Out of Pod Experience

Dubya

Hmm. Good question. 1 year easily if no one bugs me. Hopefully a good long while after too but I'm not going to fool myself.

Water isnt a problem here unless the creek goes dry, which almost happened this past year due to drought.

Have enough food on hand to last for a while even without gardening / farming.

Firewood isn't a problem as there is plenty around to burn. Would have to build a wigwam to keep warm in the winter though as the house currently does not have a fireplace or wood burner.

Food would be the major problem initially for everyone. Most people are going to be screwed and die of starvation or violence due to someone else trying not to starve.

Gardening, even with seed on hand, it takes an amazingly large garden to provide food for 1 person for an entire year let alone a family. Do any of us have enough canning jars on hand to store fresh veggies? No? That leaves growing grains like corn and wheat for winter storage. Gardening, if you arent already a pro, takes a long time to learn. Disease, insects, and animals all can destroy a garden. Hope you know have enough synthetic fertilizer until you learn how to enrich the soil without them.

Some people think they will just hunt and be ok. Consider this: Half the deer population gets killed every year in my state. When 11million people start hunting them and everything else that moves, game is going to be much scarcer than people currently realize.

Other people may think that they will just take food from someone else. This is a big mistake. By the time people get desperate enough to kill others for food, almost the entire population wont have any. You cant steal what someone does not have. Even if they are lucky enough to find someone with a large food reserve, what are the chances that this person/people wont be able to shoot back and kill your group?

Food. Yup, those that cant grow enough of their own food are going to starve and die.

Growing your own food is the only way to survive this scenario.

The people on that show, if they acted that way in RL during a grid down event like what is portrayed in that show, would not survive for very long. It is entertainment and nothing more.

People think they are much tougher and smarter than the guy next to them. Shows like Revolution reinforce this self delusion. This is unfortunate.

Entry no.247
It`s 20th of June 2012. I just woke up and was informed that there`s no electricity. The warning message broadcasted throughout all tv stations mentioned something about a strange space phenomenon that might interfere with our electronic devices, but they`ve said we shouldn`t be concerned too much. Ah well, i`m sure everything will go back to normal soon. Gotta get up and get me some breakfast!
Entry no.248
I can`t turn my PC on ! How frustrating, my skill queue finishes in half an hour and i have to update it ! My alarm clock is wasted, i tried changing the batteries, but to no avail. Same goes for laptop and the netbook. Fantastic, looks like everything`s fried...All this money that went to waste...And i knew i should`ve unplugged everything on the day that message was broadcasted.
Entry no.249
I just came back from shopping. The shop assistant said that their cash register is fried as well and that they only accept the cash. She looked very anxious. When asked about her mood she replied everything`s fine, just some minor problems at home, i didn`t inquire further. As i was going out of the shop i overheard a conversation of local bums scheming something, but i didn`t really pay attention to what they were saying. I wonder what they`re up to. Ah, probably thinking where to get smashed again.
Entry no.250
The neighbour that lives across the street is dead, all of his house plundered. Police outside trying to figure out what happened. There are rumors that some junkies broke into the house, raped his two daughters and then slaughtered everybody. The house looks like an absolute ruin now, how come i didn`t hear anything ? What the hell is going on ?! People look really scared and this god damn electricity is still not working !
Entry no.251
Well i guess this is it. Every single person i`ve met so far said that their electronic devices are fried. I had a conversation with my parents today and by the looks of it everything that we know of will soon cease to exist. Economy is already dead and people will soon follow, it`s just a matter of time. Looks like my neighbour was the first victim of this insanity. What to do ?!
Entry no.252
I went shopping again today only to learn that everything has been emptied out! Can you believe it ?! Every single edible thing gone...GONE ! **** this is getting serious. I checked the garage and fridge for food supplies. Not much left, i shouldn`t have postponed this shopping escapade for the next month...By my estimates when i ration the food it should last me for approximately 5 days. I have to make a move or i`m wasted.
Entry no.253
I`ve spoken to my neighbour today. He agreed we should be cooperating together as we have higher chances of survival this way. Great, now there`s two of us. I should make contact with others, but fu@$# my cellphone is dead and there`s no way i`m gonna walk 25km only to learn that my buddy isn`t home, that`s totally out of the question.
Entry no.254
So today we went together to visit our neighbours and see if they have some spare food left for us. Unfortunately nobody didn`t have, or rather didn`t want, to share it with us. Saddened and frustrated by this we went back home. I had a chit-chit with my colleauge regarding that event. We didn`t even ask for much and yet they denied us any help. This is ridiculous, and thinking that we`ve been contributing so much to the local community...My frustration with this situation keeps growing...
Entry no.255
We decided to make a move on the local drugstore, 3km away. It still hasn`t been touched, maybe due to the fact that all the windows were barred. As we`ve arrived on the scene, to our surprise, there was somebody inside. I quickly threw the axe into the nearby bush and my friend followed with a crowbar. Damn, there was supposed to be nobody inside. So we had a talk with this guy inside, through the closed doors of course, about how we`re in a great need for medical supplies. Especially for my mom who was getting really sick and needed medicine. He didn`t let us in and told us to fu@#4 off with these cheap-ass lies. What a mother#$er !!! I swear i`ll crack his skull with the crowbar ! Fu@#$ !
Entry no.256
Today i killed a man...I don`t...Oh my God...We went to this drugstore again and asked politely for help, which wasn`t provided yet again. Infuriated we broke inside using the axe and crowbar. The guy pulled out a knife on us and stabbed my friend 3 times before i swinged the axe at him screaming for him to stop. My friend is in a really bad shape. I have no medical training. What the fu@#$# am i supposed to do ?!

I love you man.

... thats the manly chest bumping, spear throwing, animal killing love. Not the rub a dub dub 3 men in a tub love....

hmmm never really thought about this TBH ... but i would soon find out what next doors jack russel would taste like

The trouble is that this scenario has it that the power goes off today or tomorrow. Then I would be stuffed.

If I knew that it would go off next year then I would get the potatoes, the grains. the beans and the fruit sorted. Not to mention the livestock; mostly pig. Where I live, and I did this with half an eye on When Things Go Ttis Up, I could easily cope with about a third of an acre but it would take me a year to be prepared to survive.

And I would need ducks. For the eggs and to eat the slugs. Lots of ducks.

Collect family, dogs, weapons, food -> drive (short distance) to my father's farm, meet up with other incoming family, fort up. Victory!

Farm is WAY off the main routes, buildings can be made defensible, all of us can shoot, the place has a decent generator & fuel, also has access to a creek with reliable water flow and a good fall. I'm a skilled marine & industrial electrician, and a decent mason and carpenter, to boot. One 'over shot'-type hydro generator coming right up! Also has an old-style icehouse in decent repair and a wind-driven stock tank water pump.

Once the initial die-off is done, the farm will support four families with ease. Life will be a lot harder, but not impossible. We've all of us got good practical skills. Indded, I suspect the clan would become the local 'nobility' - of sorts.

Sheep and leeks. ;)

and remember ..
the tourists are for breeding
the sheep are for eating