And then a light went on.

Well it's been a LONG time since I updated my blog and began to question why I'm doing this in the first place. Then I read some of my stories and reminisced over some untold ones and I began thinking (look out), this is essentially a public diary, (albeit an obscure one... But one none the less) and also a good way to catalogue my adventures. So here is one that I was thinking of the other day as I was in East LA watching a storm form over the desert. I call it, "And then a light went on". It was a stormy day back in the mid-90s Erie Pennsylvania. I would remember the Electrical storms that would form up at record speeds and shake whatever building you happened to be in almost to the ground. As a child I was deathy scared of lightning and I would remember my sister and my parents coming into my bedroom to watch the evening storms because my window had the best view. (actually I think that's what they told me but really they were there to help calm my nerves) One of the most peculiar storms I ever experienced were humidity storms where you could see flashes of light but there would be no claps of thunder. In retrospect it could have been the northern lights but I was a kid so who knows for sure. Then there was Walking around south shore or sneaking into the peninsula at 1 or 2am to watch storms form over Lake Erie which became a past time. It was like I finally made my peace with the monster under my bed and had a healthy respect for the noise of eating his captures as long as I wasn't next on the menu. It would be years later that I would finally realize that I wasn't the main course, but I would be first on the desert menu. It was a Wednesday or Thursday evening if I remember correctly. Or maybe it was a Monday, Tuesday, friday Saturday or Sunday. I know it was one of them for sure. What I also know for sure was what happened next. A light went on. Louie DeFonsey and I were driving to wegmans on upper peach street and there had to be one of the biggest storms playing in the background. It was like a mix between fusion jazz and death metal. We finally get to the parking lot and decide to wait a few minutes to let the rain die down so we didn't get soaked. So as we were talking, it just went white. Have you ever turned on a light and have it burn out immediately when you flicked the switch? You know that flash? Imagine the sun was a lightbulb. Simultaneous to the flash was an instant CRASH of thunder. Not instant like instant oatmeal, but instant like "Eurika!!" instant. So we knew lightning struck SUPER CLOSE BY. At the same time I felt a numbness and tingle go down my right arm and louie felt the same down his left leg. Mind you I said tingle not tinkle. I looked over at him and I said "I think we just got hit by lightning!" Sure enough when we got out of his truck, people by the wegmans entrance said that lightning hit the light post, traveled down and hit the truck we were in. The tires grounded us. Wow, what an experience. To this day One of my favorite movie quotes is from Bergis Meridith from Rocky when he tells Sylvester Stalone that he was going to "Eat lightning and crap thunder..." Suffice to say to this day I can still do neither.