My Five Must-Haves For Times When the Power Goes Out

I wondered whether it was insensitive of me to write a post like this while so many in the tri-state area are still without power & heat & basics like food & water, but I ultimately decided that this post is less about Hurricane Sandy, specifically, & more about some of the things I rediscovered/found new appreciation for when forced to look at life differently for a brief period of time.

I feel, of course, beyond fortunate to have been spared from the worst of this storm, & my heart (& wallet) goes out to those who are still suffering its impact. But in expressing my appreciation for my safety, I figured it couldn't hurt to also show some gratitude to a few of the companies whose products got me through our three days sans power in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy!

• Yankee Candle
  Expensive? Lord, yes. But when you're planning for seven to 10 days without electricity, long-burning candles are a must, & Yankee Candle is simply the best. Also, the smelliest - & I mean that in a loving way. When stocking up before the storm, we snagged a Cinnamon & Spice candle for $15, which initially felt like a lot but was absolutely worth it when we found ourselves sitting in total darkness. Approximate burn time: 35-45 hours.

• Target Leggings
  I confess that I sometimes wear leggings as pants when I pair them with a shirt or tunic long enough to cover my bum, but I'm still embarrassed that I do this because A) I am too fat for it, B) I am too old fir it, & C) leggings are not pants. But when you've got nowhere to go & nobody to see? It should go without saying that leggings are an absolutely suitable – & infinitely comfortable – substitution for pants.

• Jennifer Weiner
  I have been embarrassingly terrible at reading books this year. In fact, I can think of only, like, four that I've completed in 2012 because my Internet habit is, how you say, out of control. With no Internet access, though, I pulled a few books off the shelf & got down to business. On Tuesday, I blew through this chick lit author's 2011 novel, Then Came You. It was a perfectly cozy way to spend an Internet-free fall day – & I've committed to doing it more often, even without a storm to force me to.

• GoPicnic
  I bought six of these ready-to-eat boxed meals from Target before the storm hit, & what a relief they were when I got tired of snacking on other non-refrigerated things like, um, Pop-Tarts® & Halloween candy. While I found the plantain-chips-&-black-bean-dip variety to be truly disgusting, the others kept me sated & at least feeling like I tried to be sort of healthy in a world without refrigeration.

• Hasbro®
  A few weeks ago, I picked up a Deluxe Scrabble board as a birthday gift to Nathan, the kind on a rotator with grooves to keep played tiles in place. Since then, we've played a handful of games (only one of which he's won!), but when the power went out, candlelight Scrabble seemed like the perfect solution to our technology-free boredom. I still won, by the way. Schwinggggg. 

Seriously, these four things saved my Sandy experience. I also: talked to Nathan a lot, drank a significant amount of Coors Light (it was going to go bad!), took the second-coldest shower of my life, slept in until as late as my body wanted to, & played with my cat. How do you stay sane/keep busy when the power goes out?