May 27, 2011
Okay, are you ready for your daily dose of whine? It was another horrific day at work. A stress-filled, rush job, nerve-jangling day. I was thinking about going the the Fortress of Papaya, but decided to just go home and have a few beers on my roof overhang outside of my apartment. I don’t go out there much and I really should. Everybody’s always jealous of it when they see it. Thinking about it brought back a memory I have of being out there and I thought I’d write that up tonight and illustrate it with real life pictures. So here goes!
On August 14th, 2003, it was a little after four in the afternoon and I was getting my shit together and getting ready to go into work. It was a hot summer afternoon and my window unit air conditioner was humming away. I was walking over to turn it off and before I got there it stopped on its own. I tried to turn a lamp on and it didn’t turn on either. The power was off. I was running late for work, so I just walked out and locked my door.
Walking down the stairs, I ran into my neighbor Deloy.
“Hey Deloy, is your power off too?” I asked walking down the creaky stairs.
“Yeah, I think the whole building is out. Are you going to work?” She asked.
“Yeah, I’m running a little late, I’ll see you later,” I said as I headed for the front door.
“Okay, I’m sure the power will be back on when you get home,” She said as I opened the front door.
And now it can finally be revealed. It was Deloy that caused the widespread blackout on August 14th, 2003! When she uttered the words, “Okay, I’m sure the power will be back on when you get home,” she jinxed a large part of this country and Canada. It’s like when you say at work, “It looks like it’s going to be an easy day” and then the proverbial shit hits the old fan. I’m sorry to be the one to finally reveal this Deloy, but I could keep it a secret no longer. It was too much of a burden on my conscience. Look on the bright side though, you’ll probably make the NY Post tomorrow! I can already picture the headline: “DELOY: DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS!”
But anyway, back to the story! So I went out and walked to 6th Avenue. And when I got there, there was tons of people on the street. I looked up and noticed the traffic lights weren’t working.
“Do you know what’s going on?” I asked a sweaty fat man in a brown suit.
“The electricity is out over the whole city,” he told me while sweat ran down his fat face. “My neighbor said she heard on the radio it was another terrorist attack.
“Oh fuck!” I said in response. “Well, listen take care of yourself," I said to him and started walking uptown to work. I didn’t know what else to do.
He wished me good luck as I headed uptown on 6th Avenue in a sea of people with worried-ass faces. My stomach was in knots. I did not want to go through another September 11th. I was walking as fast as I could and soon I was at work. A lot of my co-workers were standing out in the street. I saw my boss Mike and went up to him and asked if he knew what was going on. He explained it was a blackout that was not only in New York but in several other states as well. I was just relieved it wasn’t going to be another September 11th. He told me he heard it could last through the night and that I might as well go home. He also told me some people had no way to get home because of the train situation and might be stuck there all night.
And this is where I have to confess a bit of a selfish moment takes place. I started realizing people might start asking me to spend the night at my place since I live in the city. My apartment is tiny and it could turn into a mess if people were to start asking and it would be hard to turn people down. I told Mike I’d come back if the power came back on and walked right into Sam Wong and his wife, Hilda.
I had worked with Sam for years and he’s a friend of mine. He and Hilda live in Long Island and I knew they had no way to get home, because the trains weren’t running.
“Listen, I hate to ask this,” Sam said and I knew what was coming, “but we have nowhere to go. Can we stay at your place tonight.”
So what was I going to do? I told him they could and then said, “Let’s get the hell out of here, I can’t have twenty fucking people staying at my place. So we walked to my apartment. When we got to the corner of 16th and 6th I looked at the corner deli and my resources kicked in big time and I uttered five very important words: “We gotta get some beer!”
Sam and Hilda don’t drink booze, so they got some water and I bought three six packs of 16 ounce Budweisers. I’m always a firm believer of, it’s better to have more, than not enough! And so we went back to my apartment.
We walked in, put our bags down and it was hotter than a bonfire in hell in there. I instinctively walked over and tried to turn the air conditioner on.
“Unless that thing’s hooked up to a generator, I don’t think you’re going to have much luck with that,” Sam said, being a wise-ass.
“Listen, unless you want to sleep on the street, you better start kissing my ass!” I told him.
“Yeah, you’d like that wouldn’t you?” Sam shot back.
“Aw fuck you,” I said and I grabbed my beer to put it in the freezer.
I don’t defrost my freezer nearly enough...
See? But it worked in my favor that day, I knew it would keep my beer cold through the night. As you can see, I fall into survival of the fittest mode fastly!
So we opened my door that leads to the roof overhang so some air would come in. I walked over to my boombox and said, “I’m going to turn the radio on and see if we can hear some news.” Then I realized I didn’t have any batteries for it.
“We have to go get some batteries,” I said to Sam and Hilda.
“No batteries? Wow, you’re really prepared for an emergency situation here,” Sam said sarcastically.
“Hey fuck you, I’ve got more beer than anybody on this block right now, let’s go, it’ll give us something to do,” I shot back and we headed outside.
We got the batteries and were back in my apartment listening to the radio. I was drinking beer and it was boiling hot in there. We finally decided to go out and just take a walk. Walking around we found a pizza place that had a wood burning oven, so each got a slice and walked to Union Square park and ate it. There were a lot of people out and the mood was almost festive. I think a lot of people were like me and were just relieved it wasn’t some terrorist thing.
It started getting dark and before you knew it, New York looked like this!
Sam, Hilda and I headed back home and it was spooky walking in the pitch black New York night. The only things that were lit up on the streets were Mr. Softee trucks, they work on generators, and they were doing a booming business.
We made it back to my place and with the help of a cigarette lighter I found some candles and a flashlight, we lit them up and sat down, but the heat was stifling.
I’m going to go sit out on the roof,” I said getting up and taking a plastic chair with me to sit on.
Sam said he’d join me and Hilda said she just wanted to lay down. So we opened up my futon, I got her a pillow and Sam and I went outside. We brought a couple candles out and I set the flashlight at us so we wouldn’t be sitting in the pitch black night.
There’s a huge loft across from me and it was lit up with candles and I think a few flashlights. There were two people on the couch and they were making out.
“Looks like we might see some action!” I said to Sam.
“This is better than TV, hey look, channel 2,” Sam said pointing to another window lit up with candles. There were people inside and it looked like they were having a party in there.
I got up and got a beer and when I walked back out on to the roof, I looked over and saw a small window that was lit up and there was a woman standing in front of a mirror, messing around with her hair. She had light brown hair down to her shoulders, she was attractive, probably mid-twenties and she had on a pink halter top.
“Hey asshole,” I said to Sam, “check out channel 3!”
“Whoa!” Sam said eyeing the woman who was still posing in front of her mirror. “She’s pretty hot!”
“No shit,” I fired back. “She must have a portable light in there, it’s all lit up. She’s got a halter top on, if she takes that thing off we’ll see her tits!”
“Oh, shit!” Sam said kind of loudly.
It’s sad, but true, that two guys our age could be reduced to the mentality of a twelve-year-old boy looking at his first Playboy, at the thought of seeing some strange woman’s breasts. But what are you going to do?
When Sam said, “Oh, shit,” she looked out the window in our direction and immediately ran out of the room after she saw us leering at her. Seconds later she came back with a towel and covered the window up.
Sam eventually went to bed and I moved on to vodka, but that’s a whole different story and one too long to tell now.
The next day, Sam and Hilda left and went to Penn Station. The power was still off and I went out to get the chair off of the roof. I looked over at the window and the towel was down and you could see in again. I walked over and was staring at it and before I knew it, the woman was back in there and saw me staring at the window. She ran out of the room and there’s been a shade on the window ever since.
I still wish I could’ve seen her tits.
Further reading: CBS News, CNN, and the NY Times.
You might also like: Sam, Hilda and Marty.
Three Other Blackouts
1977 Backout
1965 Blackout
Blackout of Gretely
When the night has come,
And the land is dark,
And the moon is the only light we'll see.
(Surprise link...click on it...I dare you!)
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Bonus Photo by Jason Kuffer!
Last week I went to the 11th Annual Joey Ramone Birthday Bash and ran into my friend Jason Kuffer there. Jason snapped a photo of me taking a picture and here it is.
To see more of Jason’s photos from the show click here: Jason Kuffer’s Photos From the Joey Ramone Birthday Bash. And here’s some backstage and after-party shots he snapped: More Jason Kuffer Photos. Great work, Jason, thanks for sending in the photo and links!
30 Comments
Reader Comments (30)
Great story, Marty! Next time I'm in town, I'm going to set aside half a day to set up that roof for you. I trust you'll have beers on hand.
Great story! I can just picture you and Sam staring at the woman! LOL! Jason's photos rock!
Very enjoyable story. Plus I learned something about defrosting the freezer in my back room=don't do it too often, let it build thick ice, especially down in Fla during hurricane season, power goes out,,,instant cooler for days,,,great. Also the clip from "Hardcore",,,a great film, one of my all time favorites and George C Scott was great in it as was Peter Boyle,,,,I also liked "JOE" with Boyle,,,,similar to Hardcore.
Deloy...daughter of darkness...Ha! Check your e-mail Marty, I've got something for you.
Cool story, Marty!
During the ’77 black out, I lived on Bleecker Street, and I was outside my building having a beer and a smoking a fat one, when this guy comes up to me and says: “Can I get a hit off that?” he takes a hit and asks me “Wanna’ buy a guitar?”, he opens the case, and inside is a Les Paul Custom. He says “Ten bucks”, I say “How about five”, and he says “Gimme 7 and you got yourself a guitar”. Still have it.
One time I had some friends over, one of them looks out my kitchen window, and one says “HOLLY SHIT, HARRY!.......there’s two Lesbians going at it!” At one point I considered selling tickets, but thought better of it. There was normally two shows daily...
“There are eight million stories in the naked city. This has been one of them.”
At the risk of sounding like Capt. Hairsplitter: In Hardcore, Hal Williams’ character’s name was Big Dick Blaque.
@Biff: There's always beer in my fridge for you!
@Al: That freezer was a God-send that night! I had cold beer all though the evening! And Peter Boyle is great in both of those movies!
@Jaws: Just e-mailed you back!
@Harry: Great stories! And thanks for the correct spelling of Big Dick Blaque! Hilarious that you knew that!
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@MAD: Good story. I remember the blackout. I was at work in the city and had to hoof it 6 miles to Brooklyn in the heat. On my way out the door I ran into a guy dressed all in black I knew. He was with this Chinese guy and his wife I knew as well. We said "Hi", but they were acting kind of weird. Anyway, they said they had to go buy some beer. I said bye and started walking to Brooklyn.
Halfway over the Williamsburg Bridge, the sun set. Everyone was walking like they were frozen assholes on an escalator. In the dark sweaty mass of humanity, crawling over the East River, it occurred to me that the man in black lived 10 blocks from were I worked. Epiphanies are a bitch.
@GENE: Great links!
@csp: Johnny Cash lived that close to where you worked? Cool!
P.S. You're not going to guilt-trip me, because we came back for you!
@ M.A.D. and Csp; The one thing about this blog that I absolutely love is how it attracts people with real potential as world class writers. Anybody who follows this blog is going to be eventually treated to a world class and potentially world famous short story or two. Jesus, keep it up guys. And just remember everybody... 'Frankenstine, or the Modern Promethesus' was originally wrirren by a bunch of whacked out opium smoking intelectuals of the day on a stormy night on the shores of lake Geniva almost 200 years ago looking for the perfect ghost story.....
we had an all night black out last summer on my birthday.. pissed me the fuck off. my birthday was already a motherfucker but then steal my fucking power and i was just livid. third time that summer.. all because of fucking storms..
oh wait my birthday had no storm.. it was just cause birthdays suck hahhah
over it now..gave up birthdays LOL
i couldn't go get a beer on my birthday as my car was in the garage.. couldn't open the door..
so no whining ok:)
i'm bitter enough for all of us.
love this blog today marty.. and a special surprise for you on mine..xo
I wanted to go see your patio, but didn't ask. Great story. Sorry it didn't have a happy ending about good boob watching. Nice memory @csp :)
@Jaws: I love all the stories that are shared here too! Some of yours have been monumental!
@Gidgie: I'm going to go check it now!
@kari: You should've asked! Oh well, a good excuse to come back!
@MAD: Nah, no guilt-trip. Was just meant to be slightly amusing. I thought the city was a lot of fun that night, Greenpoint was bizarre. All the bars without power were selling off what was left of their stock cheap, and then there were a ton of bars that had gas generators and emergency outdoor lights. Drunken islands in a sea of darkness. To tell you the truth, it was better then normal, by a lot. To vodka and unseen tits.
@Jaws: That was just a counter-story of the main narrative. To Rashomon and dead viruses.
nice little story...blackouts are eerie and can conjure up all kinds of things...can lead to all kinds of things...like voyeurism to entertain oneself...sorry you and sam didn't get the show you were hopin' for...a least you had beer...
See you in the darkness.
~Gary Gilmore
rr
forgot to mention a thanks to jason for the links
rr
@csp: I knew you were just joshin' so was I! A crazy night indeed! To vodka and unseen tits!
@rr: The beer helped! The vodka knocked me out! Is that Gary Gilmore quote his last words? Great find! And yeah, I hope everyone checks out Jason's links, his photos from that night are spectacular!
@GENE: Nice vids, thanks for posting!
Why couldn't that have happened when I was hanging out on the back porch!!?? Another classic Tale from the MAD side. Great photo too!
@Harry .... that must have been an awesome show to be at ! ... Les Paul was the man waaaay before all these other guys. It's also cool to see how much Eddie was in awe of him - and kept on kissing him on the head ! If I ever get a time machine -- I'm going to the first game at Yankee Stadium in 1923 -- then that Les Paul tribute show !
Pics of Hilda in a sweat soaked tanktop, or it didn't happen.
Oh, hi Shirley Manson.
@Clacky: Thanks!
@GENE: I agree about Les Paul!
@JAZ: You'll have to ask Sam for those! And what's the matter, you're not speaking to Sonny and Cher?
Great story! One summer there was a repeat performance (female) exhibitionist in an apartment buliding overlooking my place. In the middle of the day! I'm too bashful to give you the details, but it was steamy stuff.
Any mention of Gary Gilmore makes me think of The Adverts - Gary Gilmore's Eyes. What a song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AH5sE7d47U
@onemorefoldedsunset: I thought of the Adverts too! Great song! Sadly this woman was no exhibitionist!
A friend and I went to Union Square Park as well during the blackout! We walked through the park and ended up sitting up by the Barnes and Noble end of the park.
The park was definitely in a mellow but festive mood. There were some musicians and just people hanging out!
A few apartments overlooking the park had parties going on with candles illuminating the apartments. It was an incredible weekend. If only it was twenty degrees cooler though!!!
@Roger Paw: Maybe we were in the park at the same time, funny! And yeah, it definitely would've been better had it been a little cooler outside!
I am entering into the witness protection program.
@Deloy: Ha ha ha! I was waiting to hear from you!
I love hearing your story considering I remember the blackout but was living in Utah at the time. I like that NYC was so mellow - it all goes with what we were talking about - New Yorkers have a bad rep but they are pretty awesome in reality.