How to keep the projects going in rolling blackouts? I have a plan.
Arrrghhh. I hate losing power when I am trying to get some decent work done. As a full-time freelance telecommuter, power in my home is crucial to my livelihood. Not to mention happiness in the brain pan.
With the recent storms here in So Cal, we lost complete and total power for four days. FOUR LONG DAYS. And it's also cold and snowy up here at 5,000 feet.
I couldn't get anything done besides read under blankets in bed (no heat either) with my wife and two dogs. I could also do some writing and take notes for projects. That's really about it. As a workaholic I tried to relax, which was also tough, as my major relaxing activities involve:
- XBox games,
- and watching football.
- Both of which require electricity.
On day five and six our electricity returned. And went back down. And came back on. And then went down. Each time I would lose my unsaved work. Ha, ha! Good times.
Each time I resolved to head down the mountain to the nearest Best Buy and spring for an Uninterrupted Power Supply, or UPS. And I plan to get one anyway, even though this crisis seems to be over.
With a UPS I can at least keep two of my three monitors, plus my computer, running for about an hour in a temporary blackout.
At around $150 for a good UPS, I think it will be a bargain. I just don't handle frustration well. Ask my poor wife. You can look for her under the blankets.
