hunt. The "hunter" I mentioned was in the context of the book "ADD - A Different Perception", by Thom Hartmann. The idea being that ADDers are the genetic remnants of the "hunters" in human prehistory and the non-ADDers are the "farmers". We don't fit in in the present day society because our genetics gave us a trait/skill set that is not usefull in our "farmer" society. Look up the book, it's a view that I'd be very happy to be proven as factual science. Great easy read.

Hmmmm.....Why......Are you up to the task????? of proving the Hunter theory of us ADD'ers???? as factual science?????:)

I mean you DO have plenty of "subjects" for your study right here at ADD Forums....:) I'll bet you would make a GREAT principle investigator....:)

Awww. Joan, I wish I could. But, unfortunately I simply do not have the skill or the education to attempt something like this. I think that the only way to prove the theory would be a very large sampling of genetic material fromm ADDers, genetic material from archeological sources (from various societies) and from present day hunter-gatherer societies (if some still exist, sub-Saharan Africa? or the Amazon? or Papua New Guniea?) and cross reference for similarities. You'd need a control group - I wouldn't know what that would be. Then you'd have to corelate the genetic data with behavioural, sociological and psychological studies ---- way way waaaaaaayyyyyy beyond me. But, hey I'd be happy to read about it!

As why says (or implies) he would need professional biologist's resources and training (training if only to be allowed to use the resources!) - it's not a purely 'theoretical' or philosphical question. I think you are spot-on why with the places where there might still be hunter-gatherer gene pools, though I think you could also include Australia (though 'pure' aboriginals are probably dwindling in numbers) and even your own country. I'm very sceptical about the theory myself, at least as I understand it - though I think it's got some insights to offer (my scepticism is very provisional - I should read the book first).

Oh my goodnes....what's wrong with me???...(I had a whole course in research at school)......I forgot about the control group....let's see what that would be???? the group that doesn't get the treatment?....or in this case neither Hunters NOR Farmers....???

But you're right....the tasks at hand seem very complex....such as getting genetic material from ADD'ers alone would be tough....:) let alone from all of those other groups....

Well keep reading.....let us know what you find....:)

Okay,

I have to laugh. I wonder if this was during the start of this forum. The topic went from the Huge power outage (which I only looked at because that is a day I remember very well - as I had to take my daughter to the hospital and she ended up having a very life threatening illness at the age of 9) to I don't even know what. If this doesn't prove there are a bunch of ADDers here, I don't know what will....