And nothing happened. Nothing at all.
After sharing that the temperature has been between 58 and 64 in the apartment for days, I finally decided that it was time to bring the temperature up just a tad.
So, I switched the programmable thermostat to "heat" and confirmed that it was set for "Energy Star" programming.
Which keeps the heat at about 62 degrees. So, for the first hour that the heat was turned on, it didn't COME on.
Until just a moment ago. It will heat for a few minutes and then, it will shut off.
Why is it that people run their air conditioners until the temperature is below 70 in the summer, and then run their heaters until the temperature is above 75 in the winter?
The point I've been making is that a human can be quite comfortable between 62 and 70 degrees in the winter - you just have to THINK. Something most people refuse to engage in.
DJHJD
Saturday, January 09, 2010
I still haven't turned on the heat (Saturday morning update edition)
When I awoke this morning, I could tell it was a mite chillier in the bedroom than it had been the morning before. I was very comfortable all night, and as I set foot into the apartment, I didn't think it was all that much colder - it wasn't - 57. Another gloriously sunny day today suggests that there will be more solar heat collection today.
If I were to clean the apartment today, it would go a long way to keeping me warm and happy.
If I were to clean the apartment today, it would go a long way to keeping me warm and happy.
Friday, January 08, 2010
Still haven't turned on the heat (early evening update #3)
Smug. Confident. Into the home stretch.
62 degrees here inside my little apartment, 26.7 and falling according to weatherbug, but a bit warmer than that on my balcony.
In a few moments, I'll be crawling into bed whence I shall commence producing prodigious amounts of body heat and will be toasty warm all night long.
Easy as pie!
62 degrees here inside my little apartment, 26.7 and falling according to weatherbug, but a bit warmer than that on my balcony.
In a few moments, I'll be crawling into bed whence I shall commence producing prodigious amounts of body heat and will be toasty warm all night long.
Easy as pie!
And I STILL haven't turned on the heat (update)
Temperature is holding at 59 degrees indicated, but I'm getting a bit chilled. I may have to get radical and put on some thermal drawers.
This may seem crazy to some, but I'm figuring that this isn't but a couple of degrees lower than what many people try to air condition their homes DOWN to when they sleep during the summer months.
It's bright and sunny, but it is chilled outside. I walked over to the leasing office for a minute and it was VERY brisk. I wasn't dressed as warmly as I will be later, but..
It's now noon, and the heating action of the day should start momentarily. Will I cave in later tonight and turn on the heat? Stay tuned...
This may seem crazy to some, but I'm figuring that this isn't but a couple of degrees lower than what many people try to air condition their homes DOWN to when they sleep during the summer months.
It's bright and sunny, but it is chilled outside. I walked over to the leasing office for a minute and it was VERY brisk. I wasn't dressed as warmly as I will be later, but..
It's now noon, and the heating action of the day should start momentarily. Will I cave in later tonight and turn on the heat? Stay tuned...
And I STILL haven't turned on the heat
Day (I have no idea) of my effort to make it through the winter (albeit in Houston). We have had an "arctic front" come through, but I remain committed to keeping my furnace turned OFF.
Why, you may ask?
Well, it's partly because I feel that most people are weenies when it comes to temperature variations. And, because I love very low electric bills.
And I hate the smell the heater makes when it fires up for the first time.
There is also a dash of feeling superior - admittedly, a fairly big dash.
Now, on to the details!
Last night, we apparently had a "hard" freeze. Here in Houstonia, that has a different meaning than it did in my childhood - it just means that the temperature was at or below 32 degrees last night. My heat saving techniques involve blocking drafts, absorbing heat from my downstairs neighbor (I figure since I get all of their cooking smells, I'm going to collect their heat as well) and bundling up a bit.
The indoor temperature has been hovering between 58 and 65 for the last few days, and this morning was no different. Today's solar collection is looking good, as it's relatively sunny outside and I'm expecting the indoor temperature to return to near 63 this afternoon, even though the outdoor mercury isn't scheduled to climb above 35.
I'd be surprised if we didn't make it over 45 today, the high temperature forecasts here are usually off and on the low side.
If I can make it to Saturday afternoon without turning on the furnace, I may have this project cracked for this winter! I may end up having to cheat by baking some fresh bread and allowing the gas oven to heat the place a smidge.
Why, you may ask?
Well, it's partly because I feel that most people are weenies when it comes to temperature variations. And, because I love very low electric bills.
And I hate the smell the heater makes when it fires up for the first time.
There is also a dash of feeling superior - admittedly, a fairly big dash.
Now, on to the details!
Last night, we apparently had a "hard" freeze. Here in Houstonia, that has a different meaning than it did in my childhood - it just means that the temperature was at or below 32 degrees last night. My heat saving techniques involve blocking drafts, absorbing heat from my downstairs neighbor (I figure since I get all of their cooking smells, I'm going to collect their heat as well) and bundling up a bit.
The indoor temperature has been hovering between 58 and 65 for the last few days, and this morning was no different. Today's solar collection is looking good, as it's relatively sunny outside and I'm expecting the indoor temperature to return to near 63 this afternoon, even though the outdoor mercury isn't scheduled to climb above 35.
I'd be surprised if we didn't make it over 45 today, the high temperature forecasts here are usually off and on the low side.
If I can make it to Saturday afternoon without turning on the furnace, I may have this project cracked for this winter! I may end up having to cheat by baking some fresh bread and allowing the gas oven to heat the place a smidge.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Maybe Nietzsche had a point -
Nietzsche is oft quoted and little read (much as is the Bible). Most are familiar only with his statement from Twilight of the Idols "What does not kill me makes me stronger"
For years, that statement just hit me as "make wrong". As in, how can you not APPRECIATE my selfish, dramatic victimhood?
As I moved through my issues of self-worth and shame, the statement made more and more sense. Why, yes - as I pilot through the jetsam of my own making, it gets easier and easier. Now, I can own and feel it. I am stronger, and none of those things that had been giving me the willies killed me at all.
Almost twenty years ago, a rebirther told me that her understanding of rebirth (or reincarnation, if you would rather) was that whatever lessons I failed to learn during this life would be added to the lessons in the next life.
That admonishment scared me and set me to deciding to buckle down and STUDY. I doubt that I'm done studying, but at least I've moved into a higher class recently.
People have long asserted that Nietzsche was an atheist, but I read his famous quote differently -
To me this suggests that people ignore the teachings and good works and instead live in the shadow of their chosen deity - they focus so intently on the shadow of the departed God that they cannot focus on themselves to apply the lessons to their own lives. They continue on as human beings - bigoted, blame-filled, fault-seeking victims of life who continue to wistfully look back at the shadow in the cave.
To live this way is to dishonor the hard work of the chosen Deity. It is to use the works of the Deity to blame and shame others without doing the dirty work of living those principles. I know that it is human nature to persist in feeling victimized and to look for ways to make oneself feel better by tearing others down. Most in ecclesiastical leadership (that I've met) engage in this behavior aggressively, turning any objection into additional blame toward the complainer.
It is my current belief (and I reserve the right to change this belief within the hour if I find other insight) that once a person reaches a place where they can clearly see and understand Nietzsche's statement about Buddha's shadow, they can begin to participate in spiritual pursuits free of that overruling draw to use spiritual teachings as a weapon against one's perceived enemies.
For years, that statement just hit me as "make wrong". As in, how can you not APPRECIATE my selfish, dramatic victimhood?
As I moved through my issues of self-worth and shame, the statement made more and more sense. Why, yes - as I pilot through the jetsam of my own making, it gets easier and easier. Now, I can own and feel it. I am stronger, and none of those things that had been giving me the willies killed me at all.
Almost twenty years ago, a rebirther told me that her understanding of rebirth (or reincarnation, if you would rather) was that whatever lessons I failed to learn during this life would be added to the lessons in the next life.
"What, if some day or night a demon were to steal after you into your loneliest loneliness and say to you: 'This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more' ... Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth and curse the demon who spoke thus? Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment when you would have answered him: 'You are a god and never have I heard anything more divine.' " - [§341] The Gay Science
That admonishment scared me and set me to deciding to buckle down and STUDY. I doubt that I'm done studying, but at least I've moved into a higher class recently.
People have long asserted that Nietzsche was an atheist, but I read his famous quote differently -
After Buddha was dead people showed his shadow for centuries afterwards in a cave, — an immense frightful shadow. God is dead: but as the human race is constituted, there will perhaps be caves for millenniums yet, in which people will show his shadow. And we — we have still to overcome his shadow! - §108The Gay Science
To me this suggests that people ignore the teachings and good works and instead live in the shadow of their chosen deity - they focus so intently on the shadow of the departed God that they cannot focus on themselves to apply the lessons to their own lives. They continue on as human beings - bigoted, blame-filled, fault-seeking victims of life who continue to wistfully look back at the shadow in the cave.
To live this way is to dishonor the hard work of the chosen Deity. It is to use the works of the Deity to blame and shame others without doing the dirty work of living those principles. I know that it is human nature to persist in feeling victimized and to look for ways to make oneself feel better by tearing others down. Most in ecclesiastical leadership (that I've met) engage in this behavior aggressively, turning any objection into additional blame toward the complainer.
It is my current belief (and I reserve the right to change this belief within the hour if I find other insight) that once a person reaches a place where they can clearly see and understand Nietzsche's statement about Buddha's shadow, they can begin to participate in spiritual pursuits free of that overruling draw to use spiritual teachings as a weapon against one's perceived enemies.
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Where do we draw the line between
Where do we draw the line between thoughts, beliefs and automatic responses CREATING and the same quiet thoughts warning us of danger signs we are ignoring?
A wise man told me at dinner last week that the voice that whispers warnings is drowned out by all of the reasons we want something to happen.
A couple of weeks ago and purely by accident, I regained contact with a man with whom I was very interested nearly a year ago. Even though the end of our conversations months back was very punitive, I ignored the whispering voice that said "Danger, Will Robinson". He came on like a runaway coal train, 40+ texts a day, phone calls, emails, flirtations, he couldn't wait to meet in person. After a few days of phone activity, I saved his number into my phone - again. And, that whisper was right there - "you'll just end up deleting this in a few days".
Yesterday, I did just that. Before doing so, I thought "why didn't I listen to that whisper?"
I've successfully listened to the whisper more often in these last months.
Just about a year ago, I had quite a lot of whisper - clangor, practically. Each interaction set off the gongs, but as was said at dinner the other night, my desires overrode any warnings.
Until my desires changed.
Then, all there were left were the warning tones.
My question is - since all thought creates, did I engage in creating these two mini-dramas, or was I creating it through ignoring and not honoring the warning intuition?
A wise man told me at dinner last week that the voice that whispers warnings is drowned out by all of the reasons we want something to happen.
A couple of weeks ago and purely by accident, I regained contact with a man with whom I was very interested nearly a year ago. Even though the end of our conversations months back was very punitive, I ignored the whispering voice that said "Danger, Will Robinson". He came on like a runaway coal train, 40+ texts a day, phone calls, emails, flirtations, he couldn't wait to meet in person. After a few days of phone activity, I saved his number into my phone - again. And, that whisper was right there - "you'll just end up deleting this in a few days".
Yesterday, I did just that. Before doing so, I thought "why didn't I listen to that whisper?"
I've successfully listened to the whisper more often in these last months.
Just about a year ago, I had quite a lot of whisper - clangor, practically. Each interaction set off the gongs, but as was said at dinner the other night, my desires overrode any warnings.
Until my desires changed.
Then, all there were left were the warning tones.
My question is - since all thought creates, did I engage in creating these two mini-dramas, or was I creating it through ignoring and not honoring the warning intuition?
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