Update: I'm feeling some better now (I'm back at work, a colleague called me at home and asked me if I could forward him a file that turned out to be on my work computer. He's always been there when I needed him, so I figured it wasn't a big deal to come back and do it this evening).

The electric company guy, somewhat miraculously, called around 5:15 or so. He came out and checked the voltage. Everything checked out on that end. He listened to my description of the problem, and said "this is off the record of course but it sounds to me like it's a wire-grounding problem inside the house."

I thanked him for coming out and he left.

So then I called my folks (finally, my dad got off his dial-up internet). He encouraged me to go out and buy an electric space-heater. He told me they were not expensive (I was picturing something over $100....sometimes I'm not good at estimating the cost of things). So I ran out and yup, found one that looks decent for about $40. So I will be warm enough tonight at least.

and then I decided I didn't feel like cooking dinner, I felt like I deserved a small treat, so I went out to the barbecue place and got a plate supper ($6, so I figured it wouldn't break the bank even with having to get an electrician and the heating guy back out again).

So now, I'm heading back home with my new space-heater (specially chosen model - most of the ones that looked like little radiators, the kind I really wanted, required a three-prong plug and in my old old house most of the plugs are polarized two-prong. So I bought a less heavy-duty model that just has a polarized two-prong plug).