Here’s a short clip featuring Jamie Lee Curtis, in which she describes a 25-hour power outage during a family vacation in Idaho. When the outage occurred, the family rallied to make food, melt ice for water, and so on. “My family played music, we played games, we actually talked to each other.” Once the power came back, they all turned back into internet-addicted zombies.
When Was the Last Time You Turned Off the Juice?
I can’t remember the last time I was — intentionally or unintentionally — without electricity for 24 hours. I think I’d like to try it. How about you?
Comments (19)
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It was more like a week when Ike blew through Houston.
I was working on cleaning up the whole time, so I didn’t have much time to socialize.
posted by Troy H. on 2-8-2010 at 3:21 pm
We frequently go wilderness camping for 1 to 2 weeks at a time. My 4 daughters love it. We spend a lot of time playing different games and trivia. Being without power at home due to ice storms is an adventure to the kids. They actually enjoy the time together.
posted by KevinGA on 2-8-2010 at 3:28 pm
I went through eight days without power a couple of winters ago in Manhattan Ks. I would boil great big pots of water on my gas stove to heat my place and humidify since I did not have a fireplace. My two boys and I went through most of the Dicken’s classics I had( something about Dickens and winter)and tried to act out every choose your own adventure book we had…(my boys were 4 and 6). I will hold that winter dear to me forever!
posted by John on 2-8-2010 at 3:32 pm
In this area, it wouldn’t be any fun at all. If the power were to be off for a day, the cold would make the house unbearable. Even if for some reason we were forced to stay in the powerless heatless house, it wouldn’t be a happy adventure at all. We’d be freezing cold and cranky. Trying to keep warm in the dark while eating cold food would be miserable.
My power was off for a few days a month or so ago due to winter storms and their after effects. Staying at the house without heat was absolutely not an option, so we had to go and stay with my sister. I guess in that respect, it got to be a bonding even since we had to stay with her.
In a better climate,though, I could see it being a bit fun for a day, sort of like camping. I don’t think it would be for longer than a day.
posted by Melissa on 2-8-2010 at 3:50 pm
South Florida after a couple of hurricanes a few years back. Humid. Hot. Nasty.
Doing it in Idaho sounds more fun.
posted by Hurricane on 2-8-2010 at 4:01 pm
Recently in my neighborhood(CA) there were rolling blackouts…on, off, on, off. It was frustrating unless you just turned it all off…There were terrible storms that I had never seen anything like around here, but a couple of candles, blankets and conversations got us through that crazy week! So many of my neighbors lost trees!(captcha timbered to)
posted by Justine on 2-8-2010 at 4:30 pm
The last time was a year ago, but it was no picnic. Almost 2 weeks with no power, no heat in the dead of winter was not fun. I wouldn’t voluntarily ‘turn off the juice’ to save my life.
posted by Jamie on 2-8-2010 at 4:49 pm
I’ve been going to Haiti since 2007 on mission trips. When we are there we do have lights, but that’s as much technology as we get. No phone, no computers, no T.V, no news from the outside world. While we are in Haiti, we are for the most part cut off from American civilization….and it’s INCREDIBLE!
We talk, we play games, we sing, we watch the stars. We don’t worry about who is updating their statuses when, or what TV shows come on next. Heck, I don’t even really care what is happening anywhere else. It is probably one of the things I look forward to the most when I go.
posted by KerriD on 2-8-2010 at 5:55 pm
One of the things that really got me, when we lost power for a week, was the total inability to do anything after dark. We’re used to sleeping from about 12 to 7; it was bizarre to have absolutely nothing we could do once things got dark, and just go to bed.
Not that we could sleep well, even though it was quite dark and we had lots of extra time; it was late summer in FL and even with all the windows open and constant rain, it was unbearably hot and sticky.
There was no way to prepare food except the gas grill–outside, where it wouldn’t stop raining. All the refrigerated food we had, of course, went bad almost immediately anyway. Lots of peanut butter sandwiches that week, and we didn’t even have a working well without power. No flush, no shower, nothing to drink except what we’d bottled up beforehand.
Overall it was a disgustingly hot, boring, simply miserable experience.
posted by G on 2-8-2010 at 6:29 pm
Another FL hurricane story…stranded in a cheap hotel with wind driven rain splattering against the large window all day and night. Fortunately, I had a couple of good books to read. Went to sleep when it got too dark to read.
Hot, yes. Sticky, yes. Something to repeat, no.
posted by Fox on 2-8-2010 at 7:19 pm
My 2 sons regulary camp with scouts and do not have any luxuries of electricity. We have a wonderful time doing fun things together and no one asks for the nintendo dsi or ipod all weekend! Before you say, what about cell coverage?…most of the time we are out of range! It is a wonderful thing to teach your children that they can do without these things, albeit for a short time.
posted by H on 2-8-2010 at 10:21 pm
Last winter after a storm, my family had a party. At about 8pm the power went out. We lit candles and just kept playing games, nobody cared to leave until after midnight.
posted by Doedina on 2-8-2010 at 10:35 pm
On May 8, 2009, there was a derecho (kind of like an inland hurricane) that passed through southern Illinois, doing a great deal of damage. Power was off in some areas for over a week. My house was without power for three days. I temporarily moved to stay with my mother so we could pool resources (12-volt cooler, gas camp stove, etc.) We talked a great deal, read by battery powered lanterns, and listened to a battery-powered radio.
We lost a lot of frozen food, but were able to salvage some and cooked that during the power outage.
posted by Gordon Daily on 2-9-2010 at 8:37 am
I have three words: Girl Scout Camp.
A couple of times a year, I take a group of 10 or so kids where no electronics are allowed. We have a blast.
posted by KJ on 2-9-2010 at 9:54 am
Katrina! It was out for over a month!!!
posted by Rachel on 2-9-2010 at 10:03 am
Orthodox Jews turn off the “juice” for twenty five hours every week! And its great! We do keep the heat on etc so, I guess it’s different in that area- but no phones, computers or anything of that sort. It’s a wonderful break and I look forward to it every week.
posted by michelle on 2-9-2010 at 10:22 am
@Michelle,
I was going to say the same thing. When I was young I thought it was a terrible imposition. Now I love the time with the family and friends. As a matter of fact my college roommate who is not Jewish, hangs out with us on sabbath whenever we are together. He’ll eat the big meals, talk, play board games, card games etc… He says he’s jealous that we do it every week.
I’ve also experienced power outages for 3-4 days. My brother and I used to go wilderness camping, it was very similar, but in your own house. Wilderness camping is fantastic, there is nothing as refreshing as being of the grid totally for a week.
posted by Stew on 2-9-2010 at 4:48 pm
In my last sentence I meant ‘off the grid’
posted by Stew on 2-9-2010 at 4:50 pm
Here in Louisville, KY, we were without power for almost two weeks last year during an ice storm. It was very cold, but we were fortunate enough to have a neighbor who let us hook our heater up to his generator at night. We didn’t have any gadgets to play with, but we spent a lot of time playing cards and board games with the kids by candle/lantern light. It was great. It was also during this time that I truly came to love my french press…no electricity required for coffee.
posted by Jessi on 2-9-2010 at 7:24 pm