The heat in my apartment building is out. I’d say that this is not cool but puns are not my thing. Last weekend I came home to 5 fire engines parked on my street, firefighters bustling around in a very purposeful way. Instantly I had mental images of my roommate leaving a candle burning or putting a tapestry over one of her lamps and causing our entire place, cats included, to go up in smoke.
Panic.
The resident gossips were standing on the stoop, though, and they were only too eager to share the news.
“You missed all the drama,” said Cornell, an obese woman who’s lived in the building forever and who likes to know everyone’s business. “When they turned on the heat yesterday, they forgot to clean the boiler and the whole thing went up in smoke.”
“Literally,” said Kathy, a freelance graphic design writer with two yappy dogs. “There was this vile smell that filled the building and all the fire alarms went off.”
“Wonderful,” I said, edging past them to avoid getting sucked into their angry-sounding conversation.
The hallways did indeed smell awful—that nasty metallic odor that you get when you accidentally microwave metal. But my apartment and both cats were fine. I fully expected complete feline panic when I opened the door, but both of them were camped on the couches with this, “What’s the big deal?” look on their faces.
The net net, however, is that the building’s boiler is dead and my apartment is REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY cold. Like, bundle up in sweats and blankets cold. Getting out of the shower in the morning is bracing to say the least. Poor Scully has created a nest in my down comforter so her paws don’t get cold during the day.
I called the landlord today to find out when they intended to turn the heat back on, seeing as the temperature at night now hovers somewhere between 35 and 45 degrees.
“It’ll be fixed by Thursday,” the guy told me. “We’re working on it. Replacing a boiler of this size takes time. Just be glad it’s not February.”
I am glad it’s not February. But I HATE HATE HATE being cold. Maybe it’s time for a space heater.
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2 comments:
That stinks. Puns aren't my thing either. Good ones, anyway.
I'm busily winterizing here, taking out ACs, putting up blinds, plastic-wrapping and caulking windows.
I use a ceramic heater from BJs to supplement the (expensive) oil heat from the furnace.
Definitely worth it. Shadow loves the thing and treats it like a fireplace.
Oh that just sucks hugely.
Drink lots of Irish coffee. ;)
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