A moyste Marche and wyndy

I am blogging now almost entirely because having the computer on my lap keeps me warm. I used to use my laptop as a heat source quite often in England when my radiator didn't so much work and it was blustery beyond belief outside and I only had two blankets because, if you can save a good twelve pounds, why not gamble with death?

We have broken out the space heaters and the blankets and the kettles for boiling water: the hot water heater is malfunctioning. Again. I am very fond of the hot water heater because it never runs out of hot water except for those times when it breaks and takes out not only the hot water but the entire heating system, too. The water from the faucet is about 33 degrees. That scene in The Lion in Winter when Henry has to break the ice on the water to wash his face now has special meaning for me.

Happily, my parents and I spent several hours yesterday at my sister's new house where she was kindly willing to put us to work in exchange for us using her heat and shower. She painted the downstairs bathroom while my dad put up trim, my mother steamed off wallpaper, and I washed the de-papered walls. Here is the thing about the wallpaper steamer: if you hear it before you see it, it is easy to imagine that it is a giant creature with a giant snorkely proboscis* and a cold. In other words, I was quite convinced at first that Snuffleupagus was helping my mother remove wallpaper. Here is the thing about wallpaper glue: it is the devil. Here is the thing about people who paint the walls of their hallway guacamole-green: WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? I think we can agree that while guacamole is a tasty treat, spreading it all over your walls is something to be avoided.

Today I have accomplished: (1) getting up, (2) reading a little, (3) cleaning my room, and (4) appropriating a space heater for my room. If there is any prospect of a shower that will not give me hypothermia, I may go for a run. You might also add (5) blogging, but I think this is really too boring to count. I think it's time for someone to update us on the rain situation in LA. That's all you, Ivan.

*For the information of .M who is the only person who would be interested, that's apparently Latin and Greek, only the Greek is proboskis. The Greeks are cute.