My birthday is in winter. One of the few things we could still enjoy in those times was to make preparations and celebrate the day with our colleagues at work. So when my turn came, I had to stay up all night and prepare something for the next day. When we gathered for the small party, I was so tired that I could not utter a word. I tried hard not to fall asleep in front of my guests. I just wished it was over sooner and I could go home and sleep. (A. B., 53)

Gas was cut out, too, not only electricity. Everyday, from morning to 10 in the evening, gas was out. I?d cook in the morning, from 4 to 7, others preferred to cook at night, after 11 PM. (98)

GAS CYLINDER

On the black market, a gas cylinder was sold at up to ten times its store price. Because of such illicit trafficking, the danger was that one?s own gas cylinders could be stolen for commercialization (90)

Fifteen years ago I kept thinking how fortunate the block dwellers were because they didn?t need a gas cylinder. It?s also true that when the gas was out, they weren?t that fortunate. And still, they were connected to the gas pipe, they had something. It was much harder for me. My late wife, Aurica, God rest her bones, used to wake me up early in the morning and send me all the way to the Grand bridge to fill the gas cylinder. Winter or summer, it didn?t matter, I had to go. There were many people waiting in a queue there. But time went by, people gossiped and talked, that?s the queue way. I used to know everything about everyone. It?s different now, when my wife?s niece is already pregnant and I didn?t even know she?d got married.

So we stood in line for gas. Sometimes I?d go there at three in the morning and didn?t get the fill-up before eight or nine. Some people also brought their stools, but I only needed a plastic bag to sit on. I for one had two gas cylinders. But sometimes they happened to be both empty, and the fire wood was hard to find, too. It was cold in the winter, but now that it is all over, I think it wasn?t that bad, standing with all those people in the line. (V. M., 8)

You ordered a gas cylinder and it was only delivered a week later. In the summer, it was home delivered, but in winters they organized selling centers, and everyone had to go there and buy. They supplied about 10 or 20 at a time. If you didn?t get to buy one, you had to wait some more until the next supply came. It often happened none came, even if they?d promised it would. The next day you started all over again. You left home at one in the morning and had to wait until 10 when the gas cylinders were brought in.