lifestyles of the crazy cold

[YojimboMonkey]

everybody ok out there?  blucas, have you seriously had no heat all winter?  what is up with that, isn't your landlord required to maintain a minimum temperature of some kind? 

To a certain extent we are pretty lucky, 'cause our building has radiators that keep the place so freaking hot that I sleep without covers and even crack a window a lot of the time.  But now Mindy says that the cold water has stopped and I'm afraid we've probably got frozen pipes.  sucks.

oh well, guess I wanted to bitch about winter stuff and make sure everybody was staying warm. 

[coldforge]

The evening of our first show, New York City is set to hit record low temperatures! That is a pain.

[andronicus]

If you suspect that you may have mild frostbite, be sure to run lukewarm water over the affected extremity, not hot water.

[Greg Nog]

If you suspect your sleeping friend has frostbite on his fingers, immerse his hand in lukewarm water.

[sassymcassface]

morbidly obese pets are better warming devices than heaters.
except when they try to sleep on your face.

[Thermofusion]

Friday
   Low: 11    High: 35   
Sunny and cold. Highs in the mid 30s. North winds 10 to 15 mph. Wind chill values as low as 11.   

Friday Night
   Low: 16    High: 19   
Near record cold temperatures. Mostly clear. Lows 13 to 19. North winds 5 to 10 mph.

I know that's laughable/nothing/tropical for most of you, but by local standards that's apocalyptic.

[auto-da-fey]

I remain reluctant to shower, because it's fucking freezing in here. I finally called my rental place, but no one answered, so maybe tomorrow they can get my heat working again? I should probably just get a space heater, but taking initiative on such matters has always been just a little beyond me. Though sleeping in a coat tonight might change that.

also, fuck winter. it wasn't the only thing I was fleeing when I left the midwest eight years ago, but I'm now remembering just how much I hate this season, having not lived through one since Bill Clinton was in office.

[coldforge]

SO MUCH FOR GLOBAL WARMING EH

[ellaguru]

It's been pretty brutal here all week. Yesterday morning, the -30 = -22 F (after windchill) was enough to keep me from my morning workout. Today is less bad than that, but I think it's supposed to take 'til next week before it will be at all pleasant to leave the house.

[dieblucasdie]

everybody ok out there?  blucas, have you seriously had no heat all winter?  what is up with that, isn't your landlord required to maintain a minimum temperature of some kind? 

My heating costs for last winter ran into the thousands of dollars.  Eventually I was shut off for non-payment.  People's Gas wouldn't set up a payment plan.  I owe them just over 2 grand.  Heat's been off since early November or thereabouts.  I've got 3 electric heaters so I can basically keep one room at a time at high-60s in normal winter weather, low 60s/high 50s on days like today. 

My kitchen is seriously arctic though.  Have to keep running the water so the pipes don't freeze.  Afternoon high temperature of -6 in Chicago today.

[Andrew_TSKS]

I've got this little tiny space heater that I bought for emergencies that has been a lifesaver on multiple occasions. Cost me under $20 at Target. Just like what blucas is talking about, it really only heats one room, but it's wonderful on the occasions when you really need it. Whit, you should probably look into that.

But yeah, we've got nice warm radiator heat at my house, so I'm doing all right, even though it's in the teens here. Walking to work today was probably not a good idea, though--when I got home, my face was feeling numb. I don't know how the fuck I'm gonna get over to the comic book store tomorrow. I got paid today and I really want to make that run tomorrow, but fuck if I want to make an additional trip tomorrow besides the ones to work and back. Maybe I'll just wait a few days and hope it warms up on the weekend.

[dieblucasdie]

Well, yeah, I've got two of those oil-filled electrical radiator thingies and one of those space-heater/heat fans that's probably what TSKS is talking about.  Takes all 3 of 'em to make it livable in one room right now. 

Oh, and electric blankets = THE BEST

[Andrew_TSKS]

Indeed, that is what I'm talking about. It does all right for me on its own, but then again, I don't live in Chicago.

[milly balgeary]

i woke up this morning and it was -20 or more, go outside, look up into the dark. my car's overhead interior light was on. i left that shit on, throughout the coldest night of the year so far (and hopefully the coldest it'll get). can't believe i did that.

somehow the car started, thank the gods of magic.

[C of heartbreak]

Low of 13 tonight with wind chill down to -1. I guess that'll keep me from stepping outside for a cigarette too often.

Blucas does heating cost that much for everyone in Chicago or do you live in some sort of gothic cathedral?

My car's transmission was frozen up and it wouldn't shift this morning. I'm afraid it won't even start tomorrow.

[jebreject]

Currently At 8:01PM
-5°F
RealFeel®
-20°F
Winds: W at 9mph

Fucking fuck.

Our energy bill was almost $400 last month

[ellaguru]

Happily, my hydro is included in my rent.

I s'pose it evens out, but it makes the cold months seem less ominous.

[El_Josharino]

Yeah, -14 this morning not counting windchill. Fuck off, winter. Our house is cold as shit because it's old and drafty and we've got all this plastic that we haven't bothered to staple around the windows and our gas bill last month was like 250 bucks and it's not even warm in here except in my room with my tiny space heater like Tiskis's.

[hannah]

I got cabin fever yesterday but today I think some latent hibernation mechanism kicked in and I stayed in bed all afternoon -- watched Friday Night Lights, read Trollope. I am so glad classes haven't started back up again. I did go outside this evening, though, and after walking the twenty paces between the garage and the house I think my nose is set to fall off. Breathing through it burns. 

[dieblucasdie]

oh hey I can see my breath in this room now.  Neat.

[sassymcassface]

oh awesome
Tonight
Cold
Low: -4°F
RealFeel®: -2°F

stupid upstate ny weather

[YojimboMonkey]

It's -12^oF here now.

It will get warmer tomorrow though!  Like, above 0!

[Ignatius]

Not that bad up in Albany... Felt like it was between 0 and 10, but almost no wind blowing through the streets I was walking on.

[sassymcassface]

i'm in the poughkeepsie area and i was afraid to leave the house today. same goes for tomorrow.

[Ignatius]

I'm sure that on the broader streets up here, where the wind comes straight off the Hudson more or less without obstruction, it's a mess. I was freaking myself out about going out to get food three blocks away tonight - I put on the long johns and everything. I have to go out to pick up and deposit my paycheck tomorrow, otherwise I wouldn't go out either.

My girlfriend's worse off... She works at a bakery that's been closed for a few weeks, and she's been going in to clean up their kitchen before they open up. The owners won't turn the heat on in there because I guess it's a big room and they want to save money or something stupid like that? So she came in today and her face felt basically like a rock that's left outside overnight. Earlier she asked me if I wanted to take a walk with her just to get some fresh air. I laughed and laughed. She said it couldn't be that bad if the sun was out, after all. This is her first NY winter.