"They say" to write anything, just so you write. Well here it goes: It is too damn cold in this place. I'm trying to think of an exciting story line. I'm trying to develop an interesting character in my head and all I can think about is how damn cold I am.

I live in Southern California. I expect no sympathy for this. I am from Michigan and I know what real cold is like. Here, I feel guilty about turning on the heat when it dips down to 60. See, in this apartment, when it dips down to 60, it's 50 with the wind chill. I am in my sweatshirt, sweatpants and down filled booties. I look at the thermostat and it says 65. "No, that can't be. It has to be colder than that!"

I go outside and stand in the sun. It feels nice out here on the patio. I am supposed to be writing. Yes, I can use a pen and paper, but it's so much easier on the PC. My handwriting sucks. Even I have a hard time figuring it out. I also like to keep everything in the same place. Not to say I don't have pieces of paper scattered all over. In notebooks, boxes, lying on the floor, but I like to think I keep things organized in my PC. Wish I had a laptop.

Which reminds me of the old 5 1/4" disks which "I think" I threw away. I am so organized that when I got my new computer and it didn't have a B drive, I threw out my large disks. Apparently, I didn't even look to see what was on them, but now I am almost certain that I've lost a group of stories I wrote about 2 years ago. Some weren't finished yet and that's how I came to this realization. I had this great urge to finish one in particular, but I cannot find it! It's lying in a landfill somewhere. Maybe that's for the best.

I almost forgot about the cold. Oh, that can't be? I haven't even gotten to the part about the efficient wall heaters in this place.

Turning on the heat wouldn't be such a bad option if, A) I were paying the utility bills and B) the heaters worked efficiently. Regarding A), I have this agreement with my roommate/boyfriend. It was nothing we discussed in advance, it just sort of came to be. I buy the food and take us for dinner/drinks on occasion and he pays the utility bills. Given my low regard for shopping (putting it mildly, I despise it) and my love of incredibly cheap and sometimes unhealthy food, I feel guilty when I turn on lights, the TV and especially the heat.

This apartment is somewhere around 1,000 square feet. Perhaps a little larger. There are two wall heater units. They are five feet apart. One is in the hallway outside of the bedroom and the other is in the living room. The door between the hallway and living room can be closed, so we could turn on the hallway heater, but since that area is basically used for sleeping, we don't really have much use for it. My boyfriend's work space is in the back bedroom, about 15 feet from the heating unit. He likes his privacy, so more often than not, he closes his door. So, why turn on the heat in the hallway?

My work space is at the far end of the living room, about 25 feet from the heating unit. Now, here comes the most interesting part (about time?): Each unit stands about 4 feet high and is about 18 inches wide. The vents to dispense heat are at the top of each unit. The best way to take advantage of the heat coming out of the living room unit, is to stand next to the front door, which is a good 20 feet from the heater. The air travels across the room, then hovers by the door, creating a nice little warm pocket for your head. This will not warm your entire body. Okay, I take back what I said. The best way to take advantage of the heat is to stand on a ladder about a foot from the unit.

Perhaps we should build a loft in the living room?

We've made it through the rains of December. At least this place doesn't leak. The patio floods, but, the apartment doesn't leak. (New note: yes it does and, of course, it leaks in my office.)

I came from an apartment where I could have grown mushrooms. Dark and damp. I kept all of the electrical equipment in one small corner, the one that didn't leak. But, the apartment did have an efficient heating system, the landlord paid the utilities and it was cool in the summer.

Give me a few months and I'll be whining about the heat in this place. We'll have lived here two full years in April so we will have had the opportunity to experience all of the seasons several times over. (New note 2: It has now been almost 10 years!)

When am I going to stop complaining? I have a roof over my head. It is 65 degrees (or so the thermostat says) and I don't think there is much chance of me slipping into hypothermia. If it were that bad, I wouldn't be sitting here, at my computer with my cold, stiff, little fingers typing out this . . . story.