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: A Public Defender's Life in Alaska

So, the cold continues. It is around -20 to -25 constantly. The wood stove is as full of spruce and birch as we can make it. Yet the house is not uniformly warm. We have sealed off several rooms. In every room there is ice around the windows. J and I both get up several times a night to feed the stove. It is our only source of heat and it normally does a great job. This house is drafty though. The State has a program right now where they will pay up to $10,000 to weatherize homes. For you Alaska folks check out http://www.ahfc.state.ak.us/energy/weatherization_rebates.cfm if you haven't already. The first step is an evaluation. It turns out that this house is 1 star out of 5. Oops. A well built home has about 1/2 of one air exchange per hour. This house has 84. 84. When it is -25 out (like it is right now) that sure makes a difference. Today sucked. It turns out that J's car, a car that I am still making payments on and is the one used to transport the girls has major problems. Brakes are gone and the transmission may be gone too. Thousands of dollars. I am trying not to freak out about the new debt I am about to get. J pointed out that every family has these issues. We are luckier than most. 2009 is going to be bad for many, many, many people. I am of the view that America is starting its "long emergency" (see http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/Archives2008/Kunstler2009Analysis.html) and things will never be the same. Going to warm up now. I write in the basement where there is no heat and after a while I can't feel my fingers. Happy new year everyone. Hopefully it doesn't all go to hell in 2009.

Full post as published by A Public Defender's Life in Alaska on December 31, 2008 (boomark / email).