10.31.04 - 7:50 p.m.

As I may have mentioned before, our current (soon to be former!) neighborhood is VERY QUIET at night. So quiet that when Cranky Old Man shovels snow at 6 in the morning, it's enough to wake me up. I've been awoken in a panic by my own car alarm (caused by a falling icicle), other people's car alarms, breaking glass, our neighbors having sex, our neighbors having domestic disturbances, and cats, dogs and combat boots running around above us, but last night's middle-of-the-night noise was the scariest yet.

The carbon monoxide detector was beeping.

Even though it sounded like a really loud smoke detector, I realized it right away because it was the only source of light in the room. No atomic clock, no VCR/cable box, no streetlights outside. We were completely without power. YIKES. "We have to get out of here right away," I whispered to Dan, fumbling for my phone, running over to the detector without my glasses on and finally reading "LB" on the display - low battery. Somehow Dan managed to find a screwdriver AND a new nine-volt battery, stopping the beeping and confirming that we were NOT going to be suffocated by this damnable apartment one week before we finally move out.

Whew.

Note to CO detector makers: please do not make it so difficult to replace the battery. Not requiring a screwdriver would be a start. Do you realize how hard it is to do that when it won't stop beeping, you're trying to do it by the glow of a Mag-Lite and your hands are shaking?

(It's also very interesting that the new law requiring carbon monoxide detectors in every NY residence goes into effect tomorrow.)

I don't know what time the power came back on, since I was trying to salvage a few more hours of good sleep. Thus was ruined my last good chance at a full night's sleep for a week, at least, when I'm sure my exhaustion from moving a million boxes of books will give me the sleep of the dead. We packed nearly all the contents of the living room and a good part of the office/junk room, and took all the pictures off the walls today - I'd say it's about 40 percent done. Apart from the Johnny Damon pumpkin EXPLODING all over me, the DVD shelf, and a bunch of movies yesterday, there have been no major catastrophes. We're out of boxes again, already, and still have more books to pack, but I'm so very proud of how much we were able to box up today. T-minus five days and counting before we leave the Trashy House of Doom forever.

Oh, and if anyone wants to see "People Have the Power," the finale song from the DC Vote For Change show (with R.E.M., Bruce, Eddie, Dave, etc) go here and click on Power to the People in the column on the right. I have already done my civic duty via absentee ballot, but it gives me hope for the outcome of Tuesday's insanity nonetheless.