That night the NYC sky turned blue

On the evening of December 27, 2018, there was a strange, sudden roaring sound heard in Astoria (and elsewhere across the NYC area). Electrical power dropped for a few minutes… and then there was the sky.

It ranged from blue to green to any combination of both. Above is a photo I took from my kitchen window.

When power was restored, I checked online for an explanation (I don’t own a TV and haven’t for a very long time). I knew the origin of the noise and light was coming from the direction of the local Con Edison power plant so it was not difficult to imagine another blackout (at least) or some kind of major explosion/contamination (at worst).

I realized that if a worst-case scenario was being birthed, there was precious little I could do. What was I gonna do, grab a go bag and make a run for it? (I don’t own a car and haven’t for a very long time.)

I went old-school and tuned into 1010 WINS News — an institution in the Big Apple — on my portable radio. I gave them 22 minutes, they gave me the world (so to speak).

Between the radio and the slow emergence of tweets, I patched together the “official” story. Here’s a two-minute video that sums it up well:

It was cleverly dubbed “Astoria Borealis” by many while more than a few witty folks called the event, “the best gender reveal ever.”

Meanwhile, the experts [sic] assured us we were never in serious danger.

Pro tip: The Powers That Shouldn’t Be tend to downplay actual dangers while going full bore on the fake stuff.

So, as always, I continue to keep my guard up…