Takes Your Breath Away

The smog that is. What am I doing out in the smog you might ask? Well the fire alarm is what got me out of bed... Granted it was noon so I can't really complain about the time. So I decided since I was going to be outside and working on my tan any ways I might as well make use of the time. After all if it is a false alarm then I will be outside for about 30 minutes and if it's real then it will be hours. So off I go.... The cloud was just gray and the air was thick. I had trouble breathing. But I got the few items I needed and then returned home again. Home to a hot, humid apartment. Can't breathe in it either. I was planning to buy an air conditioner with my tax return so that I wouldn't have to rely on Steve's sense of timing. Then I had no job and paying bills was more important. So now I am waiting.... and hoping he comes through soon.

Life in the Ghetto

Back to life in the ghetto. No bugs any more which is a plus. But the heating and air quality is still a big issue. Right now the humidity is around 55%. I have turned the heat off but since I have very little control over it the heat is still at 80 degrees. That is with the balcony door wide open and the bedroom window open as well. I've given up on the heat ever being fixed. All I can hope for is that Steve brings me an air conditioner soon so that I can cool the place down. The heat is causing the Fibromyalgia to flare up.

The people above me are also throwing stuff off the balcony. Cigarette butts are bad for a number of reasons. For one if they are still lit someone could get burnt. Even without that I take Azrael outside and really don't want him eating them. Toxic chemicals aren't good for humans.... they're also not good for cats. On Tuesday, just before I went to the hospital, I looked outside in time to see my balcony get soaked with a bucket of water. That was the last straw. I went down to complain. After all, I could've been outside and gotten wet. More importantly, I could've been outside with the MacBook Pro. I have a right to take the computer outside without worrying about what someone else is going to throw off their balcony.

I don't think I have had so many issues in an apartment as I do here. I like the layout here but they certainly don't repair things in an efficient manner. I try and avoid the superintendents at all costs. There are two reasons I don't want to move. For one, I definitely don't have first and last. I have already had to put off getting my tattoo until I have an actual job again. Secondly, I do not want to get stuck in another lease. It frees up more options by not being locked in a lease. But for the price I pay here I would expect a little more.

Heating

Just thought I'd post a couple of pictures that show what the inside of the apartment looks like. Before, I thought it was because there was too much humidity in the apartment. Right now it is 20% humidity... the average apartment/house is at least 30% humidity and the windows are still covered in ice and snow. So I guess it's not from that. My feet are currently icy. I had to grab my duvet just to stay warm. Brrrr

Picture This

Just imagine... it's 6:00 p.m. and you're just leaving work. It's hotter then Hades outside. Okay that might be an exaggeration. But it was 42 degrees Celcius outside today. It's a 4 kilometre walk home and you haven't eaten anything today due to a lack of time and energy. Not a very nice picture is it? That was my day. I got about halfway home and was so dehydrated that I was actually trying not to vomit. Part of me just wanted to curl up on someone's lawn and have a nice nap. The rest of me just wanted to get home to the air conditioning. Home won that one. I still haven't had dinner. I am pretty low on energy right now and just want to rest... not do anything... and definitely not cook. As an interesting note I ended up practically following one of the guys from my team all the way home. He was so busy listening to his music that he never even realized that I was behind him. And until we got close to the apartment complex he was far enough away that I didn't even know it was him. I'll have to give him a hard time tomorrow when I see him. But for now I really should go find something to eat. Must find food.

Retail Therapy

My only plans for today were to go to IGA and pick up a few things. I really wanted some corn on the cob. Nice plan... and it almost worked. I finished my grocery shopping and then realized that I had lost my sunglasses. So I revisited everywhere that I had stopped... twice... and could not find them. Without them I am prone to migraines... and it looks like I'll be walking home from work this week as well. So I had to replace them.

I did learn something valuable in the process. I learned that it is only about a 15 minute walk to Zellers. That actually gives me more freedom. I don't need a ride down there... so that really just leaves groceries that I can't get on my own. Well that and a few rides to various places.

So I get to Zellers and get a new pair of sunglasses... I was also planning on picking up my refill for Zyban. But first... I went down to Blockbuster to see what the price was on Underworld: Evolution. And then headed over to FutureShop. Apparantly I decided retail therapy was a good thing. $120 later I left FutureShop. Ironically, most of the movies I left with were comedies. People that know me know I don't buy comedies. Then I headed over to Chapters to pick up the new MacAddict. Finally, I went to Shoppers to pick up the prescription. By then I was a bit dehydrated and sore. It was great to get out... enjoy the sunshine... and be active. But that also takes a big toll on me. By the time I got home I didn't even want to cook dinner. Fortunately I was just having corn so it was easy. But I am still prety low on energy. The good news is that I have nothing to do tonight other then rest and watch a movie.

While I was getting my prescription I also picked up a bottle of water. I drank most of it but with the heat it got warm pretty quickly. I was almost home when I decided to dump some of the water over my head. That was nice and refreshing. Since my shoulder was bothering me I also decided to dump some over my shoulder and back. It was a nice thought. Well it did work well... the only problem was that I was wearing a tank top. It went down my back all right... but it also went down my jeans. Good thing I was almost home.

That's the downside to having A/C. I find it nice and cool in here and am usually wearing a sweater. So I tend to forget just how warm it is outside. I did check the weather network before going out... but I don't think even that prepared me for the heat wave when I stepped out the front door.