Let me tell you a little story about when I was commuting to college: I went to class one winter day, and it was cold but sunny out. By lunchtime it was snowing a little, but not too bad. I had a Mustang at the time that wouldn’t go worth a hoot with a little snow on the road, but I went out to eat and came back to school with no problem.

They were showing Eve’s Bayou at the campus movie theater. We were required to watch it for film class, and that day was the only day I could go watch it due to my work schedule, so I went in and watched it with no worries. But when the movie was over, I came out to find that an insane amount of snow had fallen and was still pouring down.

I got in my car to leave, but it wouldn’t budge except to slide to the side a little. So I ended up walking down the road in the blizzard to a nearby hotel and spending the night.

The hotel filled up overnight, as it was the only place in the area that had electricity, because they had a huge generator. My brother came to get me the next morning, and I didn’t want to leave. But he said there was an elderly man downstairs who needed a room because he had an electrical oxygen concentrator that he could barely breathe without. So I hurried up and got out of there.

I really feel for people who need oxygen. I’ve been around several of them, between extended family members and my short time working in a nursing home. It’s hard for them to get out much because of lugging those huge tanks or concentrators around.

But now there are portable oxygen concentrators that you can carry around like a handbag. I think whoever invented those should be awarded a medal. It’s bad enough to have to depend on oxygen to survive, at least now you don’t have to lug something huge around everywhere you go. And best of all, they can be powered by batteries or run off of a car. So if the electricity goes out, you don’t have to worry.