Author: /u/RealConfirmologist

The lady of the house can’t stand to have the place chilly, so I kept our thermostat a little higher than was really necessary during the cold snap and freeze in December.

Yesterday I got the bill from CenterPoint (the only seller of natural gas in my area, and maybe in the whole Houston area) and… wow. $152.89.

My gas bill has been higher lately, everyone’s has, but this one was a little bit of a surprise.

Of course, during the big freeze of ’21, I would have used significantly more gas if I’d been able to run my damned furnace! Without electricity, that thing won’t burn any gas at all!

Here’s my gas bill history in case you’re curious.

My house is 1,930 sq. ft., 2 story, built in ’85. Most windows are double-paned but I bet the insulation sucks compared to newer homes.

Sounds like the odds of another deep freeze THIS winter are relatively low, and Houston isn’t going to have a lot of really cold weather anyway, so hopefully my gas bill will go back down and stay under control. Otherwise I may have to buy more blankets and comforters, maybe get a third dog for those three-dog-nights.

Moderators, please make this a stickied post, or please create one like this, A.S.A.P.

Friday’s low now shows to be 19 degrees via Weather Underground, and we’re already seeing so many various posts about this that it’s obvious we need a stickied post.

Thanks for all you do, mods. We need you and appreciate you.

Scanning the local news this morning, there are (at least) two stories involving people victimized when vehicles were burglarized to the tune of thousands of dollars worth of things.

Here on Reddit, someone’s trying to get back a phone they put down and forgot about.

People are being followed home from banks and businesses and having their homes invaded.

It is time to start making it difficult for thieves & robbers!

1) NEVER leave anything of value in a parked vehicle. Unless it’s parked inside a locked garage, you just can’t. This includes trailers full of band equipment, Scouting troops equipment, etc.

2) Be aware of your environment. Look around when you’re leaving a bank or if you’re taking a deposit from your business to the bank. If you’re in doubt, drive to the nearest police station.

3) Know that there are more thieves, robbers and scammers in Houston today than ever before, and they’re about as desperate as people can get. They’ll risk jail or prison to take something they can use to make money.

4) Get serial numbers of any expensive items you own, and take photos of them, too. Even if your home is protected by an alarm system and cameras, know that they can be defeated and having serial numbers helps get stuff back if someone pawns them or if a thief gets caught with your stuff.

5) Be responsible with your valuables. We’ll see countless news stories on a daily basis involving stolen back packs, purses, laptops, etc.

6) Look out for people you know who might be vulnerable. Warn your grandparents about scams. Tell your teen that’s a new driver that he/she can’t leave anything in their vehicle and they need to be aware of their environment.

Wouldn’t it be nice to go for a week or two without seeing a news story about someone losing thousands of dollars worth of things to a thief or thieves, where the victim just made it ridiculously easy for the criminals?

I don’t like the governor, either, but power failures in foul weather aren’t the fault of the grid or Texas politics.

Here’s the link to check the Centerpoint Power Outage map to see whether you’re alone or in good company.

On a brighter note, it’ll be nice outside tomorrow!!

Let’s take a break from searching for couples massage and microblading brow training, and politics and bad news, and let’s just talk about the nice, cool weather, shall we?

If I lived by myself I probably wouldn’t have turned the furnace on, but the lady of the house gets cold too easily so it’s on.

Another huge plus: It’s SO wonderful to go out into the warehouse at work and get some things done without getting my shirt all soaking wet from sweat!