It's electric! (boogie woogie woogie)

Called up the power authorities that be and got my electricity turned on today. It was surprisingly easy, but I figure that's probably because they're expecting returns on investment...if they come and turn on the juice then they've just put another paying customer in their system. If you need the electricity turned on at your house all you have to do is:

1 Call the power supplier in your area, schedule a starting date so they can switch on your electricity (You do not have to be present when the guys come and turn it on)
2 Register where your bills are being sent to. If you're smart, the mailing address is to Barbados. Just kidding--paying bills is an important if annoying part of home ownership, so make sure your address is correct so you can pay bills on time!
3 Before your system is put back online, MAKE SURE YOUR MAIN BREAKER IS SWITCHED OFF. This is the single most responsible, smart thing you can do in this situation, especially in older houses with shady wiring. You don't know where there are hidden cords and what connects to where, so better safe than having your house burn to the ground.
4 Test each and every outlet and light fixture. To do this, you must first locate which switches go to what portion of the house. Flip switches one at a time to on in the breaker panel, bring a partner to tell you what works and what doesn't. A good tool to use is a plug-in nightlight. You probably have one lying around, one of a seashell when you went on a trip to Cape Cod, or something perhaps a bit more embarassing. They're an easy, quick way to see if an outlet is working. Just plug in and you have your answer! Be sure to mark all fixtures and outlets that are not working so that you can return to them later to find out the problem...