Stuff

[catscradle]

So as a graduation gift _darlingnicky_ procured for me a bottle of my beloved absinthe, for which we partook of last night. I've never had enough of the stuff in one sitting to see the fabled green fairy, but the relaxed euphoria and overall good feeling I experience is just fine. I'm still feeling that heady lightness, but that can also be my sinuses, so I'm just rolling with it. Federal law states that if it's home brewed and not sold for profit, it's legal. Colorado law, not so much. Oh well.

In other news, Denver man, dependent on oxygen machine, dies shortly after power disconnected. Forgiving the fact that this could as easily happen this summer when we will undoubtly be hit by one of several rolling blackouts that have been increasing each year, this is just fucking cold. XCEL Energy is saying that the guy could have applied for the LEAP program where the government helps pay the electric bill for those that can't afford it, but this system totally collapsed in the fall when Colorado switched to a new computer system that effectively crashed the moment it went online. Anyone using LEAP, food stamps, wellfare and/or disability has been fucked over since September last year. There's also the distinct possibility that the man didn't qualify for LEAP anyway. They say he and his wife had kids, so if they're to qualify for LEAP, assuming they have two kids, combined they have to gross $18,660 or less a year to receive any assistance. After taxes that's $1270/month for a family of four in order to qualify for state/federal aid. So if they collectively made $19K a year, they wouldn't qualify for jack shit.

That aside, CHRIST! They pleaded that it was for medical reasons and SHOWED the technician the oxygen machine. You generally don't have spare oxygen machines hanging around unless you're actually using it. My guess is the man that died probably thought he'd be okay for a few days until the matter was settled. He was using the oxygen for sleep apnea. I have it too, though I don't use the oxygen machine yet because I was just diagnosed with it and they need to run further tests - I'd never have thought it so life threatening. I'm guessing it's also a matter of how bad you have it and your overall health as to how immediate the threat is. Too bad he didn't (or couldn't) go somewhere else for a few nights to sleep.

Speaking of no electricity, I see that Morgan Spurlock, creator of Super Size Me will have his own show on fX now called "30 Days" wherein an individual will adopt a lifestyle commpletely different from their upbringing for, yeah, 30 days. From the commercial's I've seen, they're doing one on what it's like to live without electricity. Some other good ones too, like what it's like to live as a Muslim and what it's like to live on minimum wage. Sounds promising. I'm going to try to watch when it premiers this summer.

Comments

[babaca.livejournal.com]

What does absinthe taste like? I know it's the preferred stuff of authors of old but it's not like it's easy to find anywhere. :)

Eeps! Why didn't the electric company tell these people about the LEAP program? My sister works for an electric company, I sent her the link to that story. That's horrible.

[babaca.livejournal.com]

Edit: Ah, re-read your explanation of the program... eeps, they don't make it very easy. But as for the technician, I don't know if he could have done anything about it if he had orders to cut it off. He should have gone back and made the folks in the office feel guilty about having to shut it down maybe.

[catscradle.livejournal.com]

Absinthe has an anise flavor in it and it's bitter from the wormwood. People typically add sugar in an absinthe ritual to help the taste (set a sugar cube on top of a silver slitted spoon set over a glass, pour absinthe over it, light the sugar cube and let it burn out, pour water over the sugar till disolved, then drink).

If you want something that's easier to find (legal) and a bit like Absinthe, I'd suggest Chartreuse (green, not yellow). I think it's about 110 proof - made with herbs, but it's not bitter and it doesn't use anise in it. Used in moderation (I'd say keep it at 2 shots), it has some of the same euphoric effects and it smells a lot better.

Why didn't the electric company tell these people about the LEAP program?

Because XCEL is of Satan. Actually, I don't know why they didn't. My guess though is that the family didn't qualify for the program. It's sad, but if you make $100 over the poverty level, you don't qualify for any aid. They *knew* the family had this problem though and the technician saw the oxygen machine. So if you think a life may be at stake, you leave the freaken electric on!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_darlingnicky_/]

Hey!

If you want to try Absinthe, I really recommend this company:

http://www.absinthekits.org/catalog/essence/prestige/

That's where we got ours. Most sell herbs you have to mix and strain for a week. This one is just two little concentrated bottles mixed with sugar and 750 ml/vodka. It's an outstanding product.

[babaca.livejournal.com]

Hmm... thanks for the info. It really would be something interesting to try at least once. ^__^

[versailles-rose.livejournal.com]

You KNOW I am going to get that stuff.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_darlingnicky_/]

I was SO hoping you'd see this before you left!! Awesome. Please please please tell me what you think of it. I'd dying to get your reaction! Hee hee.

[versailles-rose.livejournal.com]

I promise I won't disconnect you from Absinthe.

[witchwillow.livejournal.com]

I've probably got it all wrong. But I remember older people (mother, aunts, etc) talking about how if you have an elderly person, pregnant woman, or small children in a house; you can't cut off the electricity no matter what the bill problems.

Things have to be mediated.

Because lack of electric supplied heat in winter could cause the deaths of those people and lack of a/c in summer could do the same. And if you have anyone ill using medical life supporting equipment they can't even send someone to the house to bully you.

Of course, this was in NYC. Maybe the law's different.

*goes to read article*

All the same though, whoa.

[catscradle.livejournal.com]

I think you're right, actually. I remember as well that they couldn't turn off electricity or heat if it were a matter of life or death. I think the way they skirt the issue is to say "Well, you need toget the proper paper work in or we can't know!" But in this case, they actually had supplied a doctor's note and whatnot - XCEL is claiming they never got it. So far all indication is that they did get it. So it's going to be interesting to see what happens now. Hope they nail the bastards to the wall.