Yesterday was a busy day. Left the house early to take my sister to her photo shoot in Cleveland. Dropped her off at a scary-looking warehouse, only to find that it was a charming loft inside (but the stairwell still smelled like pee.) As she gallivanted around downtown, I spent time getting to know the local huppies (yuppies/hippies amalgamation) at Coventry. Delighted to find out that they finally put in a parking garage. Boiling heat, didn't spend too much time outside as I literally went in and out of every store. I stopped in a store selling futons just so I could sit down, and when a salesperson came by, I pretended to be interested in this one lamp. I didn't stay too long as the place smelled like bad Mexican food.

On to Renaissance Closet, where I saw a pair of vintage '70s boots that were something like a dream pair of mine. Sadly, they were a men's pair and two sizes larger. Also saw a Members' Only jacket (circa 1982) that I almost bought. Almost. Stared up at rows of hats to get the cute guy working to ask me if I needed help. Which I did, and which he did ask. But I didn't know where to take it from there, so I left to go next door, where they were selling Mullet shampoo and underwear that said 'NC-17' on it which I almost bought. Almost.

At a record store, this was 8 bucks so I decide to get it. As I was paying for it, the man beside me, really clean-cut and wearing a blue suit, takes a look at my purchase and says, "Oh yeah, that's a good one." The guy working looks at it too and nods his assent. At Mac's Backs I bought a really, really old book for 3 bucks (I sneaked in a sniff of it at the store and it smells like my great-aunt's closet) and picked up movie passes to a screening of this movie (because you know, everything sounds better in French). Got back in my car, which was mercifully saved from the heat in the parking garage, and by 4pm was on my way to see 'Swimming Pool' and 'Dirty Pretty Things' at Cedar Lee.

I've always loved looking at old houses, and driving down Coventry Road on the way to the theater was really a treat. Even though I was lost, and had no idea where I was going, I decided that Fate had a hand in this. I should have stopped and walked down the tree-lined street and really looked because there were some beautiful homes down there. Of course, as I was distracted by the houses, I barely noticed that the streetlights weren't working.

Four-fifteen, my sister calls: "I'm sorry, but you need to pick me up now because we're done early." I tell her she owes me big time and I pull into a driveway and head the other direction. Finally, the big fog in my head clears and I realize that the streetlights are dead and cars are just going at their own free will, which is scary enough, but in downtown Cleveland, is even scarier.

I finally arrived at the warehouse-cum-studio at five pm. At this point, the city was in a deadlock. And it was at this point that my sister told me all the power was out in Cleveland. I thought, that figures, and she goes on tell me, it's out all over the East Coast, and I thought, well. Shit.

I try not to think of the what-ifs as we stuff her in clothes in garbage bags and haul them back in the car. We're eating fries and listening to the radio. Five-fifteen, we're at a stop sign trying to merge onto Superior Avenue. Five-thirty, we're still at the same spot.

Finally, a man on the sidewalk waiting for the bus takes matters into his own hands. He gets out in the middle of the street and starts directing traffic. His friends are hollering and hooting at him, annoyed motorists are flicking him off, but it actually works. We start moving and make our way onto the highway.

"I wish you did bring your camera," my sister said, "I would have loved a picture of that."