and here are some shots of the crystalization on some other windows in the house:
It's days like these that I'm pretty glad that I don't have to leave the house to go to work.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Fecking Freezing In 08
Happy New Year, VTKountry. And what a frigid start to it here in Cambridge. It's 5 degrees outside. "feels like" negative 7. Which would have sucked if I was in perfect health, but is just that much more sucky given that I rang the new year in with a cold. I'm over most of it, but my lungs feel like they could collapse if someone flicked a peanut at my chest. Fortunately for me, no one has flicked any peanuts at me today. I slept with my winter hat on last night and the humidifier on in my room. All that condensation froze on my window and created this neat little wood sap colored icicle in my window sill:
and here are some shots of the crystalization on some other windows in the house:
It's days like these that I'm pretty glad that I don't have to leave the house to go to work.
and here are some shots of the crystalization on some other windows in the house:
It's days like these that I'm pretty glad that I don't have to leave the house to go to work.
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36 comments:
Hmmm... something about the room being so cold you had to sleep with a hat and using a humidifier don't go together. I think that usually it's the forced-air heating system that makes the air dry, which is helped by a humidifier. But you've got electric baseboard, right? I don't think they are causing the air to be dry. So what's probably causing the air to be dry is that it's so cold. In that case, a humidifier is not going to help. The colder the room is, the harder it is to put water vapor into it (to the point where I'd say it's counter-productive if you use a humidifier, as you discovered). So I'd stay away from the humidifier if it's that cold inside. But then again, I'm no doctor or anything and fortunately am only dealing with 40 degree temps here in SF and a "storm of the century" that doesn't even require me to wear a raincoat because the rain is in light little bursts that are easily avoided. This city is soft.
So is Oakland, evidencing its soft-headedness by jettisoning Swisher. He was 50% of the A's for me. Now that Bonds is gone I might make a serious attempt at paying attention to the Giants, believe it or not.
Well, I'm not a doctor either. Nor am I a scientist (nor particulary well educated in the sciences). But I can give you the empirical evidence and we can all draw conclusions from that (unless it's a placebo effect, which I doubt (but then again I would doubt it if I were under the effect of a placebo, wouldn't I)). The fact is that the humidifier does significantly improve my respiratory ailment. I breathe much easier with it in the room. No coughing. Manageable wheezing. When I slept without it, my lungs were in revolt. So, rather than being counterproductive, the humidifier is quite productive in my estimation. I do think that it is the cold that is causing the dry air rather than the heat source. If you go outside (and I haven't been in two days, but grew up in this weather so I know it well), it feels like you're breathing knifey sand. It may also be the case that "the colder the room, the harder it is to put water vapor in", but like I said, it's working somehow. Don't know or care how. I suspect that the sheer volume of water vapor being put into the room may be overcoming the difficulty posed by the cold. Some of it's getting in there. It's not all ending up on the windows/walls. Or so it seems. I have to say that I've been humidifying, overhumidifying probably, for several winters now, and it seems to cut down on my rate of sickness per winter. Like I said, it could be all placebo, but like I also said, I don't care. Whatever works. And this works.
But I get my free health insurance this week, so maybe I'll ask my new primary care physician.
Why did they get rid of Swisher? Was it because of the money or his stats? Giants!?!? You're so Noe Valley.
At least your not at fenway wearing a Bledsoe jersey, thats all I can say.
Also, cold air holds less moisture than hot air. Therefore I'll submit that you will saturate the air that much quicker in a cold environment than a warm environment. To wit the condensation in your room.
So the cold air saturates quicker, but is still capable of taking in the water vapors, making it less dry. What happens after the saturation point is irrelevant. As long as the air's not dry.
Bledsoe's probably passed out in the snow somewhere right now. Send out the saint bernards!
House is looking good, btw.
also, there was no condensation on the walls, just the windows - probably due to the temperature of the window pane and the fact that the water vapors in that air were in closer quarters to that cold (the shade was pulled down over the window - about an inch away).
also.2: OBAMARAMA!
O.k., so the cold air holds less moisture, which means it saturates faster, causing the condensation, which has frozen because your room is so cold. I like that. And it makes sense that it still holds some moisture (just not as much as if it were warm), which is providing the relief that you're experiencing. So then it makes sense that what would make you feel even better would be to keep the humidifier on and crank up the heat, raising the saturation point and putting more moisture into the air. How about a space heater?
I never hated Bledsoe, and appreciated his work in the Steelers (was that his game?) game their first run for the Super Bowl. He was a little sour grapes, though, and was probably too much in the mold of the old destined-to-failure, big-baby Boston sports stars like Nomar, Clemens, and even Mo Vaughn and Paul Pierce (the latter I still have doubts about).
Yeah, do a post on Obama and Obamaramma.
Definitely the temp next to the window, between the shade, must be a LOT colder than your room. That's a relief--I was starting to worry about you guys.
Space heater would be a good idea. The temp is up about 20 degrees from yesterday luckily, so it's not bad in here today. It's supposed to rise another 10 or 20 for the next week or so, which is good.
I should have clarified. When I said "Bledsoe" I was referring to the drunk moron that Brian was referencing - some guy that we taunted at Fenway one time. A reference that no one else would have gotten. My bad. Drew Bledsoe was a good Patriot and I was impressed at the full page ad that he took out in the Globe thanking Pats fans for their support over the years when he left for Buffalo.
I'm also in the coldest room in the house - the rest of the house is fine. We've been cranking the heat this week.
Why dont' you just flood the floor and turn your room into a skating rink - hockey rinks always seem to have cold but oddly humid air.
-- John
I flooded the floor and opened the window, but it's not freezing. It's just a mess in here. thanks.
While your glass half full approach to life is always refreshing if you braved the cold and left the house to go to work, you probably could afford to live in an icicle-free home.
It's like saying the best part of being homeless is that you never have to vaccuum.
that's some harsh unwarranted shit! I don't know who kb is, but I assume it's a friendly reader giving VTK some crap. In case it isn't, I'll testify that a) VTK works plenty hard, b) the combined income of the three residents of that flat can handle the heating bill, and c) that the flat is good enough you don't just walk away from it because it's a little cold (if that's even the problem, which it doesn't sound like it is).
Thanks for getting my back, akboognish. Good intentions but ultimately unnecessary: KB's from Saugus, so what she says only counts 1/3 as much as what someone from anywhere else says. It's kinda like a homeless crack whore insulting a non crack whore homeless person.
Or better yet someone from Pittsfield trying to insult someone from Saugus about what town they are from.
Just trying to stir it up a bit.
Famous novel written in Pittsfield:
Moby Dick - Herman Melville
Famous novel written in Saugus:
Ragged Dick - Horatio Alger
# of Google hits for:
"Pittsfield, MA": 310,000
"Saugus, MA": 184,000
"Winchester, MA": 246,000
Damn, Saugus, you even got beat by Winchester!!!!
# of notable residents (accordning to Wikipedia):
Pittsfield: 34. Lots of poets, authors, and famous people with summer homes. Most interesting: "X-Factor, yo you dealin' wit da x-facta"
Saugus: 27. Mostly politicians and some baseball players. Most intersting: "William Moulton Marston Psychologist, feminist theorist, and comic book writer who created the "Wonder Woman""
Winchester: 26. Mostly NHL players or other ice skaters/gymnasts and two nobel prize winners. Most interesting: "Brutus Beefcake, Former WWF wrestler, and regular tag team partner of fellow wrestler Hulk Hogan."
So Saugus edges Winchester by a nose in the numbers, but is still HOUSED by Pittsfield!
And I'll take Brutus Beefcake over any other comers!
wow.
wow.
I can't believe I've never wikipedia'ed Pittsfield before (and I can't believe I'm citing wikipedia after my factual disrespecting of it in a previous comment section). Had I checked, I would have known about these part time residents:
Brian Piccolo (Brian's Song) - well, not anymore.
Robin Williams
Malcolm Jamal Warner
I can't believe we've got Theo on our side. Maybe this is why all my impressions these days seem to morph into Cosby impressions (it's eerie, really). I brought you into this world, Malcolm Jamal Warner, and I can take you out!
oh, one other thing. what was it ... hmmm, I forgot ... no, wait, I remember:
BRUTUS BEEFCAKE IS FROM WINCHESTER.
I will be preparing a 10,000 word post on the implications of this on my understanding of the psychic make-up of the prominent VTK commenters that hail from Winchester.
Also of note:
Father John Geoghan, Catholic molester/priest is from Saugus. Talk about your ragged dicks...
Father Geoghan did a brief stint at Blessed Sacrament in Saugus - that doesn't make him a true Saugonian.
You're right. That's not what makes him a true Saugonian.
Before we throw Saugus under the bus lets us not forget what Saugus is really famous for that fine proveyer of all things beef...
The Hilltop Steakhouse!
ummmmm thats some good Beef!!!
Pittsfield no beef
Joel
Au contraire, mon frere. Teo's Hot Dogs. Best wieners in the US of A.
Let's not forget the 7 Wonders of Rt 1 which are all in Saugus...
Hilltop's 60ft Neon Cactus
The Ship Restaurant
The Orange Dinosaur
The Golden Banana
Kowloon
and 2 more which I can't think of at this time.
Btw...this comment.
Dan said...
You're right. That's not what makes him a true Saugonian.
well delivered. I tip my hat to you sir.
I thank you.
btw, 2 for 2 after yesterday. Assuming the Chargers win, the Giants Bucs game is the big one today. It won't kill us if we lose it, but it would be a tough blow.
Wow. Not much to add to this exchange except...
Wonder #6: Leaning Tower of Pizza at Prince's restaurant.
I've heard some mention Weylu's pavillion as one of the wonders, but maybe it doesn't count because it's closed.
Saugus is a Wonder, and critiquing it for not producing literary greats is a little easy and really misses the point. Now let's all order some scorpion bowls, fog cutters, and suffering bastards to wash down our crab rangoon as we sit next to the glow of the volcano at Kowloon!
I'll have the Harvey Wallstinger.
Whats a Harvey Wallstinger?
Ian
a cross between a Harvey Wallbanger and a Stinger. A Harvey Wallbanger is basically a screwdriver with a splash of a nasty herbal liquor named Galliano. The Stinger is brandy with creme de menthe. The combination of the two is disgusting. Don't do it.
When we were kids we were allowed to pick any restaurant we wanted for our birthday. One year I picked the Ship. end of story.
--John
I think this guy cut my hair when I was a kid.
john - sounds like a happy ending. (which sounds like Saugus)
akb - remember when Brutus The Barber Beefcake cut the mullet locks of Jake The Snake Roberts? wow. That was the snip that shook the world.
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