Thank God for small favors

I got home today from running errands and noticed the house was warmer than it should have been. I'd left the thermostat at 78 degrees but it was 82 degrees...weird. I checked and the air was on so I got a sinking feeling that it wasn't working. I then noticed the cable was out and the clocks were all blinking. We had apparently had a power outage. All I could think was "Thank God I wasn't here!" I literally would have had a stroke.

I'm pretty much constantly thinking of our troops and ordinary Iraqi citizens and everyone in war torn areas of the Middle East and how they have to live in 120 degree heat (or worse) with NO POWER. Oh, and the no power thing is the least of their worries. What a nightmare!!!

So, in appreciation of having power, here are a few ways I'll be passing the time INDOORS with the air CRANKED UP:

This American Life archived episodes. This is such a great radio show. Anything you pick will be a good listen while surfing online.

iTunes. Hopefully you already have this on your computer. If not, download it here and lose hours listening to music you've always meant to check out. Be sure to check out some podcasts while you're at it.

Poke around Amazon and decide what looks good, but do me a favor and buy your books at your favorite independant bookstore.

The Onion

Slate

NPR

Check out BBC radio for a fresh perspective or BBC News.

Go to National Geographic and pick out some wallpaper for your desktop and enjoy that amazing photography.

You Tube

Ebaums World

And considering how terrible things are around the world these days, check out Charity Navigator and decide who you can donate some funds to.

Oh, and this is what I like to sip in this sort of heat:
Toss a few frozen strawberries in a tall glass of Fresca and blend with a stick blender. It's low cal, quite refreshing and oh so yummy. Give it a try sometime. If you're feeling especially festive throw some rum or vodka in there too!