I slept decently, which puts me in a much better mood. Though it helped that the storm drove cool air in, I wonder what other nights will be like, especially with the Northern Hemisphere heat wave coming to visit tomorrow. (In a mild form compared to other places, but still.) Also I would be happier about the lack of A/C in CDMX (or Vancouver) if more places had bug screens on the windows. First place was fine (21st story, not bugs) but these places are 3-4 story, I got a bunch of mosquito bites at the last place, and just squished a bug on my temple, and can feel the bite rising as I type.
(My places in Richmond had side-swing windows but some pretty clever screen you could reach through to get to the handle... I can't describe it well, but it was neat.)
Positive stuff:
This may be the cheapest Airbnb per sqft I've ever had. It's a bit cheaper per day than the previous place, but whereas I'd estimate that as 20-24 m2, I think my master bedroom alone is around 16 m2.
There's a big pitcher and I'm making barley tea again. This sounds trivial, except for all the shops in CDMX, I have trouble finding things I actually want. Like I dunno where I would get a cheap plastic pitcher. And Rachel forgot to pack a washcloth and it's a quest to find one.
Stuff: checked out Amart, an Asian market, meh. Had instant noodles and sriracha and some dumplings, but nothing like H-Mart or T&T. Walked around, found an organic produce market (with mamey fruit, recced by Rachel). Few pedestrian signals, especially across one busy street that needs them.
Went south, found whole wheat pasta in a Circle K of all places, passed the US embassy (no architecture awards there), saw cow sculptures, saw the Angel of Independence, wandered into the edge of Roma Norte and back, down a tunnel into Insurgentes station with a huge recessed plaza. Also with machines that will sell me a metro card.
Photos of the apartment and appliances. Try to guess which ones are older than I am. (Not that I know, but *geez*. I know fridges are expensive -- though I wonder how much energy an old fridge wastes -- but a new microwave is like $100.) https://www.flickr.com/photos/mindstalk/albums/72177720300650574
Photos from wandering: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mindstalk/albums/72177720300640671
(My places in Richmond had side-swing windows but some pretty clever screen you could reach through to get to the handle... I can't describe it well, but it was neat.)
Positive stuff:
This may be the cheapest Airbnb per sqft I've ever had. It's a bit cheaper per day than the previous place, but whereas I'd estimate that as 20-24 m2, I think my master bedroom alone is around 16 m2.
There's a big pitcher and I'm making barley tea again. This sounds trivial, except for all the shops in CDMX, I have trouble finding things I actually want. Like I dunno where I would get a cheap plastic pitcher. And Rachel forgot to pack a washcloth and it's a quest to find one.
Stuff: checked out Amart, an Asian market, meh. Had instant noodles and sriracha and some dumplings, but nothing like H-Mart or T&T. Walked around, found an organic produce market (with mamey fruit, recced by Rachel). Few pedestrian signals, especially across one busy street that needs them.
Went south, found whole wheat pasta in a Circle K of all places, passed the US embassy (no architecture awards there), saw cow sculptures, saw the Angel of Independence, wandered into the edge of Roma Norte and back, down a tunnel into Insurgentes station with a huge recessed plaza. Also with machines that will sell me a metro card.
Photos of the apartment and appliances. Try to guess which ones are older than I am. (Not that I know, but *geez*. I know fridges are expensive -- though I wonder how much energy an old fridge wastes -- but a new microwave is like $100.) https://www.flickr.com/photos/mindstalk/albums/72177720300650574
Photos from wandering: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mindstalk/albums/72177720300640671
no subject
Date: 2022-07-19 14:22 (UTC)From:If it ain't broke, don't fix it?
(Though I do think sufficiently low energy efficiency should qualify as "broke", and I am concerned about my 29-year-old freezer on those grounds.)
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>>Also I would be happier about the lack of A/C in CDMX (or Vancouver) if more places had bug screens on the windows. First place was fine (21st story, not bugs) but these places are 3-4 story, I got a bunch of mosquito bites at the last place, and just squished a bug on my temple, and can feel the bite rising as I type.
Can you bring your own bug netting?
I rely on wearable mosquito nets, but then I already don't leave my windows open because of the pollen. (Is that not also a problem for you? Are you just not vulnerable to the local Mexican plants?) For a window, maybe a generic rectangular net and some gentle adhesive? (not duct tape, I duct-taped something to a wall once and when I took it off a chunk of paint came with it)
no subject
Date: 2022-07-19 19:46 (UTC)From:Microwave doesn't rotate and has pretty primitive controls. I suppose the toaster oven might be fine, if it still works.
I had never thought of bringing netting, or heard of wearable nets. Huh. No, I haven't had pollen problems here (not that there's a whole lot of plants in the middle of the city); I'm known to be sensitive to grass and some trees.
A simple approach would leave me unable to open and close the window; ideal would be some easily toggled adhesive.
Does the netting trap heat?
no subject
Date: 2022-07-19 20:33 (UTC)From:I've never had a fridge with a water reservoir myself, and I've heard a lot of complaints from people who have (apparently they're a lot more prone to breaking than the other parts of the refrigerator are). I can see how it could be more of a priority in places with lower tap-water quality, though.
(My mom drinks mostly refrigerated water, but she bought a 4-pack of Tupperware 500mL bottles and rotates them in and out of the fridge.)
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>>or heard of wearable nets
Yeah, for some reason they seem to be pretty obscure. It's a shame: I've found mine to be very helpful. I keep a Coghlan's bug jacket (comes with attached hood) and bug pants (sold separately) at the top of my evacuation bag, so that I can easily pull them out for gardening and sometimes outdoor festivals/hikes and put them right back when I get inside.
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>>ideal would be some easily toggled adhesive.
I've been hearing praise for mounting putty lately, but I'm not sure whether or not that quite fits this particular situation.
A bit of poking at search engines suggests some people use adhesive hooks to hang netting from. (While I haven't tried them with nets specifically, I did buy some 3M Command hooks recently to hang kitchenware from and have been finding them very helpful.)
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>>Does the netting trap heat?
Maybe *slightly*, but not significantly IME. The main downside I've had is the effect on vision, but I expect that would be less of a concern with windows.