The following scenario is MY OPINION. It is completely fictitious, like any fiction based movie or book you may read.

DISCLAIMER: THE FOLLOWING IS FOR AMUSEMENT PURPOSES ONLY.

Friday, November 26, 1999. Thirty-five days to go. Started building my mini outdoor gas shed today. Finishing up on my solar oven. Hope it cooks as good as it looks. Still have supplies to buy, not much money left. Winter holidays will be here soon. Went to Wal-Mart. Bought blue paint for kerosene cans, two more 18 gallon storage containers, moisture absorbers, four more 5 gallon gas cans, 24 pint Mason jars w/extra lids. Bought two rolls of flashing from Home Depot. Ordered LED light bulbs from local computer store.

Saturday, November 27, 1999. Thirty-four days to go. Sunny here today. Finished the gas shed. It's in our back yard, well away from the house. Privacy fence hides it well. Locks on both gates and the shed. Safe and secure. Large enough to hold twenty, 5 gallon plastic cans. Figure I'll buy 60 gallons kerosene and 40 gallons gas in a couple of days. Don't want to store it before I feel I have to. Contemplating buying 10 more cans for gas. Will wait a couple more weeks to decide. (By the end of January I'll know if Y2K is a dud. If so, I'll use the gas in the car and burn the kerosene in the heater. At least the garage will be warm this winter.)

Sunday, November 28, 1999. Thirty-three days to go. Another sunny day. Solar oven works great. Heated up to 400 degrees and stayed there. Started building solar distiller today. Baked my first loaf of homemade bread. Will try again. U.S. beginning to prepare. Stores out of some items. Expecting the herd to bolt real soon.

Monday, November 29, 1999. Thirty-two days to go. Started smelling rice in my food storage room. Only had it three weeks. Resealed two 20 lb. bags. Not much on the news today, Y2K wise.

Tuesday, November 30, 1999. Thirty-one days to go. Worked on the solar distiller today. Need a sheet of 4' x 8' glass. Secured 20 quart size empty paint cans w/lids for my alcohol burning stoves. (Plan to distribute these to neighbors, as needed.) Still need cotton balls and large water hose clamps.

Wednesday, December 1, 1999. Thirty days to go. Bought 25 gallons of kerosene, 25 gallons of gasoline and a case of motor oil for the generator. Finally took the generator out for a test spin. Works great. Bought 10 hose clamps and 1,000 cotton balls. Will have to wait until the 8th to buy the 4' x 8' sheet of glass for the solar distiller. Out of cash for now.

Blitz of news reports about Y2K related failures today. Mostly old news. One interesting new story. The Defense Dept. is warning "hostile" countries to not try and take advantage of "Y2K vulnerabilities". Wife said people were not focused at work. Lots of "stupid" errors being made. Stores jam packed tonight. Stores can't seem to stock shelves fast enough with water, sugar, coffee, tea, canned meats and vegetables.

Thursday, December 2, 1999. Twenty-nine days to go. Decided to vacuum-seal everything still in a box or a bag. (Should have done this already.) Also added in moisture absorbers. Feel better now.

Stock market flying high. New records being set daily in all market sectors. Reported today, ______ is a closet DOOMER! Who would have thunk it? Duh. Looks like a ploy to me. He needs all the "free press" he can muster for his presidential campaign. However, it does make things more "interesting" now that one of the serious presidential candidates is making Y2K a campaign issue.

Friday, December 3, 1999. Twenty-eight days to go. Dehydrated apples and bananas today. Vacuum-sealed and stored. Yum yum! Going to pressure-can butter and dehydrate/pressure-can ground beef tomorrow. A first for me. Hope nothing explodes.

Wife says her boss is warning employees about "padding" overtime. Seems the workers are not able to afford Y2K supplies and pay their bills too. Stock market fell big-time today. "Profit-takers" is how the news explained it. Gold rising. Oil rising. Gas prices rising. Heating fuel rising. Interest rates rising.

Saturday, December 4, 1999. Twenty-seven days to go. Markets rebounded today. Gold down. Everything else still rising. Got a "Notice" today in my mail box. A list of Y2K "essentials". Water, canned food, extra clothing, etc... Enough for a week without power or phone. Had a number to call if you couldn't afford to purchase the "essentials". Seems they will provide you a "personal reservation number" to use when entering your "designated" shelter. Listed all the "Do's and Dont's" for living in a shelter. Also listed items to bring with you as well as items to NOT bring with you.

Sunday, December 5, 1999. Twenty-six days to go. News reports of stores out of lots of items. Reports of "stolen supplies" throughout the nation. Inner city gangs reassuring their neighborhoods they will protect them from "outsiders". Some movement of military "weaponry" by North Korea and China. Carriers sent in response.

Monday, December 6, 1999. Twenty-five days to go. Market takes another dive today. Gold and oil up up up on news that the oil industry is "less than confident" that the power industry isn't going to experience a nation wide blackout. In response, the power industry is pointing the finger at the telecommunications industry, who in turn, is pointing the finger back at the power industry. The President speaks to the nation tonight in prime time. There will be a Republican response, to follow.

Tuesday, December 7, 1999. Twenty-four days to go. The President reassured the nation that Y2K was NOT going to be TEOTWAWKI. I actually felt better after hearing him speak. Didn't last long though. The Republican response basically called him a liar. Pointed out his inconsistent statements from last month to this month. Also noted he routinely publicly contradicts his own Y2K czar. Calls for his resignation, yet again. Also bashed him on his "lacking" response to N. Korea and China. Republicans, seemingly in desperation due to the gloomy outlook for them in next year's elections, have fittingly made Y2K "their" issue.

Wednesday, December 8, 1999. Twenty-three days to go. Ordered my 4' x 8' sheet of glass today. Should arrive tomorrow. Wife went to Sam's after work. Bought more food and a short wave crank radio. Said Sam's had plenty of food but not much of a selection. Bought two extension cords. Picked up LED light bulbs. Taught my son how to make LED flashlights. "Cool dad!"

More reports of problems with JIT deliveries. The system is getting bogged down due to glitches in newly installed Y2K replacement systems. The President says the supplies exist, the problem is getting them where needed on time. The President orders all stores/businesses closed next Sunday AND Monday to give the JIT system a chance to catch up with consumer demands. The only thing open will be federal, state and local governments; the telecommunications, power, gas & oil industries; warehouses/ports and filling stations/truck stops that sell diesel fuel. The only customers allowed in the filling stations/truck stops will be truckers. The President is asking all governors to have the National Guard posted at all truck stops along interstates. No "official" Republican response, but grumblings are heard. The presidential candidates are having a field day with Y2K.

Thursday, December 9, 1999. Twenty-two days to go. Market continues to fall, 350 points today before trading was halted. Went to the local "seed & feed" store and bought seeds and fertilizer to plant a large garden next spring. Also bought two hoes. Went to the mall and bought holiday presents for everyone. Clothes and board games for the kids. Clothes for the wife. Not many people in the mall. Received my sheet of glass! WOW is that sucker heavy!

More reports of thefts. Sixteen banks robbed yesterday, across the nation. Shoplifters everywhere. Stand-alone ATM machines in "remote" locations being stolen. Yeah, the WHOLE machine is being stolen. Reports of cops "looking the other way".

Friday, December 10, 1999 Twenty-one days to go. An eerie calm across the nation. People seem to be "moving with a purpose" now, more focused compared to just a week ago. Still hearing about bank robberies and thefts. The stores seem to have found a balance, opening later and closing earlier when needed. The market never opened today. Not much news from other countries. North Korea and China stationary, for now. Europe having problems similar to the United States. South America seems to be taking it all in stride. Arab nations, not talking. I think I'll buy a tree and put up the outside holiday lights tomorrow.

Saturday, December 11, 1999 Twenty days to go. Bad decision to be out on the streets today with everything being closed to the general public by presidential order tomorrow and Monday. Traffic jams everywhere you go. Lines in every store, at every gas station. Got my tree though! Will spend the next two days with the family, decorating it and the house.

Telecommunications, power and oil industries still playing the "blame game". The banking and investment industry is trying to act invisible. ATM's working great, when they have money in them.

-- GoldReal (GoldReal@aol.com), November 26, 1999

Answers

Nothing is going to happen in the timeframe you cite except a lot of Xmas shopping.

The shelves most likely to be empty will be the kid's favorites at Toys 'r' Us.

Americans panic after the fact, not before. :-(

-- cgbg jr (cgbgjr@webtv.net), November 26, 1999.

I have no idea how close you have come to the real scenario, but its a great read. Thank you.. going to carry it out to the rollover? I hope so.

Taz

-- Taz (Tassie123@aol.com), November 26, 1999.

I don't think anything like this will happen. The people I know don't believe anything negative relating to Y2K. When will they ever hear anything that will get them to "get it"? Never. We'll roll into 2000 unprepared for whatever comes. The Government will not say anything alarming to the masses.

-- tedbert (ted223@don't thinkso.net), November 26, 1999.

Nice story, well rounded - My vote is that nothing will happen until something actually happens to spur panic. I remember a post where someone said they don't prepare for a hurricane until its hanging over there head. In other words, everybody waits for the last minute. Same for Christmas shipping. Y2K, no different.

-- Guy Daley (guydaley@bwn.net), November 26, 1999.

The panic buying for Y2K by the masses will not start until the day after Christmas, if it starts at all. No one will be thinking seriously about New Year's Eve until after Christmas.

-- Boy Scout (boyscout@beprepared.com), November 26, 1999.

Uh, what is the big sheet of glass used for? Also the water hose clamps? Thank-you.

-- mwerks3 (mwerks3@yahoo.com), November 26, 1999.

mwerks3,

The sheet of glass is for making a solar water distiller. You can find the plans on how to build one at:

http://forums.cosmoaccess.net/forum/survival/prep/solarstill.html

The hose clamps are used in making what is called a "Plumber's Stove" that burns de-natured alcohol. You can find the plans on how to build one at:

http://www.backpacking.net/stove2/plumber.html

Enjoy!

-- GoldReal (GoldReal@aol.com), November 26, 1999.

Slobby Dan:

Your link provided an interesting perusal of a nuclear attack upon America. Next month? Creepy!

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), November 26, 1999.