An interesting aspect of southern California living that we’d previously (as in, previously to today) yet to experience is what is referred to as a “rolling blackout.” It seems that the 10 million people who live in southern California have left their TVs on for far, far too long; as a result, there’s not enough electricity for all. Rather than actually solve this problem with ridiculous solutions such as solar power and nuclear energy, some genius decided to simply shut off everyone’s electricity for a day. To that end, every few months each neighborhood has to go without power for about 8 hours. Today was that day for us. I am not making this up.

Rather than do something foolhardy, such as go to the beach (there is sand there: what if I got some in my shoe?), I decided to go to the library and check out some books so I could stay inside, thereby sustaining my healthy-looking pasty exterior, and read by the dim light that trickles into the living room through the earthquake-induced cracks in the wall.