Showering in the Dark

No, this isn't anything kinky or grotesque. Instead, it's a stupid Yank story.

I had a power converter and was using it fine with my computer in the hotel room, but I needed to charge up my phones as well. I brought a power strip/surge protector that I commonly take when traveling so I figured I would give it a go. Mind you, I didn't think it would work, just that I could try it just in case.

So...out comes the power strip, I put the prongs about halfway in--if that--and "POP!" went the sound, a blue spark shot out about a foot and a half (precariously close to my John Thomas, mind you) and *everything* went out. Every light, the TV, the climate control, everything.

So...time to fess up because I might have just taken out the entire floor--maybe more. I go downstairs to the lobby looking like a heroin addict and tell them what happened. They reset the breaker--nothing. Try it again--nothing. Go down to the ground floor and notice black marks around the fuse box and some lights off there as well. Not good, since I was two floors up from the ground floor.

Long story short, I had to shower and shave with the best light a cloudy morning in Edinburgh could offer through one window, which isn't much. And it turned out that I put out the power in four other rooms for 2-3 hours. Not enough to get the natives to kill me, but still embarrassing. So...no 110 volt power strips in 220 volt outlets, kids. They don't play nicey and it could end up getting your ass kicked.