07 January 2009

my 5-year anniversary

Of dry* cabin life.

And what kind of dream did I have to celebrate this occasion? I was dreaming about a nice, hot shower (this part of the dream was fairly grounded to reality too, unlike other instalments that included a new transportation method where people were lift up by their necks). Maybe my subconscious is trying to tell me something.

*Those of you that are not familiar with Fairbanks realities: dry means a cabin without running water. All water needs to be carried in (and then out). We have an outhouse too.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy anniversary!

We are only 2 months without a shower now with the bathroom renovation dragging on. Still plenty of running water inside the house and out. We still talk about it like it is camping out though. - Doesn't even compare.

Imagine how much less water people would waste if we were all in the same boat.

Maybe if you get a chance you could post some consumption statistics. I am sure you know them by heart after 5 years. I mean a scientist surely has it "down to a science" by now, right?

Congratulations, and make it quick in the outhouse these days!

inari said...

My uneducated guess is that we use between 35 to 45 gallons per month (we get water roughly every three weeks filling six 5 gallon jugs).

(That doesn't take into account flush toilets used at the Uni or showers taken around the town.)

Speaking of flush toilets: a good way to conserve water is to stand on a bucket* when taking a shower. The gray water in the bucket can then be used to flush the toilet.

*Looks silly, but pretty much everything we do while taking a shower looks silly anyways.

Anonymous said...

Wow! The bucket sounds really dangerous, but maybe I don't have the idea quite right. I'm all for reusing gray water, but don't twist an ankle or anything. Oh, and I suppose tall people would need a shorter bucket in order to still fit under the shower head...

inari said...

Just take a shower normally, but stand one foot inside a bucket. Some of the extra water will be collected there instead of going out the drain. No dangers there unless you have big feet.

inari said...

Duh. A foreigner moment.

My article confusion disorder got me once again: stand in the bucket, not on it.

Anonymous said...

Ok. I no longer fear for your safety...happy one-foot-in-the-bucket-showering.