Screeeeeeech!

I could just be an ignorant consumer, but it seems to me that if the powers (ooops, pardon the pun - keep reading!) that be are going to do something as dramatic as cutting off an entire section of residential electricity, they'd have the common sense, courtesy, or at least enough customer concern to let people know in advance!!

I mean, I'm trying to breathe here, people! Hooked up to a machine 24/7 so I can breathe, people! One of those little niceties of life that make life convenient... breathing - it's a good thing! I don't need you jerks arbitrarily shutting down my power all the time! It's getting on my last nerve here!

First of all, it usually scares the snot out of me because I'm generally on the computer and all of a sudden the thing goes pfffffffftt, the TV goes off, the lights go off, every electrical sound ceases and it's deathly silent all around. About that time I start hearing the alarm on my O2 source letting me know something is amiss. So I have to drag my butt up the stairs, huffing and puffing and struggling all the way cuz I got no air coming in, get to the machine and switch over to my emergency tank that's harder than hell to turn on and by the time I do, I'm ready to fall over from lack of oxygen exertion.

Then I have to rest for about 10 minutes before I make my way downstairs again to check the circuit breakers and make sure it's a major external problem and not a minor, in-house problem. 'Course that's hard to do in a basement with no electricity and necessitates me fumbling around for the flashlight we keep there specifically for this reason, all the while trying to keep the cats from vaulting into a usually restricted area and for them, unexplored territory.

Then I have to call Allegheny Power to try to see what's going on. Never get to talk to anyone - it's always a series of "if ______ is happening, push this button, etc." instructions with no options of inquiring about what's going on. Extremely infuriating!

That's not counting all the clocks, VCR, microwave, stove, etc. we have to reset after the power comes back on.

All in all, it's a real pain in the arse and I'm going to complain vociferously ... soon as I figure out a way to talk to a real person and not a taped message. Grrrrrrrr! Sometimes I hate technology!