Cookie Time, Computer and Heat Catch-up

I baked cookies today. Chocolate chip cookies, molasses cookies and cut-out Christmas cookies. I'll frost the cut-out ones tomorrow before the English class. I cut them out in 4 shapes this time: bells, candy canes, stars and Christmas trees.

I love this time of year. :)

I washed a load of laundry while making the first batch of cookies. Actually, my washer is so slow that I made and baked both the choco chip and molasses cookies while it washed. The clothes are hanging out on the balcony tonight, not quite frozen since it is 33.6 degrees out there at 10:40pm. We had some wind earlier so they may actually be almost dry, but I'll check tomorrow. That is what is nice about having a "cage" on our balcony - I often leave clothes out overnight to dry.

Ira came over today and she and Mel took my computer to the computer repair place. On the way down the stairs, Ira stopped at the "keeper of the stairwell" lady's door and rang her buzzer. Tatiana was home, so Ira asked her why the heat is so low in our building and why don't they turn it up?

With the little electric heater sitting right below our indoor-outdoor thermometer and running for the past three hours, the temp is 66 degrees there. Over here away from the heater aways it is much cooler. My nose is frozen again and I'm bundled in sweats, real shoes (No slippers for me in the house, no matter the Ukrainian custom!) and a turtleneck sweater under the sweatshirt. Tatiana told Ira there is some kind of a problem they are trying to get fixed and she is not happy that it is so cold, either. I just can't imagine that all the old ladies who live in our stairwell are happy with the 60 degree temp without an electric heater. I know for a fact that most of the people here can't afford to run an electric heater because it makes the electric bill go up. So - there is hope! Tatiana said she has no control over it so I am hoping and praying that enough people will complain that something will be done. This is totally ridiculous. If it gets down into the 20's and teens outside, it is going to be in the 50's in here before too long.

'Nuff said. Except ... some things to keep in mind about all this is: supply and demand, where the gas comes from (Russia) and the political stuff going on between the two countries, and the fact that the griven is in a free-fall right now (the current exchange rate is between $=7.50 UAH and $=9.50 UAH. Yes, it is swinging that wildly and the higher it goes, the worse for Ukraine. 9.50 !!! I never thought we would see that rate - scary, very scary.)

So, Mel and Ira took the computer to the computer repair place they took our other computer to about 18 or 20 months ago. One of the guys remembered them immediately and said: "I told you if you didn't get that coffee cleaned up out of your computer, it would die!" Mel laughed and said, "It died last year, this is a new one."

Coffee in the computer? What? Well, way back three years ago while we were home and living in the Springs for awhile, I had the computer setting on a coffee table in the living room because that is where I could get free wireless, the only place in that townhouse where I could pick it up. I had been babysitting Stirling and Kara came to pick him up after she got off work. She came in with a nice big cafe' peppermint mocha in her hand, tripped over a stuffed animal on the floor and the coffee went flying - all over the carpet, the computer, the couch. We cleaned it up as best we could, but the computer gave me fits from then on. When we came back to Ukraine, Mel took it in to have the fan fixed and the guy told us to stop drinking coffee around our computer and that we'd lose it if we didn't get it cleaned up. I didn't stop drinking coffee around my computer, but I have never spilled coffee on my computer ever, and we didn't get it cleaned for a variety of reasons and then it died. ;)

Mel tells me he assured the guy that no one has spilled coffee on this laptop - then he asked me, "You haven't spilled coffee on it, have you??"

I have a feeling that there is a combination of problems - first it gets really hot and the fan doesn't seem to work right. Second we have had an incredible amount of dust and altho I keep it closed when I'm not working on it, this dust is like baby powder, off the Sahara according to Earth Observatory photos from space (amazing - this dust could have palm pollen and camel pee in it!!!) and third, we had those amazingly horrid power surges a few weeks ago that actually burned out all the lightbulbs in our looster, er...what is that thing called in English??? Hmmmm...the lamp thingy that hangs from the ceiling, the er... (bother Mel while he's reading and ask "What is that thing in English?" and point) ah yes, chandelier!!! The power surges actually caught the chandelier in the office flat on fire and burned it's connection to the wire where they are connected. Mel told me there is actually a ring of smoke right around the base - I'll have to look tomorrow when I'm down there again, I forgot last week.

Anyway, all that to say, we think the transformer pack on the power cord is shot as well. And who knows what is fried inside the poor computer. Again - if there is coffee in there, I am not responsible, just as I was not responsible last time!!!

So, I am using this poor old thing, praying that it won't quit on me before I finish this post.

I have no idea why, but I don't feel so complainy tonight. I just have a frozen nose - I'll have to check and make sure it's not turning right red. :):)

PS Olya, thanks for you comment on my last post. Actually, our flat has always been so warm - this is very unusual. We have lived here 10 years now and we have a great relationship with our landlord and here in Ukraine that is rare, something to be treasured and nurtured. We plan to move only if they want their flat back. We have great neighbors, they watch out for us and take care of us (like the young woman with the little boy who knocked on the door to let us know the water truck was here last night and the babushka in the first floor apt. who made sure we knew the potato truck was here a couple months ago, and so forth). I understand your thinking and if other circumstances were different we would be tempted. BUT - Melinda was without heat for several days, every person in our church has been without any heat at all this fall at one time or another, some in Tavrichisky have been without heat and water for several days. Kherson is having a hard time with heating pipes, water pipes, power and so forth. I was just in a crappy mood last night and posted how I felt. :) :)

But I am feeling much better now. The water is back on and soon I will go to bed where Mel keeps me very warm (he does complain and ask me why I am so cold when I put my cold hands on his warm back, however) and I keep the cat very warm while she sleeps on my feet and grumbles at me whenever I move or turn over. heh heh