I never thought turning off the A/C would be quite like this. Not having a microwave is one thing...i always use my oven or stove...i make popcorn in a pot and not in a bag, tea comes from a pot of hot water...the list goes on and on. When i made the decision to live microwaveless i was unaware of this list. I've encountered another list as a result of my frustration with my electric bill. My only advice in all of this is to think long and hard before you come to my conclusion that life without the a/c must be better than any electric bill that you can not afford.

When i went to the thermostat to switch the money eating thing off the task was seemingly simple. What i did not know was that when i rains everything inside gets wet if you forget to close the windows. When you live in an ancient building the dirt from years of the windows not being cleaned blows inside your house and sticks to everything. And when you leave glass votives in the window sill (sp?) they are very likely to get blown off and shatter all over the only tile surface in your apartment. Not to mention the bugs...i'm a little freaked out by the bugs that have become a little more normal in my everyday routine. The fans are nice, but you really can't hear much over them as they harmonize with the roar of the industrial air conditioning units of the business next door.

The funny thing about this is that it's only been one week! What more could happen? I honestly don't know...but if it has anything to do with spiders i dont know if i'll make it. Basically people who lived without a/c must have been amazing people! a/c makes life so much easier and i never even knew!

i'd like to say that i'm doing this to "reduce my carbon footprint" as my friend mary said, but i really just don't want to give the local power company my money. I'm determined to lower my energy bill so i bought 2 fans and opened my windows and i am now sweating with all the many others who have lived without air conditioning and have survived.