Are you allowed to say those words on here? If so, you shouldn't be!

Writer,

Hello, and I am really happy for you that you found just a minor problem on your A/C. I just had a gut feeling that was the case.

Anyway, keep trudging and you will be okay.

Take care,

Tom

Smog, hangs in the LA area a lot because of the geographical layout of the mountains and the breezes that hold it there. Somethin to do with the way the currents and the valley arangement I think right califorians? You prolly know the best way to describe it, but Smog is more or less an indicator of ground level Ozone. Cali was the worst hit by smog so it started studies which lead to the Gov't studies all over the US.

It comes from the unstable Chemical compound from cars, NOX2, Which is really a nitrogen atom (N), that has Oxygen atoms (OX), attached in extreme amounts to the Nitrogen. This happens in the combustion chambers because of the high temperatures and pressure in them, and NOX2 is very unstable. The OX atom wanders off.

So When it is in the atmosphere the loose unstable OX atoms break off and fuse with hydrocarbons that come from a lot of sources, but we mainly talk about unburnt or incompletly combusted fuel from autos, causing smog. The remaining chain of OX atoms joined together are Ozone, ( I beleive its OX2),which will literally rot the rubber off of your tires, along with accellerate decompostion of organic materials, such as humans.

Because Ground level Ozone is so dangerous and caustic in 1976 the Gov started a study of it all over the US and auto makers were told if they didn't see our levels drop by 1996 the Gov would institute an auto inspection program forcing consumers to slow down the emmissions. We know this as IM240. (Another example where corporations didn't address the problem untill they were forced to, 20 years? The consumer still had to bear the brunt of the problem)

Oh yeah, I loved it when the manufacurers told us they would give us a 50,000 mi warranty on new cars in 96, like they were doing us a favor and had confidance in the product. Truth is the Gov't forced them to by law. LOL


I just threw that out as some trivia but I imagine it would make quite a difference in air quality between smog and marine cover.


Grats on the AC getting fixed Writer!!

Interesting science lesson CP. Smog sucks. I hate having to breathe the air on smoggy days, but what can you do?

It's downright chilly here today, only in the low 60's. It was even drizzling quite heavily this morning. I've been cold all day. I'm going to go take a nap and wrap up in a blanket, quite a luxury for So-Cal this time of year. I'm totally loving this weather!

Great that the AC is fixed. Now to be poactive, you sould garage sale or craigslist and locate a window unit for back up. If you find a free/low cost one, keep it handy.

I like the idea of putting curtains on the doorways of one room (a small one) and in an emergency, keep that cool for children. Cozy, yes.

Find out about your responsibility for the girls medical records. There may be a cap/time limitations.
I just can't see her getting free medication forever. You also have a case for hardship. (to the court)

And the fix lasted about a week. The new transformer blew out today. Same exact thing as last time. The repairman said this might happen and if it did, we would have to replace the entire unit for $1400. We don't have anywhere close to that kind of money.

I don't think the window unit will work as a longtime fix. We would need a minimum of 4: 1 for the living room/dining room/kitchen, 1 each for the two upstairs bedrooms, and 1 for the downstairs bedroom. The circuits in our house are so old that I doubt they would even support something like that. We blow a fuse every time I run too many appliances in the kitchen at once.

I really have no idea what we're going to do at this point. Our house is hot. It's being overrun by rats (in spite of the fact that I've had Terminex out here several times and we have countless traps all over the house that catch absolutely nothing). There are more things around here that don't work than do. I'm just really getting sick of all of this. I don't know how much longer I can live like this. This is no place for a baby. It's no place for anyone.

(((((writer)))))

Thanks Luri. Want a roommate? I'm a really good cook.

Ice cream is not cooking Writer

Get that back up unit and cool one room for that kid now. OR spend the day shifting around Wal Marts.

Over your writing and the household items, keeping her healthy is your job.

I am sure you know "the littles" can not take shifts in heat.

You have all kinds of troubles, I know, and I am sorry for them.

CP: Since my kitchen is upstairs and will probably be 90 degrees by dinnertime, ice cream may be all I can muster.

Barbie: We have one room unit. It's sitting outside next to the house. Problem is, my H is about the least handy person I have ever met in my life, and the probability of it making it into the house and into one of our windows so I can actually use it is slim to none. Work around the house just doesn't get done. We've had plumbing and other problems that literally took years to get fixed. This is one of the hugest sore spots in my M, the fact that we are living in a house that is falling down around us and absolutely NOTHING gets done about it. I don't think I could even lift that AC unit, let alone heft it up the stairs and install it, so I'm pretty stuck if H doesn't help out here.

I don't know how I'm going to live in Walmart for the next two months.

This may sound dumb, writer, but on hot days when I'm hanging towels on the line, I drape one around the back of my neck. It gives me a lot of relief. You might get a similar effect if you keep a wet towel (maybe an old towel cut in half) in the fridge and change them out when one gets room temperature.

How about a window fan and cross ventilation or reversing the direction of a ceiling fan?

Writer, we have two of the really nice queen size mattresses at our house. Come on over....I'll make you some sweet tea and REAL fried chicken. And then this spring we'll go to the writer's symposium here and get discovered.

You've got a deal Luri.

Ugh, it's after 7 p.m. here and it's still 88 degrees in my living room.

You seem to feel helpless, like a victim, and trapped. But really you are not and it is in your mind.

We saw this show about a couple with three kids who sold everything in New Zealand, sold thier home, and bought a home on "The Great Barrier Island". This is rough, no power mostly solar, water cistern in the backyard for your water, etc.

He was not a survivor, but the wife, well, she was AMAZING. First she painted the whole exterior of the home and remodled it calling up local contractors to help. Then she arranged for a huge cistern stand to be built in the backyard (15 feet high) and ordered a cistern to be placed on it. Then, she had plumbing hooked up and solar and a backup heat system and ordered in wood for the winter. All this while he worked at a job.

I really think that for some reason, you forget to think about creative ways to attack the problems you have. It almost seems like you prefer to sit helpless and complain rather than find a way to a solution.

I could tell you 1000 solutions for the air conditioner problem but you wont want to hear it. You seem to enjoy complaining and playing the victim role no matter how easy a solution could be had. Also, you have trouble planning ahead. In a few weeks you could not only have the money for an air conditioner or two but could pay to have it installed if you could act and think creatively.

I wish something or someone would inspire you to act NON helpless. You are NOT a victim. You CAN change your life if you just start trying.

The last thing I did was fully rehab a home. It took me four months and I worked my butt off. I had to hire much of it. I brought up the value hugely putting in wiring, kitchen, bath, etc, etc.

I am not afraid of hard work or asking people for help or bartering things for work. Think about bartering child care for some workman to install the air conditioner. This is just one of 1000 ways you could get this done. I bet if you put your mind to this problem you could find a solution and have that AC installed by Tuesday thereby cooling the house and making it less hellish for your family and the baby who did not ask to be born.

Start thinking creatively and come up with about 19 ideas how to get that thing put in tomorrow! You can do it, you dont need to sit around in the heat. Get some inspiration from pioneer woman books, I read hundreds of these when i was younger. I am afraid of nothing. I am not afraid to learn new things, take on mens jobs, call workmen to do things I need done, etc.

You can be this way too, brave, courageous, free, industrious, smart, non-victim, non complaining, happy, flexible, a woman of action and not words, making money to help the family, thinking up barter ideas to better your lives and being an asset to all those around you.

YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!IF YOU WANT TO AND ARE NOT TOO AFRAID TO MAKE CHANGES IN YOURSELF.

We found a temporary solution. We borrowed a portable AC unit from someone at church and set it up last night. It isn't meant to cool such a large space, and the upstairs temp is still 73 this morning. I think it will help take some of the edge off the heat, but it will still be pretty warm upstairs. Even with our central air, it's usually 82 -83 upstairs during the day with the AC running nonstop. Most of the problem is the design of our old house and lack of insulation. Not much we can do about that. It doesn't make sense to spend lots of $$$ on a home we probably won't be in much longer, and we simply don't have it anyway. Someone is coming to look at the central unit this morning. It'll depend how much the repair will cost whether or not we decide to do it.

No, Bubbles, I am not helpless. Could I solve every single problem we have on my own? Probably. But the thing is, I'm not a single person. I'm married. I'm part of a team, or at least I should be. Often it just doesn't feel that way. It doesn't seem as though my H and I can work as a team to solve our problems, and that really bothers me. My LB has been running in over-drawn mode for so many years now that sometimes I wonder if it is reversible anymore.

When I got married, I didn't know how to do anything. I had never cooked anything more than a piece of toast. I had never washed a dish. I had never done a load of laundry. Let's just say my mother wasn't the most highly-functional parent. She didn't want me learning how to do anything because she never wanted me to move out of the house and leave her. So, I had to learn everything on my own. And I did. I taught myself how to cook and now there's really nothing I can't make (and make well). I'm pretty efficient at loading a dishwasher too, and I can do laundry without turning everyone's undies pink. Everything I do everyday I taught myself. So, I am not helpless.

What I am is tired of having a H who uses as his every excuse not to do something that he "doesn't know how." If I had said that back when we were first married, we would have eaten every meal at a restaurant and had all of our laundry dry-cleaned for the past 17 years. Not very practical or affordable. My big problem is, if I can learn how to do everything that I have learned how to do, why can't my H move out of his comfort zone and learn how to do things too? I shouldn't have to rely on outside help every time a problem comes up. My H and I should be able to work together to solve it, but that often doesn't happen.

I know I am not perfect (far from it). I know there are things I could improve in myself. And I strive everyday to be a better person. Some days I succeed. Some days I fail.

But I don't feel as though my H and I are making much progress in learning to work together and pull together as a team. That is the real problem. I feel a lot of resentment and anger because of it, and it really has a negative effect on my feelings for him. It's hard to feel in love with someone who makes more withdrawals from your LB than they do deposits. And I want to be in love with my H. I want to feel that sense of excitement whenever he walks through the door that I used to feel. But I just don't right now, and I don't think that is something I can fix on my own.

I'm starting to see why your H has never been promoted at his job...

Ima, I don't think it's the same at his job. He actually got employee of the year for his company two years ago. In most of the their sales promotions, he places in the top 3 (often #1). His annual reviews are always great and he either meets or exceeds expectations in all areas.

That's what I mean, writer. When you explained how your H was always getting great reviews, etc., doing well in sales promotions, my question was--why don't they promote him then? My guess, after reading your previous post, is that they think he isn't leadership material. He is a great follower, but his family needs leadership, and you can't do it all.
Given that, I think it's going to be your job to step up and lead. There's no other solution--a ship without a rudder will get nowhere fast. That's what's happening in your household. Just my humble opinion.