Power failure

How a lack of something can cause so much. Power. This crazy thing we're so incredibly dependent on. A colleague was trying monitor EEG-waves, when it happened. Everything shut down, went dark and quiet. The wonderful relief. You suddenly realise how loud the background noise from ventilation and electrical appliances are. How lovely it became. And the ambience it creates - people hang out, laugh, talk about what they were doing when the power went off, and what they can't do now.

My EEG-monitoring colleague said - oh well, I'll just go eat my lunch. And a second later "DAMNED IT, I can't heat my lunch - the microwave won't work". Isn't it fun. This power dependence. And that we're SO dependent, so we can't even see it. We don't realise how dependent we are, until it's suddenly gone. And we have no preparations for it - what so ever. We have no flashlights downstairs in the animal house - which would be helpful when getting out through the animal house. There is a changing room strictly divided in two halves. Before you may cross from the one half, to the other, you have to have removed the scrubs and cleaned yourself properly. Then crossing into the next room, you need to find your locker, open it with your key, and put your ordinary clothes back on. This - I tell you - is a real challenge doing in a pitch black environment. I have three tops on today, just to make it more difficult. And I had to put them on several times to get them all on facing the right way, and without being turned inside out. But I made it, and it was fun.

And it made me remember that tv-programme I once saw, about this restaurant where they had blind watiers, waitresses, chefs etc., and it was pitch black in the restaurant - so the customers (generally seeing people) could really appreciate what it's like being blind, and how handicapping it can be when you're in a place that you don't know. A nice product idea - if you ask me.


Me, during the power failure...