More excitement!

Thursday night was the most excitement we've experienced since we moved to DC. Well, except for blowing a tire on the beltway during rush hour. Or nearly driving off a mountain road in the middle of the night. Or having two car batteries die within a week, both times while we were at least 30 miles from home. Ok, maybe it was the most exciting non-car-related time we've had.

Adam had to work late Thursday, so we met at McDonald's for dinner. While we were there, someone came in and said that all the power had gone out in Chinatown. Adam hoped that his office had been affected and I hoped that our apartment building had not been. We were both disappointed.

When I returned to the building, I had to go in through the front door, which was being propped open with a carpet roll because they keypads weren't working. The lobby was dimly lit and crowded with residents, concierges, and maintenance people. One of the four elevators was working and there was a line to use it. I thought about trying the stairs, but the doors into all the floors above the first are usually locked.

When I got to our apartment, I changed into shoes and socks (for once remembering how freaked out I get about rats after dark when I'm wearing sandals) and left the building via the stairwell.

Chinatown was dark and more subdued than usual. People who had been kicked out of bars and restaurants wandered around the neighborhood and emergency vehicles with flashing lights lined the streets. Two crossing guards directed traffic at 7th and H.

I spent about an hour in the air conditioning at Barnes & Noble, then called Adam and arranged to meet him at 7th and E. It was one of those evenings when you feel like you are being slowly pressed into the sidewalk and lose all will to move. We stood on the corner for several minutes discussing our options before deciding to take the Metro to Kramerbooks & Afterwords at Dupont Circle.

After some drinks and a slice of pie in the cafe, we browsed in the bookstore until 11:30, when we decided we'd better catch a train before the Metro closed at midnight. While we walked to the Metro, huge bolts of lightning flashed across the sky. I was afraid we were going to get soaked in a rainstorm, an occurrence that has become all too common in my life, but we managed to make it all the way home with just a few sprinkles falling on us.

Back in Chinatown, it was obvious that the electricity was still out, and let me tell you, Chinatown with no light other than flares on the streets and huge bolts of lightning in the sky is one eerie place. We made it to our apartment and looked out at Mass Ave, where there had been traffic cones and flares set up in the middle and on the edges of the street. Apparently Washingtonians can't be trusted to drive properly in the dark without some help. Adam napped in the recliner while I read on the couch with the help of our trusty headlamp. Even if we had gone to bed, I'm not sure I'd have been able to sleep with all the lightning and thunder. At 1:30, the lights came back on and the storm abated. After checking the refrigerator and freezer to make sure none of our food had spoiled, we finally went to bed.