Thursday, January 21, 2010

nuts

I set our thermostat set pretty low (about 60º) in the winter to keep our energy use down (poufy jackets make good bathrobes) but the New York Times has an article about people who live without heat at all!
These people do not live somewhere that has a short wussy winter, these people live in places like New York, Colorado and Baltimore!

They talk of frozen toothpaste, space heaters being "placebos", and refridgerators turning off because it's colder in the kitchen than it is inside the fridge, but they also talk about loving it. (the sculptor who lives on the Lower East Side pays $300 a month in rent- so there's clearly something to love, but still...)

One woman said "when your house is 15 degrees, the only problem you have is getting warm. Focusing on survival is right up there with a Zen retreat when it comes to clearing the mind.”
Um, Ok.
A man mentioned that he "had Japanese friends here once. And when they left, they bowed and said solemnly, ‘We are very sorry you have to live this way.’ ”
I gotta say, me too.

Check out the whole article and slide show here.

7 comments:

tanvi said...

Oh my goodness, I could never do that! I'm glad I don't have to, either, because Chicago definitely has real, not wussy, subzero winters. Brrr...

Lauren said...

Oh man, I don't know. I know lots of people who keep the heat so close to OFF during the winter and keep one room toasty and essentially spend all there time there. Then when its spring and summer its like they rediscover their house and DON't turn the AIR on and walk around naked. Two extremes. No one said livin' was easy. Great article though.

Grace said...

WOW! After getting my gas bill yesterday I am tempted to cut it off too! And I only live in the whimpy SE US!

Steven said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Steven said...

I wonder how Gus and Ollie would do. They seem to find warm spots when ever it get cold and cold spots when ever it gets warm. Should would not strip their coat till spring though!

Caroline, No. said...

I might be crazy but I think I could live like this. I hate artificial heat. And my other half is always trying to shut the bedroom window - I've obliged at the moment as it is snowing outside! I just like cool air.

Miami Beach Villa Rentals said...

I get all puffy if the heat is set too high, and I get it that people pay big bucks for cryotherapy, but there is no way I could live without heat at all.