I have been feeling guilty about lots of stuff lately. How much we buy, how much we waste. How much garbage we put out in a week - even though we do put out a lot of recycling as well, it still seems like too much garbage. I'm trying to be conscious of waste, but, man, it's so hard!
Our water heater is in our attic. I've never seen one above the house - infact, it seems like the stupidest place in the world to put a water heater - what if it leaks? Our shower, in the master bath, takes a long time to heat up. Two minutes, in fact - we timed it one day. It doesn't make sense, because the water heater is directly above it. We had a plumber look, and he said that the water goes from the heater, down pipes that are under the house and then back up to the bathroom. A situation obviously planned by a drunk.
I watched an episode of Oprah once, and it really made a huge impact on me. She was speaking about women in Africa who have to walk for miles and miles to get water, and carry it back on their heads, careful not to spill a drop. Seeing this made Oprah more aware than ever not to be wasteful of water. Not to let the water run when she was brushing her teeth or washing her face, that type of thing.
I mentioned this to the Hubster one day, while we were waiting for the hot water to arrive, I guess by Federal Express. Or pony express - it takes so long. I said that I was really feeling guilty about our use of water, and I wished that the water was warm quicker, so we didn't waste so much. He had a great idea, he said.
"Why don't you get in, and take a shower now, while waiting for it to warm up? Then you don't have to waste it!"
Gee, thanks.
Why doesn't HE do that, then you get in after him?
Posted by: Stephanie C. | November 19, 2004 at 04:31 PM
An excellent question from Stephanie.
Then again, that's why I don't watch Oprah. I hate feeling guilty, I get that enough from my mother.
Posted by: Gretchen | November 19, 2004 at 05:00 PM