You're only misleading the sunshine I'm needing

[austin_dern]

Major, heavy, and rather pleasant rains last night, and not long after I jokingly asked gafennec how he was dealing with his hurricane. (The Weather Underground map for his area indicated there wasn't a cloud anywhere in his home state or halfway into the neighboring state; I just wanted to get ahead of the catastrophes.) It was the sort of rain where it sounds like it might be getting into the house somewhere, probably onto the pile of books which would be hardest to replace, and where the wind makes it sound like key structural elements might reach restricted airspace. I like this sort of storm, which would come every couple days in Singapore -- at least the heaviness of the rain, anyway -- and not often enough for my tastes around here, considering that I could stay in for it.

Where it was less exciting was when the power in the house flickered and we had a couple of momentarily power losses, enough to blink out the time on the Bose radio in the living room and interrupt Internet connectivity. That was a pretty good sign that it was time to go to bed, which I should have done earlier anyway, and I suppose that the power didn't go off again for any significant length of time as most of the other clocks in the house seem to still be set. (My parents set the time on the TV in their bedroom, as they use it as their alarm clock, but otherwise rely on me to reset all the other clocks in the house.)

Curiously, after I got myself to bed I noticed the overhead lights in the living room were on. I certainly wouldn't have turned them on because my father blames his inability to sleep through the night on these lights. It might have been a power flicker (the light is on it controlled by a push-button rather than a switch), but I did notice as I went to turn it off that the kitten had been on the chair next to the switch, sniffing at the panel. After getting to bed I noticed the lights were turned on again. It may just be power flutterings. It may also be that the kitten has learned to turn on the living room lights, which would be wonderful.

Trivia: Felix Hofman, chemist for Bayer, tested the efficacy of acetyl salicylic acid on his father. Source: Napoleon's Buttons: 17 Molecules that Changed History, Penny Le Couteur, Jay Burreson.

Currently Reading: And Four To Go, Rex Stout.

Comments

[porsupah.livejournal.com]

Which is the more reliable: American electricity under threat of wind or rain, or British trains under threat of autumn?

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

Fair question, although I haven't actually encountered any British trains, except by reputation.

[xolo.livejournal.com]

It may also be that the kitten has learned to turn on the living room lights, which would be wonderful.

As much as I like Qats, I'm not a proponent of allowing them to control the household utilities, especially those which carry with them a potential for annoyance.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

The living room light is a special case, since it's a push-button one and so uniquely suitable to kitten-based operations. And the light being on wouldn't annoy me at all; it's my father it annoys, as he insists that the light from it gives him a headache, even if he's in another room and sleeping at the time. I want it on, whereas he'll come in and turn it -- or any other -- light off. So having a second front in the quest for light is great for me.

So far I haven't caught the kitten repeating the feat, so it may have been a quirk of the electric system fluttering in the storm.