Okay so the last journal I posted, I mentioned I would discuss some things I found to be incredibly helpful while my power was out. I put together a first aid kit/bugout bag back in 2015. It had items in it that were incredibly helpful. There wasn't much in the way of injuries, but my kit also had things like Glow Sticks in it. How were those helpful? Well, a power outage during a storm of any kind can make navigating even inside your own house/apartment difficult. I used glow sticks partly to illuminate areas, but mostly to mark where stairs and such were. Of course a flashlight is also a necessity. Sleeping comfortably was difficult as well. I wound up using every blanket I had to keep warm because, at night, it was 40 degrees F at the highest.

During the day I had to dress in layers. I never felt comfortably warm, and my toes and fingers were always cold. My big concern was avoiding hypothermia and frostbite. All in all I managed okay. There was, however, a couple of large concerns. Keeping heat inside the house was difficult to begin with, but we had people inside the house who were smokers who would go outside to smoke cigarettes, letting what little warmth there was in the house out. I was the only one who got aggravated with that situation (everyone else just didn't want them smoking inside). Another problem was my fuckwad brother, his cunt wife, and her sister. At one point, my dad was heating up leftover stew from the day before (it was still good as the power had only gone out earlier that morning), and dad had asked if what he was heating up on the fire was okay with everyone. My brother then came down and informed him that they decided they wanted something else. Then he got irritated with me for getting pissed.

My mom took me aside and told me to just let it go. I quickly informed her that we were in a situation where we could freeze to death if we weren't careful, and they are already compromising our survival. So I added that if it continued to be a problem, I would remove the compromise. That's another major lesson: if you know somebody who isn't reliable when things are good, DO NOT give them quarter during an emergency. That sounds cruel, but if they can barely take care of themselves in ideal circumstances, then how can you help them in a survival scenario while also taking care of yourself.

Finally, some items I wish I had during this thing: some kind of alternative heating source, a headlamp instead of having to hold a flashlight and do everything else one-handed, and maybe a generator. And of course, you can never have too many batteries. Something else I had on hand that was absolutely great? A power bank! I was able to keep in contact with who I needed to because those things hold a lot of power and will keep your cell phone charged up for days. I ordered another one, along with other stuff that I might need or used up during this event.

Honestly though? I'm becoming a little disillusioned with Texas. That's two emergencies that our Lt. Gov. volunteered people to die for (not himself, though, because of course he's important!), and our leadership and representation here sucks massive horse cock. Fuck Ted Cruz especially.