Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Installing More LEDs

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com

I finally got around to changing out some lights and installing some LEDs over the kitchen sink. Three years ago we installed some spots. They were too hot and too bright and it consumed 120 watts. The LEDs I installed consume 2.5W apiece for a total of 7.5 watts. That's quite a savings, 112.5 watts to be exact. Imagine how much energy that consumes. I am posting this as I just got our bill for the August/September billing period. The total with tax came to 1100 pesos for the two months or $88 dollars. I was getting worried as the first two weeks of September got quite hot and I was using the air conditioning in the late afternoons.


Without the flash and the ceiling lights off.


Cool weather is slowly arriving and soon it will be cold every night. I love it. Of course what is the meaning of cold? For me it is 15C. That is comfortable weather. I found a chimney sweep and hope to have him out soon to clean out the chimney and install a damper. Never had one and the wood burns way too fast. I hope he can do it.

I spoke to my brother from Idaho today. He saw me on Skype and gave me a ring. He asked me how things were going here. I told him that we had spent Saturday night in Monterrey as we went to a quinceƱera. When we arrived home we had no electricity. I asked my neighbor who was returning from the OXXO on the corner and she explained that the CFE crew was repairing the line. Next day I found out that one of the quintas about 300 meters up the road had been rented out. The discussions got heated, guns were pulled (big ones) and they chased each other in their cars up to the highway where the shootout occured. One guy was killed and he crashed into a light pole taking down the line.

He asked me what I thought. I told him it was like the wild wild west here. Not much different than the late 80s and early 90s in the U.S. when gang wars were the thing but ours are from the 21st century and on steroids.

I know I have told the story before, but it happened in front of my house in an upscale neighborhood in San Antonio, if any of you know the city, Almos Park is the second richest area in the city. A gang decided to get revenge, drove by with several cars filled with armed gang members and literally left my neighbor's son, on the ground with his insides "out". So is all this really new? In the U.S., 1,100,000 car thefts, 38,000 home invasions and 16,000 murders for 2009. Different cultures and different ways to handle it. Just get ready to duck!

We have decided that we are going on with our lives and we will take the necessary precautions. Look out rving world, we may be back sooner than you think!

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