Today's Good News

It's not often I get good news from the utility company.

Since we moved to a larger apartment, I usually open my electric bill with some measure of trepidation. This winter brought particularly bad news to the tune of $200 for one month. Raging post pregnancy hormones drove me to wear two layers of clothes and a blanket in the house at all times. In an effort to thaw, I bumped the heat up on our decidedly un-energy star furnace a bit at a time until one night I realized I had it set on 78.

Farenheit.

I would have preferred Celsius.

Adam was sweating.

Ismael was in heaven.

Our electric meter was spinning out of control.

In fact, in those months the only time I remember being warm was when I woke up from gallbladder surgery. I was shaking uncontrollably in the recovery room. Rather than watch me vibrate off of the table, the nurses brought a machine called a "bear hugger" over and covered me with a paper sheet and a heavy blanket. She flipped a few switches and warm air blew through the paper sheet all over my body. I didn't care if she took me back to where Ismael was waiting. Ever. I had everything I could ever need right there.

Today, I logged on and saw that our bill is down to $100. A vast improvement.

I wish I understood what magical formula the company uses to calcuate my usage. I asked a school parent/utility employee once. Her explanation of how electricity was made and could be exported made my eyes glaze over and roll up in my head. I may have lost consciousness.

I chalk it up to magic like other things I don't really understand, namely how the Internet works. Someone tried to explain that to me once. Only once. I'm a reasonablly smart human being, but some things are simply beyond my understanding.

I'd like to think the savings comes from hanging my laundry outside to dry for the past five days. If so, by the end of the month the electric company is going to owe me money.

Wouldn't that be even better news?