Lights out on the West Coast!!

[jgraz]

Check in here if your lights are off.

[chknltl]

1. Are we supposed to be turning them off?

I haven't got any chain-e-mail memo's regarding this. :shrug:

[gateley]

2. I don't know if you're kidding or not, but just do it.

[chknltl]

5. Not kidding...clueless though.

on edit...lights are out OK?

[gateley]

11. Excellent! Here's the info:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x111656

[chknltl]

14. Got it from google in another thread moments ago.

Thanks. Call me: "in the hours dark in Tacoma"
(I simply MUST get out more!)

[Yael]

3. Yes -- from 8 to 9

[PlanetBev]

4. Lights off here!

Doing my part in Thousand Oaks, California

[Spazito]

6. Lights out here in the Yukon!

In this home anyway, lol.

[gristy]

7. ooh, it's dark!

tough to type!

[jgraz]

9. I've got my handy dandy MacBook Pro with a backlit keyboard

:P

[jwirr]

28. I had the same problem - if this did nothing else it shows how much

we take things like lights for granted.

[NotGivingUp]

8. such silliness

[silverlib]

10. Sorry you feel that way...

My lights were off in Austin Texas from 8 to 9 p.m. Being I'm not on the west coast, I wasn't going to jack this thread. It's a statement, doesn't require much, but it's important to a lot of us.

[gateley]

13. I agree -- (and I didn't have any qualms about jacking this thread:-) nt

[Booster]

12. Lights out here in Pasadena, CA. Candles lit and it's kind of nice.

[Yael]

19. It is a pleasant change of pace

Or was here a few hours ago.

:hi:

[silverlib]

22. It was especially a pleasant change here in Austin

after the all day precinct convention with 10,000 others. The high was great, but coming home and wandering around in candlelight to make another important statement was a great help in unwinding.

[Warpy]

15. I can see 10 houses from my front porch

Six of them went dark.

So did mine.

[gateley]

20. That is so cool! You guys should have a block party in the street! nt

[Warpy]

35. I think everybody's saving that for when

Stupid and Cheney get on the choppers out of Washington.

[gateley]

37. Woo Hoo!

:party:

[gateley]

16. Pics from Seattle

These are from a webcam one of the local TV stations has on a hill (Queen Anne) overlooking the Space Needle, with downtown Seattle beyond. I think it's kind of rainy there which is why it's not a little clearer, darn it.

Before lights out:




After lights out:

[uppityperson]

42. Did they shut the Space Needle down?

[unsavedtrash]

17. lights were out here in Tuscaloosa AL

candles and actual conversation. I noticed a few houses in the neighborhood turned off too.

[SeattleGirl]

18. Mine are!

Got some candles burning so I don't kill myself while trying to move around.

[yorkiemommie1]

21. Lights out here

Torrance, SoCal

[FirstLight]

23. Lights out, and everything else off too...well, 'cept my dsl :)

I was just thinking about the times we didn't have lights growing up... my folks got some property in the sticks in No Cal wine country.

there was no electricity up there and we went up every weekend for two years or more. I was 7 - 10.
We used to do puzzles by candlelight, play cards, try to read.. it was a place where you would take a warm brick to bed to keep your feet warm at night (just be careful stretching in the morning! ouch!) I would pack a snack and wander in the forest until dinnertime, never worried about getting lost or seeing another soul......"so quiet at night you could hear your own heart beat," as my mom would say. Those were the best years of my life, hands down. simple pleasures and no "head static"

I really like the concept, so much so that I may make it a goal to have at least one hour or more of NO electricity per week. I am sure it would be good for the kids, too..playing games, etc. not a bad idea.

In high school, my best friend was Jewish and her family really observed the sabbath. Saturdays were for reading, listening to music, and that's it. It was a reflective silence and meditative togetherness

something NOW that we lose in our bustle from day to day. I think I could use a little conscious slowdown once a week :)

[Yael]

25. I am thinking I may do the same

That was the whole purpose of observing shabbat/sabbath -- a time to force yourself to shut down and recharge the batteries.

Not a bad concept now that I look back on it.

[FirstLight]

26. It was really fun to go to her house on that day...

no cooking, your food was cold from the firdge that day, and you ate less, maybe even fasted most of the day, drinking tea.

no driving or talking on the phone. you were to be present in the moment, ALL day.

Seemed like even the family's personalities would be interacting differently. you practice more reverence and respect
Hmm I wonder if that was from the absence of the "white noise", seems like you would be able to speak without having to compete for airtime, eh?

ya, I am enjoying this evening. I do alot of this when the kids go to bed, just sit in the silence...lol that's gotta be a mom thing!

[Yael]

30. It really is good for downtime that we normally don't afford ourselves!

As for the food -- crockpots were the rule. :D As long as you didn't turn them off/on -- stuff could simmer in them all day!

Thanks for sharing your perspective of the tradition. Some are MUCH more formal than others. I had friends that wouldn't carry so much as their house keys -- they would safety pin them to their clothing if they went out of the aruv.

Best weekend to you. May you have a 'mom-thing' peaceful day tomorrow! :hug:

[FirstLight]

24. Kick, btw....& Rec n/t

[L. Coyote]

27. Life with LCD glow only is rather pleasant. We should conserve like this more often.

albeit, some light for typing is nice!

[lligrd]

29. Mine Were Off nt

[Pastiche423]

31. Mine were off in southern Oregon

[Cant trust em]

32. I wasn't home, so I guess they were off

I did the lights out project a few months ago too.

[Patchuli]

33. Candlelight, wine and Miles Davis here!

Does your music and computer count?

[jgraz]

36. Lemme guess: Kind of Blue?

or Round Midnight?

[Patchuli]

39. It was 'Miles From India' or something similiar

It was on a cool acid jazz radio show we get in the Sacramento area. It was Miles with all these Indian players, quite beautiful! They ran the Voodoo down and lots of goodies from that era...

[CRF450]

34. I forgot about this, but oh well...

I use candles half the time anyways, the rest of the lights I have are cfl's and LED's. Durring the day, I rarely EVER turn on any lights cause I three sky lights, one in the kitchen, living room and master bathroom.

[muriel_volestrangler]

41. I did some rough calculations

A single candle produces about as much CO2 as a 20W (ie equivalent to a 100W incandescent) bulb. The CFLs and LEDs are a much better bet for conservation than candles (which produce loads of heat in comparison to the small amount of light they give).

[CRF450]

43. Makes sense.

I dont quite see the point in this earth hour thing anyways. I honestly see it as a "feel good" hour.

[dana_b]

38. I did it!

It was kind of fun, actually. I did cheat and used my iPod though while I read by candlelight.

[JBoy]

40. We went dark in Vancouver

Enjoyed a peaceful hour sipping scotch in front of the fire.