Winter is coming and my apartment is cold

My apartment gets cold in the winter. Last winter it got as low as 17 degrees and it mostly hovered around 18 (64 for all you Fahrenheit users). This is far to low to be comfortable so last year I called my landlord about it. They came and checked but since all the radiators are working there's not much they can do and they left again. The reason, I suspect, is a lack of insulation in one of the walls. On google maps it looks like there used to be another house against mine that has been removed. Meaning the wall there is an internal one acting as an external one. This also happens to be the longest wall in my apartment stretching over three different rooms. To make matters worse I get cold easily.

Here I will explain some of the things I have/will do to solve this problem and hopefully give you some inspiration if you happens to be in a similar situation.

Catbed

First thing first. I have to make sure my cats has a warm place to nap. This is rather simple since one of them decided a few years ago that the carrier is her bed. Anyone who has ever tried to put a cat in a carrier will know this for the blessing it is and I don't want to discourage this. So once summer ended I put it next to the radiator and then placed a flat catbed in top of it for the other cat. This will give both warmth. Unfortunately it looks ugly so a cover will have to be constructed. However this will be a post for a later time. This is a larger part of making better use of my heat sources. Last winter I moved my kitchen chair so it was closer to the radiator. 

Prevent heat loss

This is really the key to a comfortable living space. It doesn't matter how much warmth your radiators produce if it just goes straight outside. A common tip is to use thick curtains to stop draft from windows and doors. However I wont be doing that my windows are all modern I can't actually sense any draft. I will therefore keep the curtains I have prioritizing not blocking the radiator and letting in what sunlight there is. 

The wall on the other hand is a problem. But just to be sure I bought an Infra red thermometer to get quick readings of the different parts of my apartment to see where the biggest problems are. Each morning for seven days I measured my bedroom wall and two places on my living room wall. The three places were mostly the same with only a 0.1 degree different. But I can say the problem wall was almost one degree colder than the other walls.

I said the wall stretches over three rooms namely the entryway the living room and the bedroom. The entryway is the first of them but here that wall is mostly covered by wardrobes so not as big an issue. However getting some boxes to go on top of the wardrobes would plug the gap between them and the ceiling. I don't think this will do much but every bit helps and I'd rather have them here than in the attic.

So far I have only put one box up there, filled with my summer clothes, but it lets me test it's efficacy. When I measured the back wall was 19 degrees. The edge of the wardrobe on the part covered is half a degree warmer than the same spot on the uncovered wardrobe. This is more difference than I had hoped for and I will keep filling the space up. 

For the bedroom and living room this wouldn't work so here I'm taking a page out of history. Tapestries were used to not only look nice but also provide insulation during winter. It's like a blanket for your walls. It's also the renter friendly alternative to anyone who wants a mural.I did a small test before I did anything too involved. I have a painting on this wall and measuring the temperature on the painting, behind it and beside it there is definitely a difference. I am going to have to move that painting though.

This is technically a tablecloth but I bought it last year to stop drafts from my door. Only to realize it's not the door that's the problem, instead it will be given a new home on the wall. Unfortunately it's not very thick but every little bit helps. If it's insufficient I'll just have to change it for next year.

 For this I sewed a channel for the curtain rod. Then did a bunch of measuring, both the cloth and the wall to get it centered how I likes it. Before getting the tall ladder from the attic moving the furniture away and putting up the adhesive hangers. It's similar to command strips but a different brand that I like better. I feel command over-promises their carrying capacity. 

Since my cat pulled it down half a year ago it's been showed in the back of the my closet so before I hung it I took the time to iron it. Let's face it if I don't do it now it will never happen. 

Hanging it was fairly straight forward. I'd chosen to center it to the wall which means it looked pd with the bed pushed up to the wall. I've moved it for now and I'll see how I liked it. I might lower it a bit but that's for later. 

Measuring the temperature the next morning and I can rapport that the cloth is half a degree warmer than the wall. Eagle eyed readers will note the extra blanket on the bed. It does make a differences and I have blankets on every chair I sit in.

For the living room I plan to make a new tapestry. But that deserves its own post. Also it will be a project for next year. 

Heat sources

When I write this it's mid September. Outside the temperature has been falling and it's in that awkward state where you need a coat and gloves in the morning and just a thin sweater in the afternoon. However the low temperatures at night still means that it's cold indoors. 19 degrees according to the thermometer on my nightstand. So I contacted my landlord asking them to turn on the radiators. They answered that the radiators are controlled by a thermostat and that they can't turn them on or off. This was not the answer I wanted but it does give me some important information. Since the thermostat is by the radiators it mean that whatever heat sources I want to add should be placed as far from the radiators as possible. I don't want the heat I add to turn them off.

So apparently I'm getting radiators which annoys me. I already pay for heating as part of my rent and I feel like I shouldn't have to pay for the electricity too. Now, I won't say I'd never needlessly suffer to make a point but in this case it will hurt me far more than them (I'll still inform my landlord about the temperature just because). So radiators and with some app controlled sockets I can time it for when electricity is the cheapest. However it turned out the socket I bought requires you to by a hub too. A hub that's far more expensive than I want to pay for a thing meant to save me money. So I'll be using one of the manual timers I already have and a space heater. We'll see how long I'll bother reprogramming it.

Clothes

Putting on a a sweater is a tried and true advice when it comes to temperature. I'm of course going to o that but since I already have several sweaters there isn't much to do. However along with sweaters I would recommend long woolen skirts. 

An advice I have read in a lot of places is Uniqlo Heat tech. Last winter I bought two of differing thickness and honestly they are... fine. One of them is a bit tight in a way that shows of my ribs more than I want but they are just one layer and I will wear a sweater on top. Any claims that they are as warm as a sweater is a lie and I don't really understand the idea that the fabric turns sweat into heat, or rather when you are cold you sweat less so it doesn't seem like it would do much.

What I am going to do though is finish my cape. It has been half done for a while (several years) but I want to wear it when I sit at my laptop to prevent my shoulders from getting cold and stiff. The post where I did this is here.

Last but not least indoor slippers. I started to make a pair last year but before I was done I got a pair for Christmas. These I wore everyday until they were worn out. Now I have the dilemma should I buy new (better quality ones) or finish the ones I started. Bearing in mind that I don't have enough material to finish them like they are and that I might have made them too small I would more likely just re do them. I will mull over this for a while longer and in the mean time I'll just use my thick socks.

Habits

Since I'll be home during the day studying I'll have opportunity to do things differently. One of these things I can do is that rather than buying bread I'll bake it. Letting all that nice warm oven air out into the apartment. I haven't done the math on this but I suspect that the money I save from making my own bread will offset the added cost to my electricity bill. Also fresh baked bread is nice.

The second thing is regularly blow drying my hair. Partially to again add heat but mostly to not cool myself down by walking around with wet hair letting it air dry. 

And lastly pray to the old gods and the new for a mild winter. This has gotten me thinking though. The plan with this apartment was to live her for two years, see if I liked the neighborhood and then buy a condo. However one of the reasons it's cold is that my apartment is old perhaps when I move the temperature is something I should keep track of. Perhaps I should prioritize showings in the winter and bring a thermometer.

What are you best tips for staying warm in the winter leave a comment down below.

A review of Catilina an anthologi by Alexander Andreé

This book is a collection of all... most of the the antique sources that talk about Catilinarian conspiracy. If you don't know what this is I suggest looking it up it is quite a fascinating time. But basically Catiline was a roman living in the last decades of the roman republic. A time of turmoil and civil wars. He was from a wealthy family that had fallen on hard times and his early career was plagued by scandals. Among others things he was accused for murdering his wife and son and for corruption during his time as governor for the roman province in Africa. This might have been the reason why he twice failed to become elected as consul (the highest public office during the roman republic). Rather than try a third time he instead attempted a coup.

He gained support among the poor and as well as impoverished nobles like himself, gathered them into an army under his friend Manlius' command. He also planned arson and assassinations of various senators and the then consul Cicero. The plot was discovered, speeches was had in the senate. Catiline fled the city and joined the army while his supporters were imprisoned and executed. Catiline was killed in battle against the army Rome sent against them. 

The book starts with a description of what happened who Catiline and the writers was. Most of the texts are historical accounts, chapters of books describing the history of Rome. A large part is also the speeches Cicero made in the senate and to the people.

My thoughts

While anthologies are normal I haven't actually seen one like this before. With all the historical sources on a subject combined. I would like to read more books like this about other historical events, though this one has the advantage of having a good amount of sources about it. 

I would like to have heard from his supporter or Catiline himself. With Cicero being his enemy (understandably) and the rest being various historical texts seeking some kind of neutrality in the matter. They are still clearly on the side of the establishment and unsympathetic for the plight of the common man. Sallustius claims that Catiline surrounded himself and won the approval of people in debt. S attributes this debt to them being yo lazy to work and decadent living. I cant help drawing comparisons with the current boomer vs millenials and gen x conversation. This is not really a critique of the book, sources from so long ago are few, but it would still have been interesting. 

A thing I noticed when reading all the accounts back to back was the differences between them. The accounts are all slightly varied. There are details in one that aren't in others, especially when it comes to peoples motivation. One example the description of Fulvia and Curius, they were the ones to inform Cicero of the assassination plot.

In Appianus account Cicero found out about the plot because one of the conspirators Curius bragged about it to his lover Fulvia who then told Cicero. 

In Sallustius account they had also been lovers but the noble woman Fulvia had lost interest since he had money issues. He then brags about the money and power he will get. But also says that Curius threatened her. Here she just told people in general what she knew. Later she is described more like a go between for Cicero and Curius in a way that makes it sounds like Curious was helping Cicero. 

Plutharcos also describes her as a noble woman and says she told Cicero of the murder plot. It does not mention Curius or how she found out about it.

Diodorus has the most details but doesn't mention either Fulvia of Curius by name. In his account one of the conspirators is in love with a girl who doesn't care for him. Same a Salustius he brags about the power he will gain and also threatens her. She then pretends to be interested to get him to tell her more. She then met with Ciceros wife and told her about what she knew. This is the only version that mentions Ciceros wife having any part in this.

Cassius Dio just says Cicero found out about the plot but not how.

This is just one example most parts are like this the broad strokes are the same but the details are different. I didn't even notice this until I had read a couple or accounts and going back and looking for it I found others. 

Just a comment but what is Cicero's deal with sex. I can understand that he would have an extremely negative opinion on the person who tried to murder him, but in the second speech he spend a lot of time calling him and his supporters perverts and whores.

If you have read it what did you think? Leave a comment. If you haven't read it you can check it out here Catiline. As far as I can tell this book only exists in Swedish so far but the original texts and translations of them are easy to find. 

Cicero, Sallustius, Appianus, Plutarchos

Fixing my cape

I started this project a few years ago as a way to use up the leftover fabric pieces from a coat I made. Not sure if it's visible but its made up of hexagonal and rhombus pieces. I had a thing for hexagons at the time and I needed something to keep my shoulders warm. I wouldn't recommend using hexagonal pieces like this unless like me you have a pile of odd shaped bits. This way produced a lot of little slivers and the pieces didn't really fit together as seamlessly as I had imagined. Though that may have been because I had... not forgotten about seam allowance but assumed it would all work out without it. I was partially right but not really.

Then once it was sewed together I didn't really do anything to it. The fabric is a bit scratchy so I haven't used it as much as I wanted. I planed to solve that by giving it a lining but wasn't quite sure how. I also didn't have that much fabric to make it of. (I did however still have a pictures of it so that's nice)

But now years later I have finally decided what to do. 

When I made my pajama pants a few months ago I bought a big piece of flannel. The first thing I did was to lay it out place the cape on top and draw the outline. Then cutting it out giving me a lining fabric that is identical in size and shape to the cape. I pinned the two pieces together and used the ribbon to bind the edges together. I must say I spent way to much time thinking about the ribbon. More specifically if I wanted a Red or black one. In the end I decided to simply check the store. If there were one that matched the red well enough I would get that otherwise I'd pick a black one. Luckily they did have some red in nearly the same color.

I was a little more than half way when I got the idea to check the rest of the ribbon would lay. I had up until now only pinned maybe 20 cm of ribbon at a time adjusting as I sewed. Laying out the rest I realized my mistake weather it had been in the original measuring or in the fabric being some what stretchy I don't know but one things for certain I would be short about 30 cm of ribbon. Now I could run out and buy more and then just continue. But that would still leave me with two seams where I'd attached the new ribbon. 

I did however have another ribbon the same width and type but of a different color (dark blue). Wanting to use up materials I already have I picked the blue one and to make it all look deliberate I decided to only use it for the collar. Also when wearing it the collar would be hidden by my hair so it's less noticeable, the only problem is that I have already sewed the collar so I had to spend the rest of the evening unpicking all the ribbon I have added so far. I suppose this is my punishment for not adding up when measuring.

Results

It's done, finally after far too long. The dark trim, despite not being planned it still looks quite nice. Also it matches the black lining

It does looks a little red riding hoodesc. But that's not the worst. Working on this I did realize how many items I have in exactly this color. 

More importantly it's booth warmer and not scratchy. Perfect for when I'm sitting at my desk. It's so warm that I have used it several times now. Unlike previously when it mostly just hung on the back of my desk chair. This is always the goal with altering any clothes. Making it better and getting more use out of something I already have.

A review of Undeath and taxes by Drew Hayes

 Disclaimer Undeath and taxes is the second book in the series about Fred the vampire accountant and his friends and this review will contain spoilers. I wrote a review about the first book, so read that and maybe the book first. 

Plot

In the last book mild mannered accountant Fred got turned into a vampire. This opens the door to a whole new world of different creatures and people but also friends. 

Having learned that the Parahuman (supernatural) community is rather more organized than he had anticipated. Fred has spent the time between the books learning about the parahuman tax code. Getting his diploma his first job is for Richard Alderson head of the local therians (werecreatures). 

While trying to make sense of the mess that is Richards receipts he is interrupted by kidnappers. They are there for Richards daughter Sally and thinking Fred is her bodyguard they take him as well. Taking advantage of both Richard being in a meeting and Gideon (Sally's ancient dragon playmate) being away Fred is feeling very much out of his depth.

My thoughts

Again this is a collection of short stories the plot section only talks about the first of them. If the first book was about Fred getting friends this one focuses more on world-building. Specifically we learn about the agents. We meet some of Krystal's coworkers and learn some of how it operates. 

Fred acclimatizes to violence and adventure very fast. This is a bit of a double edged sword, the book telling us he avoids confrontation but never shoving it. But I have a preference for active characters so if he had taken the outs he is given and left others to die it would have made for a worse story. 

Though considering this is all written as a memoir by Fred there is the possibilities that this is just him having a negative self image. An image that doesn't necessarily reflect the person he has become but rather the one he was in the beginning of the first book (when he did try to run away and leave people to die). 

If you have read it what did you think? Leave a comment. If you haven't read it you can check it out here Undeath.

Redecorating my study nook

One corner of my living room looks like this. It's where I pay my bills, write my books, edit this blog and other things. It's been fine, or rather there have been other things I had to focus on first. But since I'm going to study for my masters degree this year and the next I felt an upgrade was necessary. Also this is the view from my couch where I spend most evenings.

The desk will stay it's also my antique treadle sewing machine and I'll give it up over my cold dead body. It also fits in well with the aesthetic I'm going for. The rest however is up for I'll be getting rid of or at least move somewhere else.

But that is getting ahead of ourselfs because step one of any renovation or redecorating should always be cleaning. Nothing looks good if it's full of clutter and it's important to start in the right place.In this case it meant moving the wast basket and getting rid of things that aren't supposed to be there, hairdryer, cat toys and a ball of string lights, even cutting the tags of my chair. This did make quite a bit of a difference. 

But not enough. Even cleaned and sorted there is still three different colors of wood and I do have a need for more storage. This isn't primarily because I got more things but rather because, when I moved I got rid of one of my bookcases. Everything still fits since I also got rid of some books at the same time, but in my main bookcase things are sorted were they can fit rather than any other system. Also right now things are stored in open shelving that really should be hidden away.

I also have some pictures I wanted to put up and walking past a thrift store I checked if there were any nice frames. Preferably golden ones to match the noticeboard and other frames. But they were all a bit shabby and also about the same price as new ones so I'll keep an eye out for those.

Assembling a bookcase

But first is to buy a new bookshelf. I decided on a Ikea Hauga. Its not my favorite looking one or made of my preferred material but the wall I want to put it on is a bit short. More importantly I wanted one with closed storage to keep my eyesore printer in. So it's a compromise. 

The bookshelf came in three heavy packages which was a lot to carry upstairs in the almost 30 degree heat and this was September it's not supposed to be this hot. 

The first step was of course to emptying out the old shelf  and moving it away. That way I can put it in place immediately. In box one I found the instruction the parts for the bottom part was divided among all the boxes. The bookshelf is made of two parts which makes it easier to maneuver it in place. By now my living room is a mess with parts and packaging everywhere. Placing the upper part was difficult but worked even if it forced me to do things in a different order since I had to lift it myself. 

Now I just need to decide exactly what I want to have where and how. It is tempting to prioritize my pretty books for the new shelf but managed to contain myself. This also allows me to restructure my other bookshelves. Making them look less cramped and by books more organized.

Decoration

The new bookcase lead to a number of other changes. The chest no longer fit here if I want to be able to open the doors, so it got to trade places with a small side table and a plant. In general I did mostly look around my apartment for decor. I'm considering if I want to move my rug here. Maybe, well see.  For now I'm taking a trip up to my parents and the flea-market there. They had a large selection of frames and I snagged four for just 30 kr. However when I went to put them up I realized they were all smaller than the pictures I wanted to put in them so the hunt continues. 

It's not perfect, there's still several minor changes I want to make. But its better and for now that's good enough.  More importantly I have other projects I need to focus on. 

Review of A Master of Djinn by P. Djéli Clark

Plot

In an alternate 1912, Egypt has risen to prominence in the fifty or so years since the mystic Al-Jahiz opened the world to magic. Having embraced magic and the Djinn that came with it has allowed them to not become a colony and instead become a major player on the world stage. Al-Jahzi meanwhile disappeared shortly after this. 

Fatma, is one of the few female agents of the Ministry of alchemy, enchantments and supernatural entities, gets called to help the police when the murder of the members of a secret brotherhood shows clear signs of being made with magic. The victims being various rich and well respected Englishmen dedicated to the memory of Al-Jahzi does not make it easier.

Fatma however is distracted by first getting assigned a partner in the young and enthusiastic Hadia and then by the return of Siti. Her girlfriend/informant who has a tendency to show up and disappear as the mood takes her. She is also one of a rising number of people devoted to the old pharaonic gods.  

Then just days before a world peace summit is about to start in Cairo someone claiming to be al-jahiz is starting demonstrations. Showing the inequalities that despite the prosperity still exist causing riots and vandalism. 

My thoughts

So I feel I should warn that this is not the first book in this series, there is both a novella and a novelette that take place before this. I, when reading this book, did not know this and hadn't looked since this is described as the authors debut. This means that I was terribly annoyed by the frequent references to the things that had happened before and the general sequel feel of it. 

It's rare to see fantasy that's not western. At just a glance id say that at least a third of my books takes place in Britain or USA. This is an impressive bit of world-building both the alternate history bit of an rich and powerful Egypt, but also the humans and djinn living side by side. It also takes the time to show many sides of the society. The poor flocking to "Al-Jahzi", the kings at the piece summit, regular people and regular djinn. As well as the religious differences shown a bit in the contrast between the devoutly Muslim Hadia though she is still part of a feminist group, the secular Muslim Fatma, and Siti following Sekhmet which apparently gives one powers or something.  

The summit is a nice touch giving a sense of urgency in calming down the public and capturing the impostor. The insinuation is that all it's a lead up to the first world war and a lot suggests that while the magic might change things it wont stop it. 

My main complaint is mostly, does Siti need to be there all the time. Because she is. She shows up everywhere and I don't like her nearly as much as the author does. It's not even that she is a bad character it's just routinely showing up in the middle of police investigations will make you be considered a suspect not a welcome addition.

There is of course a mystery about who the Al-Jahzi impostor is and I can happily announce that I was wrong. However it wasn't contrived. I have a weird thing about being able to predict things in books, while I like figuring things out before the characters I don't like things to feel predictable this one straddles that nicely. 

If you have read it what did you think? Leave a comment. If you haven't read it you can check it out here Djinn.

The longest day

So just a thing. My course did not start in november. It started in the first week of september and that was when I wrote this. But I value my upload scedule more than timeliness so it gets posted now.

The lead up to this started months ago when I applied to get a masters degree. I'm doing it online but the lectures on the first day will be on campus so 3 of September I need to be in Uppsala. I coincided a few different ideas for travel. Weather to go there the day of or the day before and sleep in a hotel. In the end I decided to take a plane there that day and then the train home. I book my tickets and basically forget about it.

Then about a week before I had the idea to write in all the lecture and seminars in to my wall calendar. I'm lucky I did because I now see there's not two lectures starting at 12 but rather three the first one starting at 10. By my estimate I would arrive there at 11 so this is a real problem. I double checked that it is correct and there won't be any more changer (they claim that the early lecture has always been there but I'm doubtful). I then re-booked my plane ticket, well not really mostly I just bought a new one since it was non refundable. Yes I'm still salty about this. 

3.50

After a night of restless sleep my alarm rings. The plane leaves at 7, the airport wants me to be there 2 hours early. This seems excessive but I haven't been there for almost 20 years, So what do I know. Anyway I have to wake up at 4. In preparation for this I have set my alarm earlier and earlier during the last week. The earlier departure time also means that there was no things done on that day. So everything is packed and prepared days ahead.

Still I packed up the last few things, feeding my cats I feel a bit guilty for leaving them and I'm off. It's still dark out and the streets are nearly empty. I say nearly there were maybe 10 people but that was one if the busyness streets. About the time I get to the train station and about now the tiredness gets to me. 

5,45

It only took me 45 minutes to get to the gate. But I can see how at a time with more passengers it would take longer or if I had more luggage than a single backpack. Having learned from previous flights I put all my tech things and liquids together in  bag. Of course I then got to go through the big scanner so I didn't have to remove my tablet anyway. Though both it and me got flagged for a further check. Once in the air I realize this might be cased by my smartwatch that I had forgotten to take of.

 Anyway I now have a coffee and an hour to kill. For which I brought one of my textbooks.

Also boarding started 6.30 so just one hour would have been difficult. It's so annoying when they are right.

I had bought a ticket for the cheapest seat in that i didn't choose one and let them pick whatever was left for me. Jokes on them I still got a window seat and a whole row to myself (insert evil laughter). The only problem was that most of my view was taken up by the wing but it's not like there are much to look at anyway.

8,10

Landing I had severely underestimated the time it takes to get to the train station. First 15 minutes to get of the plane, then ten minutes walk before I even saw signs to the train. Ticket weirdness and the nice 20 minute gap until the train was gone. Luckily there are several. Even though they were delayed.  

Despite everything I arrived with almost 40 minutes to go before the lecture started. Uppsala is a nice town. Like many others it's a mix of old and new buildings though far more two or three storied buildings than I expected. If I ever Have time I wouldn't mind exploring a bit. Not today though. It's odd Uppsala is the fourth largest city in Sweden but it does not feel like it. If I had to guess at the population I would have guessed half of what It has.

10.15 

This is the building the lectures was in. It's very pretty but has the most horribly echoy foyer. With a class full of students talking it's very loud.

Them the lecture begins. By now I'm tired, have a mild headache and has 6 hours of lectures to get through. My experience is that the first lecture are more about the course than anything else. Though the last one today was a proper lecture and as a bonus it gave me an idea about a thesis subject. It was nice meting other students and I discovered halfway through lunch that I can fall into another persons accent in as little as 30 minutes. 

16.55 

And I board my slightly delayed train for the first stretch home. It's old, worn and someone is siting in my reserved seat. This is just one of the reason I don't like booking seats. A transfer in Stockholm gave me enough time to get some dinner. Which was a burger, fries and soda from Burger king. I have had a craving for fast food fries for a while now, but I can't really justify something so unhealthy. However between the train being late finding my seat and eating the burger the fries were cold. Which was not what I had envisioned.  

23.15 

The delay in leaving continued and by the time I arrived it was half an hour late. Once again I'm walking through dark streets. Not quite as empty as this morning but Tuesday is not the night for vibrant nightlife. Still its a comfort to know that you are never truly alone.

I'm finally home and after doing the bare-bones of a nighttime routine and I get to bed. By now I have been awake for 20 hours.