Rotating Power Outage...uhgggg...WTHecK?

photos from wfaa.com

So I was sitting here about to compose a brilliant blog post and .... OUT! GO! THE! LIGHTS!....and.....HEAT!.  Well shoot!!!!

I sit here dreading the call to TXU (the electric company) because they keep you on hold forEVER and my phone is not charged.  We do not use a land line so all I have is my cell phone (it's been so long, does a land line work when the power is out?).  Just as I am about to have a carb loaded bagel (because I am all the sudden starving and our stove is electric ~YUCK, I know~ and I am using this excuse to chow down on carbs) David calls to say he made it to work safely.  I tell him my electricity woes and he decides he will call to see what is up.  He calls me back to let me know that there was a recording that tells how they are conducting rotating power outages.  So they are doing this ON PURPOSE?  Meanwhile the lights have come back on....so all is swell again.

Back on the ole computer, I find this on WFAA's website"

photos from wfaa.com

"AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - The Electric Reliability Council of Texas has ordered utilities to begin rotating electrical outages to compensate for a power shortage linked to the extreme cold weather.
The order took effect Wednesday morning, a day after an ice and snow storm blanketed parts of Texas.
Consumers and businesses are urged to reduce their electricity use. ERCOT had no timetable for when the rotating outages would end.
The ERCOT region includes Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, Corpus Christi, Abilene and the Rio Grande Valley. ERCOT manages the flow of electricity to about 22 million Texas customers.
Rotating outages are defined as "controlled, temporary interruptions of electric service, typically lasting 10-45 minutes per neighborhood."
Critical need customers, such as hospitals and nursing homes, are generally excluded from outages"

photos from wfaa.com

I have not heard of "rotating power outages" being conducted on purpose.  I guess this makes sure no one is without power for a long period of time.  I will be ok with that, I guess.  It is rather inconvenient, however.  I have a roast in the crock pot and when the power goes out, the crock pot turns off.  It does not come back on, automatically, when the power is restored....so I have to REMEMBER to turn it back on.  Oh...and the clocks all need to be reset, with the alarms.  And the dog goes a bit crazy because she wants to make sure I know her old bones are cold.  It will be a fun day.  I just hope the when it is next our time for the "rotating power outage" that it is at least 8 hours away so my I can have the yummie roast tonight...LOL.  This is a big state, surely the outages will be at least 8 hours apart, right?

Tiffany