Friday, February 06, 2009

river house


from The Pol (who's work computer blocks Blogger) via ck:

I love my building.

It was built in 1928 to house the workers of the Henley Street bridge and has lead an interesting life ever since. Maybe later I’ll talk more in-depth about its years as a flop house and drug den but that is for a later date.

Today I just want to share my joy of living in an old building. As I lay in my bed last night I was struck with the amount of connection that I felt with the city just through my heating system. You see I have radiator heat in my building. If any of you have ever lived with radiator heat you know it is an art.

Sometimes it’s freezing cold in your house because the temperature outside is 40 degrees and the thermostat hasn’t kicked, or sometimes, like last night it’s blazing hot because the temperature never got above 20 and the radiators went full tilt all day long.

So over time you realize the way to counter that problem is to do the most illogical thing in the winter, you open a window. This creates an interesting situation where you have two blankets and a dog on your feet balancing the 15 degree draft that helps to regulate the 100 degree+ radiator beside your bed, and then the noises of the city lull you to sleep.

Ahh Knoxville, you never stop giving.

5 comments:

ck said...

leave it to the pol to counteract his carbon-reducing urban lifestyle by throwing energy out the window.

The Modern Gal said...

Pol: do we have you to thank for this unseasonably warm weather?

B said...

i have two words: shelbourne towers.

Pianoman said...

Pol,

I just stumbled across this post. I am looking at a unit for sale in that complex and was wondering if you could tell me more about the complex. What do you like about it (aside from what you said in this post) and what don't you like about it.

Thanks!

The Pol said...

Pianoman,

shoot me an email at jspellin@gmail.com and i'll tell you everything you want to know.

In fact I would be happy to show you around the building, warts and all. Anyways you'd potentially be my neighbor and to not do so would just be rude.