if the houses were actually warm people wouldn't be whining so

Do you have heat? Or is it not working? (Not mocking questions. Lots of people around here don't have A/C because it's not needed very often.)

It's more of an insulation thing, ChiKat. Just like architecture here gets away with pretending it won't rain, somehow the box that heats up like an oven on a sunny summer afternoon seems to now leak heat like a sieve.

It's really hard to get my apartment evenly warm.

Question about the housing bust. I look at it as the only way I might ever afford a house in LA. So I'm behind it, in general. I know that some of the collateral effects are job losses in arenas dependent on mortgaging, etc, but overall, the bust is bad for America? And the boom was good?

No place I lived in SoCal was really prepared for any kind of chill in the air.

Now? It's really damn cold outside here but really quite easy to keep comfy inside. I am all about well-built and actually insulated housing that gives me actual climate control.

Of course summer proved that plans for the winter don't translate to dealing with heat outside as it was hotter than Satan's nape when we went all heatwave.

It's more of an insulation thing, ChiKat. Just like architecture here gets away with pretending it won't rain, somehow the box that heats up like an oven on a sunny summer afternoon seems to leak heat like a sieve.

msbelle, those mac things are so normal, it's reassuring! As a mom with a very non-verbal toddler, I feel your pain in the lack of communication skills. It's trying and frustrating but just this morning I had Owen asking for cookies for breakfast and the exchange went like this:

Owen: TOOOOOKIE!
Me: No. Cookies aren't for breakfast. Want some yogurt or a banana?
Owen: TOOOOOKIE!
Me: No. Yogurt or banana.
Owen: TOOOOOOKIE!
Me: Yogurt or banana.
Owen: Tookie?
Me: Yogurt or banana.
Owen: tookie?
Me: Yogurt or banana.
Owen: BANANA!

He's getting into the Christmas spirit. He can say "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Holidays"-but don't tell Bill O'Reilly.

So I'm behind it, in general. I know that some of the collateral effects are job losses in arenas dependent on mortgaging, etc, but overall, the bust is bad for America? And the boom was good?

I'd venture to say that this latest boom wasn't so good for America. It led to the proliferation of "exoctic" mortgages that put a lot of people into homes they couldn't really afford, leading to even more overblown home values. When the chips fall (and with them, home values) the result is going to be a higher than ever rate of mortgage defaults and foreclosures. Lots of overvalued homes and families already stretched beyond their means tapped into equity that may very well disappear, leaving them more strapped than before. More foreclosures are going to mean empty homes sitting there lowering the land values of the homes around them, hurting their neighbor's, too. It's an ugly cycle.

In general the booms are good because of the new home building--the construction business hires a lot of people in low, middle and high pay scales which gets more money where it needs to be in the economy, rather than just mortgage brokers and realtors. It also means more people are borrowing money, which means banks are making money, municipalities are making money on property taxes on land that was empty before, etc.

oof. morning seems to come too soon. What's up with that?

3 more work days. Well, 2 and a half. I am ill prepared.

ita, OKGO is a band. I think they're from Chicago? They're fun.

The grocery store and drug store have tons of gift cards for other places! Home Depot, iTunes, Macy's, local food chains, JC Penney, Visa and Mastercard check cards that are like cash!

I am really pretty sure we don't have that here. At least not in the grocery and drug stores I go to. That would be awesome.

The winter here was being so mild! And then Friday or Saturday (I'm beginning to lose my place in the calendar) everything started to plummet.

Here too. Except it only plummeted yesterday. And even then, I think it's still "warm" for the time of year. I like it, because (a) the heat's been on in my apartment even when it was 60 outside, and (b) I don't have a wardrobe for 60! It was very difficult getting dressed when I wanted to wear a sweater, but it was clearly inappropriate.

Except it only plummeted yesterday

see. We are the heat misers. When we leave, it gets cold. Though, honestly, I am thinking the snow storms in Santa Fe (highs of 31) will beat my heat miserly powers.

For anyone who reads Lulu Eightball... Emily Flake moved to warmer climes for winter. Her blog is as funny as expected, including this entry about a drink called American Cob.

What would happen if you stuck a clown in a blender? And maybe added some cotton candy, circus peanuts, and the wails of frightened children? Probably something like this.

Fun to read about other's adventures.

It's the first day of my vacation. Nonetheless, I'm up before 7, which was good because ::tada!:: I got the garbage out. And fed the cats, too, which was very important in their worldview. Now I have to plan my shopping strategy... like deciding on what gifts to get/give people....

I've tagged Owen.