<My biggest fear about y2k breakdowns has been that we would lose most of our electrical power in the city. I find that prospect very frightening. I have been seriously thinking I needed to sell my house and move to the country, REALLY! I don't know what part of Houston you are in, but here in the suburbs of Dallas, I would hate to see the result of a prolonged blackout.>
I don't want to live in Houston OR any city, if power is crippled, if food cannot be transported (there's not a lot of room in my backyard for a garden ... even if there was ... I don't know if the water supply source could be affected.) You wanna hear something crazy ... what if trains and planes are shut down ... even for a few weeks. We wouldn't even have any seeds to plant, because retailers would have no way to receive them!
Look at what happened when UPS was on strike for several weeks. I read an article that said the UPS strike was the most crippling strike, having the most impact .... since miner's went on strike 40+ years ago!
<Seriously, I think there would be a real crime/chaos/anarchy problem.>
If food & water supplies become scarce (even briefly), if you can't get money out of a bank, if social security & welfare checks don't arrive on time ..... you're right! And, there's a 50/50 chance of this happening.
Insurance companies are REFUSING to cover Year 2000 problems for businesses because they feel the problem is so pervasive and deep, that getting involved with this, could force them out of business!
The Mills piece made me feel more confident that we may not have that problem. I still think we will be in deep doo in other areas, but maybe not the worst case scenarios that are described in North or Yourdon sites.
<Maybe I should not have read "Triple Ought".>
What's "Triple Ought"? I missed that. I'm a speed reader, and pick up major points. But, I missed this somewhere.
<The problems are very real. I believe it. I am trying to avoid becoming a paranoid nut over this issue. (Did I mention that I have a tendency to be a little obsessive/compulsive?) My wife says that if I start buying camouflage clothing, she is leaving me. I'm really going to miss her.>
Tell her you have a "cyber-friend", who's owned several businesses ... including a national marketing research company (15 full-time; 7,000 part-time employees), who's designed and programmed customized software applications, who's an ex-flower child ... and an ex-society "lady" (I've even had my name in the paper a few times) .... and she's gravely concerned about what will happen a few years down the road.
I like Houston. I like my home. I like my lifestyle My friends are here. But, if what I think may happen, DOES happen ... I can't live in Houston. I don't want to be in ANY major city. But, Houston ... with our high temperatures and high humidity ... forget it!
The situation is SO complex, and too few people will take the time to try and understand. So, I've given up trying to explain to anyone. I alienate too many people who have no grasp whatsoever. People don't like to be made aware of unpleasant things that force them to change their mind-set, or force them to make decisions.
I think about my mom & dad, and my sister and her 3 young children who live in Ohio. I have one home selected (where there's more land for a garden), to have solar heating installed. To have a greenhouse built, so seedlings can be grown during cold weather. Plans being drawn up for more fireplaces. My worst case scenario is I'll lose some money by adding value to the house, which I'll never be able to recover, should everything be Y2K AOK.
I'll probably sell my house in the spring of 1999, and will rent. But, not in a high-rise. Forget about elevators. Here in Houston, many high-rises don't have windows you can open. Can you imagine how high the temperatures in those units will be, with only 3 days without air-conditioning? You know what's a car's like, sitting out in the Texas sun.
If the worst case scenario happens, home values within cities will drop dramatically. If the worst case scenario DOESN'T happen, I'll be out about $25-$50,000, if I want to buy another place. I can live with that. But, I sure will miss all of the special customization I've done over the past few years ... particularly my bathroom (mirrored walls, ceiling, marble and gold fixtures).
I started to aggressively trade and invest on my own ... purely because I saw the sense of urgency due to Y2K.
If Y2K wasn't looming on the horizon, my investments would still be with my broker, and I would have only glanced at those monthly statements. That's not the case now. My goal is to make as much money as I can thru early (to possibly) mid-1999.
Don't buy a camouflage outfit (Unless it's an Armani!). But, do print this out. Give a copy to your wife.
Cheryl
P.S. A good thing has happened because of my concern (or, some people may call it paranoia) ... I'm taking my parents and my sister (leaving brother-in-law behind ... my generosity has limitations), on an ultra-luxe cruise in a few weeks (Italy, Greek Islands, Turkish coast) ... small ship, all suites. I'm creating the good memories NOW.
I do my Year 2000 Posts on this thread, hoping that I can open a few eyes and help a few people who will take the initiative and time to help themselves.
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