Okay, most of you know that we were forced to move in the middle of
one of the worst cold snaps, with some of the worst snow of my
lifetime. You may also recall that our car's engine blew up about a
week and a half ago.

Those were easy.

Yesterday, we had to call the ambulance to pick Crash up because his
hip was about to dislocate and we were trying to prevent another
painful occurance. The hip was in place until they started to take x-
rays, then POP! Since Left Hip version 2.0 was installed in
Rochester, he was shipped there to get it popped back into place.
Usually fairly routine. But in this case, his heart stopped twice
while he was under anesthesia. They got it going with CPR, but it was
not what we'd call a Good Thing.

Then, he was stranded, 50 miles from home, late at night. After 3
hours, he finally got in contact with the hospital's social worker,
who got him a taxi voucher for the trip. $119 cab fare! But since
the car blew up ....

Still ... easy.

Tonight, I smelled something in the kitchen that got worse when I
sniffed at the top of the basement stairs. Didn't smell quite like
gas, but close enough that I called the gas company. The gas guy took
his little geiger counter out and it started squealing like a stuck
pig. He said we had a carbon dioxide count of 197. I don't know what
that means, but he said, "Get your animals and get OUT of the
building!" Then he started pounding on the door of the people in the
other half of the duplex, and evaculated them, too. We had the
utility truck, two squad cars, and a fire truck in front of our house
for a couple hours.

The Red Cross had us set up to stay at a hotel for the night (which
would be okay if we had a CAR to get there and back), but then the
heating and plumbing guy came and said it was safe to be here, because
the gas was turned off. He just wanted to set up a bunch of space
heaters and get all of our faucets on perma-trickle so the pipe won't
freeze (we have radiator heat - and it's 3F outside). We plugged two
heaters in on the main floor and promptly blew a fuse. No fuses
here. No car. Heating guy tells us that there is a decomposing cat
in the basement. Ick! We're still moving in, and the basement light
doesn't work. We had no idea. Ick! Heating guy said to go ahead and
heat the kitchen with the electric oven, door open. So that's our
only main floor heat.

There are exactly two of those newfangled electrical outlets that can
be reset in this whole house. One's in the kitchen (Crash is using an
extension cord in that one to power his computer that was attached to
one of the dead outlets in the living room) and the other is in the
bathroom. So we have a space heater in the bathroom. But we're
nervous about plugging any into the bedroom outlets, so we're just
gonna sleep in sweats.

We find out tomorrow if the boiler needs to be replaced or if it can
be repaired. Then we find out how long a replacement will take to
arrive if a new one is required.

The cockatiels are visiting next door. We hope that the neighbors'
two Rottweilers will leave them alone until it's safe for them to
return home.

I think that's about it for now. I may have missed something.
Probably have. It's been an interesting year so far. Update tomorrow
after we find out how long we'll be living in an igloo.

ObFood: We had pizza delivered. I didn't feel like cooking.

Carol

Yeah, I did forget a couple things. We could only get the dogs out
when we were first evacuated. The cats were scared and hiding under a
bed, and we had nowhere to take the birds. The beautiful 18 year old
girl who recently moved in with us, and whose laptop I'm now using,
ran into the house against firefighter's orders to rescue the cats. A
fireman found her lying on the bedroom floor, trying to get the cats
to come out. He was wearing breathing apparatus and gave her a mask
to breathe through. He told her she'd have to go to the hospital.
She said no way, and kept going until she got one cat boxed up. Then
she started going down to the main floor and fell almost the whole
flight of stairs. Still wouldn't accept medical treatment, but has
one whammy of a headache now.

Oh, the gas company guy and the firefighters said it was carbon
dioxide. The furnace guy said it was carbon monoxide. I don't know,
but I'm glad I smelled that odorless gas. I don't think it was the
dead cat.

I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. I'm not sure that I'm
capable of either right now. I think I'm just gonna be in pure
survival mode for awhile.

Carol, whose toes are getting really cold

On Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:45:59 -0800, carol.56007 wrote:

> Okay, most of you know that we were forced to move in the middle of one
> of the worst cold snaps, with some of the worst snow of my lifetime.
> You may also recall that our car's engine blew up about a week and a
> half ago.
>
> Those were easy.
>
> Yesterday, we had to call the ambulance to pick Crash up because his hip
> was about to dislocate and we were trying to prevent another painful
> occurance. The hip was in place until they started to take x- rays,
> then POP! Since Left Hip version 2.0 was installed in Rochester, he was
> shipped there to get it popped back into place. Usually fairly routine.
> But in this case, his heart stopped twice while he was under anesthesia.
> They got it going with CPR, but it was not what we'd call a Good Thing.
>
> Then, he was stranded, 50 miles from home, late at night. After 3
> hours, he finally got in contact with the hospital's social worker, who
> got him a taxi voucher for the trip. $119 cab fare! But since the car
> blew up ....
>
> Still ... easy.
>
> Tonight, I smelled something in the kitchen that got worse when I
> sniffed at the top of the basement stairs. Didn't smell quite like gas,
> but close enough that I called the gas company. The gas guy took his
> little geiger counter out and it started squealing like a stuck pig. He
> said we had a carbon dioxide count of 197. I don't know what that
> means, but he said, "Get your animals and get OUT of the building!"
> Then he started pounding on the door of the people in the other half of
> the duplex, and evaculated them, too. We had the utility truck, two
> squad cars, and a fire truck in front of our house for a couple hours.
>
> The Red Cross had us set up to stay at a hotel for the night (which
> would be okay if we had a CAR to get there and back), but then the
> heating and plumbing guy came and said it was safe to be here, because
> the gas was turned off. He just wanted to set up a bunch of space
> heaters and get all of our faucets on perma-trickle so the pipe won't
> freeze (we have radiator heat - and it's 3F outside). We plugged two
> heaters in on the main floor and promptly blew a fuse. No fuses here.
> No car. Heating guy tells us that there is a decomposing cat in the
> basement. Ick! We're still moving in, and the basement light doesn't
> work. We had no idea. Ick! Heating guy said to go ahead and heat the
> kitchen with the electric oven, door open. So that's our only main
> floor heat.
>
> There are exactly two of those newfangled electrical outlets that can be
> reset in this whole house. One's in the kitchen (Crash is using an
> extension cord in that one to power his computer that was attached to
> one of the dead outlets in the living room) and the other is in the
> bathroom. So we have a space heater in the bathroom. But we're nervous
> about plugging any into the bedroom outlets, so we're just gonna sleep
> in sweats.
>
> We find out tomorrow if the boiler needs to be replaced or if it can be
> repaired. Then we find out how long a replacement will take to arrive
> if a new one is required.
>
> The cockatiels are visiting next door. We hope that the neighbors' two
> Rottweilers will leave them alone until it's safe for them to return
> home.
>
> I think that's about it for now. I may have missed something. Probably
> have. It's been an interesting year so far. Update tomorrow after we
> find out how long we'll be living in an igloo.
>
> ObFood: We had pizza delivered. I didn't feel like cooking.
>
> Carol

What to say to all that?!?
All I can say is I hope things improve for you

Or perhaps emigrate? I doubt anywhere else could be much worse for you
and your partner. I sincerely hope you've seen the worst of it.

On Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:10:03 -0800 (PST), wrote:

>I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. I'm not sure that I'm
>capable of either right now. I think I'm just gonna be in pure
>survival mode for awhile.
>
>Carol, whose toes are getting really cold


Geeze Carol! You could write a gripping best seller about your
"adventures". Crossing my fingers that everything turns out ok. What
is your landlord doing about this mess?


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that
interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

On Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:10:03 -0800 (PST), wrote:

>Yeah, I did forget a couple things. We could only get the dogs out
>when we were first evacuated. The cats were scared and hiding under a
>bed, and we had nowhere to take the birds. The beautiful 18 year old
>girl who recently moved in with us, and whose laptop I'm now using,
>ran into the house against firefighter's orders to rescue the cats. A
>fireman found her lying on the bedroom floor, trying to get the cats
>to come out. He was wearing breathing apparatus and gave her a mask
>to breathe through. He told her she'd have to go to the hospital.
>She said no way, and kept going until she got one cat boxed up. Then
>she started going down to the main floor and fell almost the whole
>flight of stairs. Still wouldn't accept medical treatment, but has
>one whammy of a headache now.
>
>Oh, the gas company guy and the firefighters said it was carbon
>dioxide. The furnace guy said it was carbon monoxide. I don't know,
>but I'm glad I smelled that odorless gas. I don't think it was the
>dead cat.
>
>I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. I'm not sure that I'm
>capable of either right now. I think I'm just gonna be in pure
>survival mode for awhile.
>
>Carol, whose toes are getting really cold

Girl, you need to be someplace warm. Well, that's my first response.
Take care and be as well as you are able under the circumstances. We
have a date coming up in the sumer.
--
modom

ambitious when it comes to fiddling with meat

wrote:
>
> I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. I'm not sure that I'm
> capable of either right now. I think I'm just gonna be in pure
> survival mode for awhile.
>
> Carol, whose toes are getting really cold


O. M. G. Dams. Of all the shitty luck! I wish there was something I
could say to make you feel better, but I don't think there is.

Does your landlord know about all this? Surely he/she needs to organize
(and foot the bill) for any new gas pipes, boilers and electrical stuff
(or whatever) that have to be replaced or repaired?
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Damsel wrote tales of catastrophe and danger:

YIKES! All that really sucks! This is the time of year you read about people
DYING from bad air in their houses, so it definitely could have been
worse...but it sure as hell could have been BETTER, too!

(Wait -- You're not trying to one-up Jill with a tale of woe worse than
hers, are you?)

Thanks for the update; you and Crash will be in my thoughts.

*hugs*

Bob

On Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:19:03 -0600, "modom (palindrome guy)"
> wrote:


>Girl, you need to be someplace warm. Well, that's my first response.
>Take care and be as well as you are able under the circumstances. We
>have a date coming up in the sumer.

You have a date with Carol?

I want to hear the details!!

Christine
--
http://nightstirrings.blogspot.com

On Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:19:03 -0600, "modom (palindrome guy)"
> wrote:


>Girl, you need to be someplace warm. Well, that's my first response.

Mine too. An old man just died somewhere in NYC or NJ cause his house
was barely heated, if that.

Christine
--
http://nightstirrings.blogspot.com

wrote:

> Yeah, I did forget a couple things. We could only get the dogs out
> when we were first evacuated. The cats were scared and hiding under a
> bed, and we had nowhere to take the birds. The beautiful 18 year old
> girl who recently moved in with us, and whose laptop I'm now using,
> ran into the house against firefighter's orders to rescue the cats. A
> fireman found her lying on the bedroom floor, trying to get the cats
> to come out. He was wearing breathing apparatus and gave her a mask
> to breathe through. He told her she'd have to go to the hospital.
> She said no way, and kept going until she got one cat boxed up. Then
> she started going down to the main floor and fell almost the whole
> flight of stairs. Still wouldn't accept medical treatment, but has
> one whammy of a headache now.
>
> Oh, the gas company guy and the firefighters said it was carbon
> dioxide. The furnace guy said it was carbon monoxide. I don't know,
> but I'm glad I smelled that odorless gas. I don't think it was the
> dead cat.
>
> I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. I'm not sure that I'm
> capable of either right now. I think I'm just gonna be in pure
> survival mode for awhile.


Holy crap, Carol! If the issue was indeed carbon monoxide your young
roommate could have died. That particular molecule binds to hemoglobin,
preventing uptake of oxygen. First aid is hyperbaric oxygen.

Been there, done that, although as part of a volunteer healthy control
group for a study at the hospital I worked at. The tube made me feel
somewhat claustrophobic so I distracted myself by watching the O2
monitor and playing with the readings by modifying respiration and heart
rate, at least until Dr. D noticed and told me to quit screwing around.
I did but I still wound up getting kicked out of the stats for the
study because my baseline body temp was routinely a full degree above
normal.

Sheesh!

Rotten luck all around!!!

Hardly seems fair!

Get well, Crash

Best,

Andy

wrote:

> We find out tomorrow if the boiler needs to be replaced or if it can
> be repaired. Then we find out how long a replacement will take to
> arrive if a new one is required.

Ya... but... who's gonna replace that poor cat!?

I put a 'housewarming' package in the mail last night. Unfortunately it
will do nothing to actually warm your house, physically. But it can be
used as a weapon in case you find out your house is infested by man-eating
vines or otherwise haunted.

-sw

wrote:
> Okay, most of you know that we were forced to move in the middle of
> one of the worst cold snaps, with some of the worst snow of my
> lifetime. You may also recall that our car's engine blew up about a
> week and a half ago.
>
> Those were easy.
>
> Yesterday, we had to call the ambulance to pick Crash up because his
> hip was about to dislocate and we were trying to prevent another
> painful occurance. The hip was in place until they started to take x-
> rays, then POP! Since Left Hip version 2.0 was installed in
> Rochester, he was shipped there to get it popped back into place.
> Usually fairly routine. But in this case, his heart stopped twice
> while he was under anesthesia. They got it going with CPR, but it was
> not what we'd call a Good Thing.
>
> Then, he was stranded, 50 miles from home, late at night. After 3
> hours, he finally got in contact with the hospital's social worker,
> who got him a taxi voucher for the trip. $119 cab fare! But since
> the car blew up ....
>
> Still ... easy.
>
> Tonight, I smelled something in the kitchen that got worse when I
> sniffed at the top of the basement stairs. Didn't smell quite like
> gas, but close enough that I called the gas company. The gas guy took
> his little geiger counter out and it started squealing like a stuck
> pig. He said we had a carbon dioxide count of 197. I don't know what
> that means, but he said, "Get your animals and get OUT of the
> building!" Then he started pounding on the door of the people in the
> other half of the duplex, and evaculated them, too. We had the
> utility truck, two squad cars, and a fire truck in front of our house
> for a couple hours.
>
> The Red Cross had us set up to stay at a hotel for the night (which
> would be okay if we had a CAR to get there and back), but then the
> heating and plumbing guy came and said it was safe to be here, because
> the gas was turned off. He just wanted to set up a bunch of space
> heaters and get all of our faucets on perma-trickle so the pipe won't
> freeze (we have radiator heat - and it's 3F outside). We plugged two
> heaters in on the main floor and promptly blew a fuse. No fuses
> here. No car. Heating guy tells us that there is a decomposing cat
> in the basement. Ick! We're still moving in, and the basement light
> doesn't work. We had no idea. Ick! Heating guy said to go ahead and
> heat the kitchen with the electric oven, door open. So that's our
> only main floor heat.
>
> There are exactly two of those newfangled electrical outlets that can
> be reset in this whole house. One's in the kitchen (Crash is using an
> extension cord in that one to power his computer that was attached to
> one of the dead outlets in the living room) and the other is in the
> bathroom. So we have a space heater in the bathroom. But we're
> nervous about plugging any into the bedroom outlets, so we're just
> gonna sleep in sweats.
>
> We find out tomorrow if the boiler needs to be replaced or if it can
> be repaired. Then we find out how long a replacement will take to
> arrive if a new one is required.
>
> The cockatiels are visiting next door. We hope that the neighbors'
> two Rottweilers will leave them alone until it's safe for them to
> return home.
>
> I think that's about it for now. I may have missed something.
> Probably have. It's been an interesting year so far. Update tomorrow
> after we find out how long we'll be living in an igloo.
>
> ObFood: We had pizza delivered. I didn't feel like cooking.
>
> Carol

Egad, Carol! What a horrific nightmare--or series of nightmares.
I really hope things improve for you and Crash ASAP!

--
Jean B.

Bob Terwilliger wrote:

> Damsel wrote tales of catastrophe and danger:
>
> YIKES! All that really sucks! This is the time of year you read about
people
> DYING from bad air in their houses, so it definitely could have been
> worse...but it sure as hell could have been BETTER, too!
>
> (Wait -- You're not trying to one-up Jill with a tale of woe worse than
> hers, are you?)


Nope...Jill's tall tales are "manufactured" to curry sympathy, Damsel's are
all too real...and Dams *never* embellishes or seeks sympathy, either.
That's because Damsel has a good and strong character...unlike Jill The
Grade A Foney - Baloney.

I wish all the best to her...it's a raw deal to have all this krap happen in
the dead of a harsh winter...


--
Best
Greg

> wrote in message
...
> Okay, most of you know that we were forced to move in the middle of
> one of the worst cold snaps, with some of the worst snow of my
> lifetime. You may also recall that our car's engine blew up about a
> week and a half ago.
>
> Those were easy.

It's almost February. We will say it is a January thing and now must stop!
:-) So sorry you are having to go through all this. I really hope this is
the end of it all and things start looking up for you and Crash!

Debbie

In article
>,
wrote:

> I think that's about it for now. I may have missed something.
> Probably have. It's been an interesting year so far. Update tomorrow
> after we find out how long we'll be living in an igloo.
>
> ObFood: We had pizza delivered. I didn't feel like cooking.
>
> Carol

Now you know why I prefer all electric...
--
Peace! Om

"Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once." -- Anonymous

wrote:
> Okay, most of you know that we were forced to move in the middle of
> one of the worst cold snaps, with some of the worst snow of my
> lifetime. You may also recall that our car's engine blew up about a
> week and a half ago.



(Hip joint hospitslization, carbon monoxide issue and others snipped.)


Cripes, Carol, you guys have so much luck, and all of it BAD.

Hoping that things turn around 180 degrees for you,

gloria p

On Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:45:59 -0800 (PST), wrote:

>Okay, most of you know that we were forced to move in the middle of
>one of the worst cold snaps, with some of the worst snow of my
>lifetime. You may also recall that our car's engine blew up about a
>week and a half ago.
>
>Those were easy.
Oh Carol. I don't even know what to say. You never ask for sympathy
and write like it is just a series of happenings, but when I think
about what you've said, it totally amazes me that a human can live
through it. Poor Crash-wow! You have terrific inner strength and it
is totally admirable.

If I could, I'd enclose some sun rays for you, but can't, so just keep
"hanging tough" as we say here. (It comes from riding a surfboard on a
big wave, going down the face of the wave, but it sort of applies to
you both too.- So Hang Tough!! indeed.)

hugs and warmest aloha,
Cea

Omelet wrote:
>
> Now you know why I prefer all electric...

I don't think there are any propane dildos. LOL

On Jan 29, 1:10*am, wrote:
> Yeah, I did forget a couple things. *We could only get the dogs out
> when we were first evacuated. *The cats were scared and hiding under a
> bed, and we had nowhere to take the birds. *The beautiful 18 year old
> girl who recently moved in with us, and whose laptop I'm now using,
> ran into the house against firefighter's orders to rescue the cats. *A
> fireman found her lying on the bedroom floor, trying to get the cats
> to come out. *He was wearing breathing apparatus and gave her a mask
> to breathe through. *He told her she'd have to go to the hospital.
> She said no way, and kept going until she got one cat boxed up. *Then
> she started going down to the main floor and fell almost the whole
> flight of stairs. *Still wouldn't accept medical treatment, but has
> one whammy of a headache now.
>
> Oh, the gas company guy and the firefighters said it was carbon
> dioxide. *The furnace guy said it was carbon monoxide. *I don't know,
> but I'm glad I smelled that odorless gas. *I don't think it was the
> dead cat.
>
> I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. *I'm not sure that I'm
> capable of either right now. *I think I'm just gonna be in pure
> survival mode for awhile.
>
> Carol, whose toes are getting really cold

Oh, Lordy! You've had one heck of a great time, no? I'll light a
candle for your luck to turn to the better.
Get the dead cat out of the basement asap. That's bad Karma if I ever
saw it!

Glad you're alive and well. Stay safe.

maxine in ri

>> wrote:
>>>
>>> I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. I'm not sure that I'm
>>> capable of either right now. I think I'm just gonna be in pure
>>> survival mode for awhile.
>>>
>>> Carol, whose toes are getting really cold

Aw shit, Carol! What a nightmare you two are going through, but what a sense
of humor you have retained in the telling!

Felice

In article
>,
Sheldon > wrote:

> Omelet wrote:
> >
> > Now you know why I prefer all electric...
>
> I don't think there are any propane dildos. LOL

Speaking from personal experience Sheldon?
--
Peace! Om

"Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once." -- Anonymous

On Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:50:15 -0700, Christine Dabney
> wrote:

>On Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:19:03 -0600, "modom (palindrome guy)"
> wrote:
>
>
>>Girl, you need to be someplace warm. Well, that's my first response.
>>Take care and be as well as you are able under the circumstances. We
>>have a date coming up in the sumer.
>
>You have a date with Carol?
>
>I want to hear the details!!
>
>Christine

Didn't she propose a cook in at her place in june?
--
modom

ambitious when it comes to fiddling with meat

In article >,
"Felice" > wrote:

> >> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. I'm not sure that I'm
> >>> capable of either right now. I think I'm just gonna be in pure
> >>> survival mode for awhile.
> >>>
> >>> Carol, whose toes are getting really cold
>
> Aw shit, Carol! What a nightmare you two are going through, but what a sense
> of humor you have retained in the telling!
>
> Felice

Carol is a tough lady. :-) She's amazed me how well she seems to deal
with what life dishes out sometimes...
--
Peace! Om

"Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once." -- Anonymous

On Thu 29 Jan 2009 10:54:19a, Omelet told us...

>>

With any luck he'll find a propane breathing (in) mask.

--
Wayne Boatwright
e-mail to wayneboatwright at gmail dot com
************************************************** **********************
Date: Thursday, 01(I)/29(XXIX)/09(MMIX)
************************************************** **********************
************************************************** **********************
Of all the ways of acquiring books, writing them oneself is
regarded as the most praiseworthy method. Writers are really people
who write books not because they are poor, but because hey are
dissatisfied with the books which they could buy but do not like.
--Walter Benjamin

In article
>,
wrote:
(disaster story snipped)
> Carol
Mother of Alex!
You don't mess around with small annoyances, do you?
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.me.com/barbschaller
http://gallery.me.com/barbschaller/100041
-- a woman my age shouldn't
have this much fun!

> wrote in message
...
> Yeah, I did forget a couple things. We could only get the dogs out
> when we were first evacuated. The cats were scared and hiding under a
> bed, and we had nowhere to take the birds. The beautiful 18 year old
> girl who recently moved in with us, and whose laptop I'm now using,
> ran into the house against firefighter's orders to rescue the cats. A
> fireman found her lying on the bedroom floor, trying to get the cats
> to come out. He was wearing breathing apparatus and gave her a mask
> to breathe through. He told her she'd have to go to the hospital.
> She said no way, and kept going until she got one cat boxed up. Then
> she started going down to the main floor and fell almost the whole
> flight of stairs. Still wouldn't accept medical treatment, but has
> one whammy of a headache now.
>
> Oh, the gas company guy and the firefighters said it was carbon
> dioxide. The furnace guy said it was carbon monoxide. I don't know,
> but I'm glad I smelled that odorless gas. I don't think it was the
> dead cat.
>
> I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. I'm not sure that I'm
> capable of either right now. I think I'm just gonna be in pure
> survival mode for awhile.
>
> Carol, whose toes are getting really cold

Carol, you guys should be in a movie of the week. All the writers in
Hollywood couldn't make this stuff up! I hope things improve for you...and
quickly! Please take care.

kimberly
--
http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com

Li'lWayne Boatwrong blew:

> On Thu 29 Jan 2009 10:54:19a, Omelet told us...
>
> >>
>
> With any luck he'll find a propane breathing (in) mask.


Aren't you supposed to be standing in the "Dunce's Corner" with Jill, Li'l
Wayne...???


--
Best
Greg

Melba's Jammin' wrote:

> In article
> >,
> wrote:
> (disaster story snipped)
> > Carol
> Mother of Alex!
> You don't mess around with small annoyances, do you?


Carol would make a *great* administrator for FEMA...

;-)


--
Best
Greg

OMG, Carol! I'm sending a little way-the-heck-south Texas warmth your
way and some virtual hugs 'cause you really need a lot of hugs right now.

I think you need to call the board of health on the landlord and maybe
the local TV station????

> wrote in message
...

<snip>

> I think that's about it for now. I may have missed something.
> Probably have. It's been an interesting year so far. Update tomorrow
> after we find out how long we'll be living in an igloo.
>
> ObFood: We had pizza delivered. I didn't feel like cooking.
>

OMG, I'm so sorry to read all this. Yeesh. I can't imagine why you didn't
feel like cooking but I hope you get back to it because it sounds like you
could use the diversion. I hope things start to improve for you both.

Cheryl

sf wrote:

> On Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:10:03 -0800 (PST), wrote:
>
> > I can't really decide whether to laugh or cry. I'm not sure that
> > I'm capable of either right now. I think I'm just gonna be in pure
> > survival mode for awhile.
> >
> > Carol, whose toes are getting really cold
>
>
> Geeze Carol! You could write a gripping best seller about your
> "adventures". Crossing my fingers that everything turns out ok. What
> is your landlord doing about this mess?

I didn't see the original post.

Damsel and Crash, hope you come out of this ok!

--
Dan Goodman
"I have always depended on the kindness of stranglers."
Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Expire
Journal http://dsgood.livejournal.com
Futures http://clerkfuturist.wordpress.com
Mirror Journal http://dsgood.insanejournal.com
Mirror 2 http://dsgood.wordpress.com
Links http://del.icio.us/dsgood

Christine Dabney wrote:
> On Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:19:03 -0600, "modom (palindrome guy)"
> > wrote:
>
>
>> Girl, you need to be someplace warm. Well, that's my first response.
>
> Mine too. An old man just died somewhere in NYC or NJ cause his house
> was barely heated, if that.
>
> Christine
>
>
If you're referring to the one I'm thinking of, the electric company put
some kind of current-restricting device on his meter because he was
apparently about $1,000 in arrears in paying his electrical bill. The
article I read alleges that no one at the utility explained to him how
this works, with the result that he continued to use electricity as he
always had, reached the limit, and the whole works shut down, leaving
him without heat. The poor guy was found wearing multiple layers of
clothing and covered in as many blankets as he owned, but it wasn't enough.

flitterbit wrote:
> Christine Dabney wrote:

>> Mine too. An old man just died somewhere in NYC or NJ cause his
>> house was barely heated, if that.

> If you're referring to the one I'm thinking of, the electric company
> put some kind of current-restricting device on his meter because he
> was apparently about $1,000 in arrears in paying his electrical bill.
> The article I read alleges that no one at the utility explained to
> him how this works, with the result that he continued to use
> electricity as he always had, reached the limit, and the whole works
> shut down, leaving
> him without heat. The poor guy was found wearing multiple layers of
> clothing and covered in as many blankets as he owned, but it wasn't
> enough.

That was in Michigan. Poor guy. That was a sad story.

nancy

On Jan 31, 2:40�pm, "Nancy Young" > wrote:
> flitterbit wrote:
> > Christine Dabney wrote:
> >> Mine too. �An old man just died somewhere in NYC or NJ cause his
> >> house was barely heated, if that.
> > If you're referring to the one I'm thinking of, the electric company
> > put some kind of current-restricting device on his meter because he
> > was apparently about $1,000 in arrears in paying his electrical bill.
> > The article I read alleges that no one at the utility explained to
> > him how this works, with the result that he continued to use
> > electricity as he always had, reached the limit, and the whole works
> > shut down, leaving
> > him without heat. �The poor guy was found wearing multiple layers of
> > clothing and covered in as many blankets as he owned, but it wasn't
> > enough.
>
> That was in Michigan. �Poor guy. �That was a sad story.

That's a very common event with elderly folks who live alone. Often
they have plenty of money but they simply stop paying their bills,
they become too old to care for themselves. Many times a spouse dies
and they just go downhill. Sometimes social services steps in
because they're alerted by neighbors but often not. Whenever utility
companies install those limiting devices social services is notified
(could just as easily be a single mom with infants as an elderly
person living alone). This is not the fault of the power company,
social services EFed up.

Sheldon wrote:
> On Jan 31, 2:40�pm, "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>> flitterbit wrote:
>>> Christine Dabney wrote:
>>>> Mine too. �An old man just died somewhere in NYC or NJ cause his
>>>> house was barely heated, if that.
>>> If you're referring to the one I'm thinking of, the electric company
>>> put some kind of current-restricting device on his meter because he
>>> was apparently about $1,000 in arrears in paying his electrical
>>> bill. The article I read alleges that no one at the utility
>>> explained to him how this works, with the result that he continued
>>> to use electricity as he always had, reached the limit, and the
>>> whole works shut down, leaving
>>> him without heat. �The poor guy was found wearing multiple layers of
>>> clothing and covered in as many blankets as he owned, but it wasn't
>>> enough.
>>
>> That was in Michigan. �Poor guy. �That was a sad story.
>
> That's a very common event with elderly folks who live alone. Often
> they have plenty of money but they simply stop paying their bills,
> they become too old to care for themselves. Many times a spouse dies
> and they just go downhill. Sometimes social services steps in
> because they're alerted by neighbors but often not. Whenever utility
> companies install those limiting devices social services is notified
> (could just as easily be a single mom with infants as an elderly
> person living alone). This is not the fault of the power company,
> social services EFed up.

Here, when they cut off your utilities, they are supposed to
notify the police or fire department, I forget which. I think
it should be a law that they inform someone other than the
homeowner what's going on. Putting a note on the door
was a lame way to deal with this situation, that's for sure.

nancy

In article >,
"Nancy Young" > wrote:


> Here, when they cut off your utilities, they are supposed to
> notify the police or fire department, I forget which. I think
> it should be a law that they inform someone other than the
> homeowner what's going on. Putting a note on the door
> was a lame way to deal with this situation, that's for sure.

My MIL (mother in law) was a horribly obnoxious person. As she got
older, she just totally lost control of everything. However, she was
adamant that she wanted to stay in her house, it was her whole life.
Some government social services agency tried to help. They would get
people to take care of her. She just wasn't a nice person, though. So
they just ripped her off. They stole everything that wasn't nailed
down, and emptied out her checking account. They would go to the
grocery store to "buy food for her", using her checks, but mostly they
bought booze, and *then* they took a less cash to pay for their trips to
the bars! So the guy came to shut off her gas and electric, since after
the booze, there was no money to pay the bills. The guy could see there
was something wrong, and so he didn't shut it off, and he notified APS
(Adult Protective Services) since it was clearly elder abuse.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

On Sat, 31 Jan 2009 18:18:01 -0800, Dan Abel > wrote:

>So the guy came to shut off her gas and electric, since after
>the booze, there was no money to pay the bills. The guy could see there
>was something wrong, and so he didn't shut it off, and he notified APS
>(Adult Protective Services) since it was clearly elder abuse.

Thank goodness there's some agency to step in when family
doesn't/can't/won't.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that
interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

Nancy Young wrote:
> flitterbit wrote:
>> Christine Dabney wrote:
>
>>> Mine too. An old man just died somewhere in NYC or NJ cause his
>>> house was barely heated, if that.
>
>> If you're referring to the one I'm thinking of, the electric company
>> put some kind of current-restricting device on his meter because he
>> was apparently about $1,000 in arrears in paying his electrical bill.
>> The article I read alleges that no one at the utility explained to
>> him how this works, with the result that he continued to use
>> electricity as he always had, reached the limit, and the whole works
>> shut down, leaving him without heat. The poor guy was found wearing
>> multiple layers of
>> clothing and covered in as many blankets as he owned, but it wasn't
>> enough.
>
> That was in Michigan. Poor guy. That was a sad story.
>
> nancy
>
>
Sad indeed, especially since it seems there was no one in this poor
man's life to watch out for him or take charge of his affairs.

While I understand utility companies' need to be paid, it strikes me as
irresponsible that the power company didn't educate this guy about the
device they were installing. Whether or not they'll be deemed negligent
remains to be seen.

flitterbit wrote:
> Nancy Young wrote:
>> flitterbit wrote:

>>> If you're referring to the one I'm thinking of, the electric company
>>> put some kind of current-restricting device on his meter because he
>>> was apparently about $1,000 in arrears in paying his electrical
>>> bill. The article I read alleges that no one at the utility
>>> explained to him how this works, with the result that he continued
>>> to use electricity as he always had, reached the limit, and the
>>> whole works shut down, leaving him without heat. The poor guy was
>>> found wearing multiple layers of
>>> clothing and covered in as many blankets as he owned, but it wasn't
>>> enough.
>>
>> That was in Michigan. Poor guy. That was a sad story.

> Sad indeed, especially since it seems there was no one in this poor
> man's life to watch out for him or take charge of his affairs.

I'm not clear if he didn't have the money or just didn't have the
wherewithall to pay his bills. Regardless, I think they have
learned their lesson and will have to take steps to make sure
the person understands they need to lower their use with this
device installed.

Luckily most of us can put our finances on auto pilot these
days, assuming you have the money, you can arrange to have
your bills paid automatically. If you don't have the money, what's
the answer. I don't know. Where I live you can apply for assistance
with your utilities.

> While I understand utility companies' need to be paid, it strikes me
> as irresponsible that the power company didn't educate this guy about
> the device they were installing. Whether or not they'll be deemed
> negligent remains to be seen.

Yeah, let's see his relatives pop up looking for a payday out of
this. Then we can find out why no one looked in on him during
this nasty cold snap. He was 92, for pete's sake.

You could see the neighbors felt awful about it.

nancy