Sunday, July 21 2019

Dear Journal,

Yesterday, I happily wrote about The Lion King, braised chuck roast, and nazi zombies, but I totally forgot to mention something significant that happened. Not that I have an actual responsibility to cover all current events, but it made for a pretty odd day. Friday morning, I jumped on the bust pretty much like any other day, but I started to notice that traffic was really bad. We usually reach the square around 8:25 AM, but it was 8:30AM and still crawling along. I also noticed that my phone didn't have any service, which annoyed me at first because I had no way to pass the time.

I saw several firetrucks and police cars whiz by, so I gathered some kind of accident had happened. We made it as far as Ingersoll Rd before the driver pulled over and told us that East Wash was completely blocked off and that something pretty big had happened.

A stept off the bus and continued walking to the square on foot. I got a few more blocks before I noticed big billowing black smoke ahead. I walked closer and noticed a small gathering of people, firetrucks, cops, and high two cranes spraying water down on the MG&E plant. I got as close as I was allowed and snapped some pictures on my phone. I saw bright orange flames leap up through the smoke.

Finally, a slack message came through. I checked my phone and read that our office had been evacuated because of a power outage. I talked to a teammate later that day, and he said he heard the explosion and that it sounded like somebody had dropped a bowling ball on the floor.

A cop directing traffic said that a substation at MG&E had exploded. Nobody was hurt, but it caused a pretty bad power outage, as MG&E is Madison's main gas & electric company.

I walked home, since traffic was pretty much at a stand-still and the bus lines were in total disarray. My family was pretty surprised to see me in the kitchen making french toast. It was a hot morning and I had just walked a mile and a half - we all deal with traumatic experiences differently, don't we?

So that's what happened Friday. I'm no Anderson Cooper, but it would be weird if I didn't mention it right? I haven't read up on the details, I think they're still figuring things out. I recently found out that there was a second explosion, and they're not sure if it was related or not. I'll keep an eye on the news and let you all know if new developments come out.

Let's switch gears a bit. Happy Sunday! In a few moments, I'll wake up Rodney and Marissa to begin the timeless morning scramble to early church. Normally we're 11AM people, but in the summer they consolidate the 9AM and 11AM services to a single 10AM. So things get a little hectic on Sunday morning. After church, I might try to organize something. Marissa got some momentum on the basement yesterday, and it's starting to rub off. I don't want to miss out on all the cleaning fun. Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday yourselves. Clean something, then take a nap to reward your efforts.