Blackout. I have a lot of memories associated with power failures, and last night my power went out twice, very briefly, so they all came flooding out. In 1998, I lived with a roommate whom I'd known since age 12. We'd had a complex friendship. We still have it today, pretty much, though she hasn't responded to my latest email. That apartment started out to be a dream come true - huge, huge kitchen, two small bedrooms, nice big living room, one and a half baths, and a parking space for Ariel, my Honda. But things started going wrong - giant flood, septic system backup, sliding glass door in roommate's bedroom coming off its track and shattering. None of it was anyone's fault particularly, but I was nervous. And she threw me out. For about a minute, I believed that she was asking me to leave because she was afraid I would make a big deal out of the problems and we'd be out on our asses and she wouldn't be able to find a new place, because we weren't doing that beautifully as roommates, and it was unlikely I'd want a new place together. A night or two after she informed me I needed to move out basically immediately, the lights went out around 10pm. I can't go to sleep when the lights go out; I'm always afraid I'll sleep in, be late to work, screw everything up. So she and I went out into the living room with candles and played a trivia game. During the game, she confessed that she'd already offered the room to her old roommate from college. She didn't say specifically, but of course that was why I was out. He needed a place to live in Boston with his new wife; he'd gotten a job, they'd both always wanted to live here. The roommate was B. In three years, he and his wife had split, and there we were. Funny how things turn out. [The Redhead Wore Crimson]
The blogging world is full of a zillion personal diaries, only some of which are interesting beyond that person's circle of friends, but The Redhead is an exception. Maybe its because I lived for 15 years and one marriage near Harvard Square, or maybe its because its well written, but I find myself turning to it more often than not.
5:33:45 PM 
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