In what is becoming a tiresome refrain, I am still without power. I'm not alone, though; according to FPL, I am one of 272,700 customers (not individuals) in Miami-Dade County who are still in the dark. The best restoration date they will commit to is still November 22, over three weeks away. Jolly.

But the barter system remains useful. I have friends who have their lives back in order, so I can get a hot shower occasionally. Strangely enough, this Verizon WWAN card gives me an advantage over many folks, since many ISPs are still out of action, even where the power has been restored. So I trade the use of my Internet access for the electricity I need to recharge. As more systems come back on-line, though, I'm certain I'll have to think of additional services to offer.

I ventured into the grocery today to get some more bread and peanut butter. They were largely without power, save only the emergency lights and cash registers.

While rummaging around for supplies I remembered that I carry a flashlight in my bag. I got it out to inspect some bags of grapes hidden in a case, and an old man nearby looked at me and said, "You must not have gone to night school." I'm not entirely certain what that meant.

I also did a little foraging at work yesterday. Around lunchtime I walked down by the courthouse looking for some hot food, and noticed that Mario the Baker had re-opened. I had wondered why they weren't open sooner, since they have gas ovens, and the Checkers next door was only closed one day. If I had looked up I would have known.

Some 3' x 4' sheets of cladding stone had come loose from the top of the building, many stories above the street. Apparently they weren't allowed to reopen until they constructed a protective wooden scaffold in front of the business to protect pizza-seekers.

There are still a lot of places like that in Miami, where things look normal, but are still treacherous. Be careful.