Day After the Second Earthquake in 6 months for Christchurch

Yesterday I was getting my hair cut (and she botched it) while the first I knew of yesterdays Earthquake in Christchurch came on TV. Lucy, the hairdresser had climbed to the top of church spire at the Cathedral who's spire caved in. For tourist purposes the Cathedral tour guides gave anyone who climbed to the top of the tower a certificate to keep. Anyway, it was quite an active day for me personally so I was ready to come home and catch up on the TV: Christchurch's Littleton and Canterbury. I was trying to do my usual blend of research/learning, medical record keeping and social networking at the same time but once an hour or so, my computer would shut down and power up again but the safety switch was not being tripped so I assumed it was the cords or one of my peripherals which I was gradually unplugging and checking in between reboots. The last time it happened I was watching the speaker light come on and off as the power seemed to try and then fail several times and unlike the last two times, every circuit in the house was affected. But no trip switches went off. I turned off and on the main and each circuit in between and wondered weather there was something burning out in the switch box like last time but I could not smell anything and this is a completely new one since then. I did not even think of the main meter box for both these units because it is on Flora's side. With her help because I now had no phone access, I called Maintenence who had to send someone up from Brisbane. I could see I was not going to get power back in time for any more news on the quake and I missed Neighbours too.

He fixed the problem at the meter box and temporarily put me on to another line because the line I was on had no power so someone would have to come back and switch it back to my usual line. About 20 mins after he left he was back in the drive and I had just powered up the computer and boiled the kettle thank goodness. The pumping station next door had someone in attendance there to and it was then we found out why. Energex was working in the are and was about to switch off the whole street but they were also fixing up the power to the sewerage pumping station and it turns out that is the line I am on. The only person in the street. So I had to be switched back to my line again right then and be plunged into darkness once more. He warned that in half an hour the whole street would be blacked out by the workers and then my power would come back on after the sewerage pumping station line was fixed. Flora and Brian got forewarning because I told them but the council certainly hadn't bothered to tell us. Eventually their power went off and mine came back on again but it was 8 or 9 o'clock by then and there were no more Quake coverages until 10pm so I stayed up and the rest of the street probably went to bed early although their power was only going to be off for not much more than an hour.

I think there was a problem with my power individually and that this other problem on top of it was coincidental. Glad I didn't have to pay for it, since the AH electrician had to drive up from Brisbane so I guess he missed the news too.

I have been having good days followed by recovery days but except for the first backward slide that made me feel all fluey again, these have been not like that. I am taking the Planquenil now if that has made any difference. It is used as a preventative against relapses in Lupus.

I would have probably stayed in all day today had S not rung wanting his University books that had arrived. I ended up meeting him at Stockland and took him home again. He has no money and is in the poo financially because his car is still not going and back in the workshop with another problem. Maybe he cannot afford to get it out because today was pay day and all he could do is pay for a bus fare to Stockland which seems a bit silly in hindsight since I could have driven the books up to his house seeing I had to drive him home anyway. I thought he was also coming down to deal with his car but as it turned out - no.

But with all the rigmorol with no power and trying to remain in touch with S, I realised I do have a mobile phone problem - my optus one stopped working - gets hot and screen goes blank before I can do anything and the Telstra one that fell in the sea because the tide came all the way up on the grass while I was swimming locally, seems to work to talk but will not let me push any buttons so all I can do is speak to someone else's call but I cannot ring anything because it all results in switching back to the main screen. It meant when S's message arrived I could not even get to it to read it. It is funny how when my health starts to improve I end up with problems I have to deal with which can put an end to any of the ideas I've had for just having a bit of quiet fun and relaxation. I'll report on the Plaquenil some other time since it takes up to 3 months to work. But I have been feeling mostly OK. Yesterday was high emotion, high action day with the quake and the power problems so I am quite happy that I can probably get away with feeling dopey and slow for a couple of days instead of outright sick.