Two conveniences we cannot do without

Sorry, but deadline constraints did not permit me to wait and see how the senator-judges would vote in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona. But I guess it doesn’t really matter since neither conviction nor acquittal will make a difference in the life of Corona.

Let me dwell instead on two things about modern life that we often take for granted until their sudden loss cripples us and makes us realize how, having allowed them into our lives, we have become so dependent on them.

Last Sunday, as I was watching Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers, my cable connection suddenly went dead. I thought it was a temporary loss of signal. But it never came on again.

At first I thought the failure to see the game through was my only inconvenience, which was no big deal really since I eventually learned of the results after a quick text to our sports editor Manny Villaruel.

Sunday afternoon was no big deal either as I had to drop off my daughter Nina at Ayala Mall to see Joe Jonas before going on to the office (in a daily newspaper, Sundays are still work days).

It was on getting home late that night and realizing that my cable connection had not been fixed that I began to really feel what seemed like an anxiety attack. I did not realize how dependent I had become on the TV until there was nothing to be seen on the dark flat screen.

I tried my favorite nerve soother — music. But being a loud music nut (I love to turn up the volume even for mood music, just to let the neighbors know the kind of collection I have) does not work deep into the night, lest you want the sound of rocks crashing on your roof.

So the music didn’t work the way it was supposed to. So I eventually turned the stereo off and called in the cat, another great nerve soother. But the cat, a gray spangled tabby named WeWe, came only for the enticement. He wanted out after a few potato chips.

Grudgingly I slunk into bed. I did not know when I eventually feel asleep in my discomfiture. But I did dream of winning in the three-digit lotto, only to wake up the following morning to realize I forgot to bet on the winning number — 990 — my car’s plate numbers.

It was Monday already, the day of the closing arguments at the impeachment trial. It was my day off so I was looking forward to the cable guy dropping in to fix the connection so I can enjoy the penultimate day of the trial without having to be interrupted by going to work.

But the cable guy did not come. And I think I know why. Because by mid-morning the electricity went off. I fired off a few frantic texts to the power company and was told about God throwing a few lightning bolts at a transformer somewhere.

So there I was in the thick of the worst kind of predicament — no cable connection and no electricity. Now I was really in a panic attack. It was 32 degrees outside, which meant it was stifling hot inside.

 I tried to hold off for as long as I can, trying to convince myself that the power would come back on, and with it the cable guy to allow me a glimpse of the closing arguments in the Corona impeachment trial. But the power just would not come back on.

So, by about 4 p.m., I decided I had all that my sanity could take and signaled my wife and the kid to take a bath and change — we were going to the mall to cool off and get distracted. The speed with which they took the cue told me they had been waiting all along.

My experience told me how dependent modern families have become on electrical power and cable service. Without these two conveniences, I don’t know how modern families can move on with their lives. Thank God I did not have to wait a day more for them to be back.