Not Even a Photo

Once again I got home after dark, not that that's an unusual thing these days, three weeks before the winter solstice. The sun is a heavy sleeper these days, staggering out of bed after seven, and it tumbling back behind the pillowy hills before five. Nine and a half hours of daylight is just not enough for this heat- and light-seeking child. If I were a plant I would have shriveled up and died by now (and many of my plants have, though mainly through neglect and not due to any sort of seasonal change).

The darkness, or rather, the lack of sunlight, prevent the daytime temperatures from topping 60 (the fog plays no small part in this as well), and the nighttime lows hover around 40. Soon the temperatures will dip into the 30s, but I have already broken - today, when I returned home at 7:30, the temperature inside my apartment was 53 degrees. Left to its own devices it would have eventually fallen to match that of the outside air, as it did last night. It was too much, and though I did not turn the gas heater on I did drag the space heater over to the couch, plug it in, and hover over it the entire night. A little while ago I dragged it into my bedroom and shut the door to warm up that room a little. I feel like this might be cheating.

Though I did not turn on the gas heater this course of action is stupid. Gas is cheaper than electricity. Or at least, it is more efficient to heat the apartment as a whole with gas than with electricity.

My Resolve
RIP
d. Dec. 03 2008
I put the heavy cotton drapes back up on the sliding door, though I don't think it does much good. I attached a new door sweep. I bought some additional weatherstripping that I haven't had a chance to install. I have yet to order any additional insulating window coverings, due to a couple of factors, but if I am going to turn the heat on I'm going to have to decide on a plan of action quick. My parents think I am crazy because it isn't as though I can't afford the heat, I just don't want to pay the piper for it.

In other news, I made yarn! It looks kind of bad! You'll see. If I ever see daylight again. The beret is also finally dry... and also about 1000 times too big. (While this might be a slight exaggeration it is true it is far, far to big for me to wear. That will teach me to assume that superwash won't grow - it grows more than a lot of other wool I've ever worked with.) Back to the drawing board.

posted by Carrie @ 12:41 PM