30 OCT 08: ATMOS-FEAR
The temperature when I climbed out of bed Wednesday morning was 53.7 degrees F. Not outside, but inside - as registered on my living room atomic clock. At least the clock is atomic. The temperature gauge on this morning might have been cold fusion.
For all I know, the gauge might have dropped even lower during the night. Columbus had a low temperature Wednesday of 32, the earliest "first freeze" in 19 years. Didn't Al Gore say something about global warming being a major campaign issue by Election Day?
Many people probably fired up their home heaters for the first time Tuesday night, and I can't really blame them. It continues a trend I first noticed in Atlanta years ago - as I'd turn on my heater at the start of pro basketball season. Shame on the N.B.A. for going back to an opening night in October.
(This early freeze defied logic for another reason. I've argued for years that the switch to standard time makes things cold. Arizona never changes clocks, and you'll notice how comfortable Phoenix and Tucson are in winter.)
But this isn't Atlanta, I reasoned to myself. We're in Columbus, where the temperature is an average five degrees warmer during winter. One autumn several years ago, I didn't turn on the heater until December. If my neighbors can have cookouts in the courtyard on 1 January, why not?
So Tuesday night, I decided against turning on the natural gas heater. After all, this was only a one or two-night cold snap. And if I lit the pilot light, it probably would stay on until April -- slowly filling the bags for Atmos Energy executives' golden parachutes.
(No, I did NOT consider turning on the kitchen stove overnight. I've heard too many warnings about how dangerous that is. Besides, I'd have to buy a pot roast and cook it to get the most for my natural gas money -- and who eats pot roast for breakfast?)
You might say I was "roughing it" at bedtime, but it wasn't really that bad. I added a bedspread knit by my grandmother to the blanket and sheet which already were on the bed. And I wore my socks from the day to bed -- since whatever sweat is lurking there only adds to the insulation.
I slept for several hours, with little problem at all. But once I awoke, I really couldn't get back to sleep - since the sun is rising at nearly 8:00 a.m. right now. That means no warmth through my south bedroom window. And the street is too far away to gain any warm air from exhaust fumes.
To be clear: this lack of overnight heat was simply a choice - NOT due to poverty. If I let my car's gas tank get close to empty while waiting for prices to drop some more, it's only fair that I treat Atmos Energy the same way.
But weak overnight heat is something that's familiar to me. I lived in a small duplex in suburban Atlanta which had a small standing natural gas heater in the kitchen, because the big one built into the floor didn't work any more. I straddled the old heater all year, shivered a bit in the nearby bedroom in winter - and rejoiced at the blessings you get from tithing to a church.
There's one advantage to keeping your home somewhat chilly. The roaches which try to rule the kitchen during summer were hard to find Wednesday. They were looking for any warm spot they could find - hopefully at the next apartment over.
Thankfully, the sun warmed things up a bit Wednesday. The high was 61, allowing me to take a nice late-afternoon run. The fat I shivered away during the morning may have helped me last more than two miles.
Hopefully all is warm and well with you, as we check other noteworthy Wednesday items....
+ A trip downtown revealed The Roadhouse on Broadway has stopped its Wednesday night poker tournaments. An employee told me not enough people showed up - so maybe the Wednesday night church activities a few blocks down 11th Street are accomplishing something.
+ The Muscogee County Marshal's Department received a national second-place award, in a contest involving more than 550 law enforcement agencies nationwide. But this honor comes from the International Association of Chiefs of Police - and Greg Countryman's a Marshal, not a police chief. Does he plan to apply for one of those 100 Columbus Police openings?
+ Public safety personnel staged a mock disaster drill at Columbus Technical College. WLTZ reported students who pretended to be victims and survivors were rewarded with a free lunch. Let's all hope it wasn't blood sausage....
+ U.S. Senate candidate Jim Martin cast an advanced voting ballot in Atlanta. He had to wait in line more than two hours - but he accepted it, like the veteran politician familiar with government bureaucracy that he is.
+ The Columbus State University women's soccer team crushed Georgia Southwestern 11-0. This score reflects one of the problems with women's soccer. You can't call for a "running clock," because it runs non-stop anyway. And you can't invoke a "mercy rule," because the two halves are too long.
+ Instant Message to McDonald's: No no no - I think you misunderstood me. When I mentioned the $2.99 "double cheeseburger extra value meal" costing more than a gallon of gas, I wanted you to lower the price. I didn't want you to change the billboard -- even though that probably justifies the higher price.
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