About six years (2007?), some 25-watt congress-critter decided that incandescent light bulbs were WA-a-a-a-a-y too twentieth-century and we should all use "Compact Flourescent Lightbulbs" (CFL) to light our home. Never mind that they contain Mercury and, if we break one, we should call in a Federal Agency to sweep up the debris (never happen!); they're energy efficient, and this is what we should be doing to Save The Environment!
No, I never understood this either.
But I decided to give it a try.
I went to my local hardware store and bought a "60-watt equivalent" CFL My front porch light had burned out, as happens about annually, so I decided that even thought the Politically Correct Lightbulb (PCL) was more expensive, I would give it a try.
See ... there aren't a lot of streetlights on my home-town cul-de-sac, and there's this trick step up to my front door. It's particularly tricky if I or my guests have had a couple of adult beverages before they come to my door. So I leave my front porch light on all day, all night. Every day. Every night. I never turn it off ... that's when light bulbs go BLOOEY, y'know, when you turn them on.
So I leave it on all the time.
I figured it would last about a year, and then I would replace it with one of the incandescent bulbs I bought in case-lots a while ago and have been hording ever since.
A year later, it was still burning.
2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2011, 2012, 2013 ... every time I step in or out the door, that damned light is still burning. I'm beginning to like this!
I got tired of replacing my hallway light in 2009, so I bought another 60 watt Politically Correct Bulb and plugged it in. I live in a "town-house duplex", which means my hallway light illuminates my stairwell. It has been burning 12 hours a day or so, on the average, for four years.
Then In 2010 I got tired of replacing the front room light. Yep, another PCL. In 2011, I put a PCL in my Hell Room (the spare bedroom upstairs where the computer is).
I still insisted on two 100-watt Incandescent lights over the mirror in my upstairs bathroom, but they burned out every six month and they're a pain to replace. The light is kind of funny up there now, but I've grown accustomed to not looking to close when I shave in the morning anyway, and it's a good excuse for the unnatural greyish tint to my hair when I DO look too close.
This morning I opened my front door at 5am, to take the trash to the curb for my weakly garbage collector. It was dark out there!
I'm not accustomed to dark at my door, so I got a flashlight to see what was wrong, and ... the light bulb was missing.
Somebody stole my freakin' light bulb!
I don't know if someone decided they needed a light bulb more than I do, or if one of my neighbors grew annoyed at having the lights always on at Chez Geek.
One thing's for sure; I need not worry about disposal of a burned out CFL/PCL. Apparently all I have to do is leave something lying around and someone will steal it. Disposal is THEIR problem, now!
My reaction was just to go to my cupboard an pick out another 60 watt (equivalent) CFL and screw it into the front porch light socket.
Yes, I'm still hoarding Incandescent bulbs. But I now buy CFLs by the six-pack .... about once a year. They DO last longer, and as such they cost less to buy. (I bought this six-pack over a year ago, and I still have four bulbs left!)
As for the low-down bottom-dwelling scum-sucker who stole my porch light?
I really hope it was someone who was annoyed by my 24/7/365 porch light. Because however much the bulbs cost, it's worth it if I annoy my neighbors ... especially the couple next door with the whining dog who starts yapping and howling at 9am every morning when they leave for work!
I may be old and crotchety, and I'm definitely petty ... but I ain't cheap.
5 comments:
They turned out the light so they could haul off one of the junk cars in your driveway. You didn't even notice, hah!
Just replaced all my bulbs with LED's from China via eBay. About $8.00/per and 18w equiv. to 100w incandescent. Sure the price is a bit high, and they aren't made here, but it's cost effective. My power bill has gone way down. I'm waiting for someone to come up with the equivalent technology for my wood stove as it gets harder each year to cut the wood for the winters.
You forgot the high levels of UV rays that the curly-Qs emit. How do you say skin cancer and eye cataracts.
I am from the government. You can trust me. Your inexpensive old style Edison incandescent light bulb is bad for the earth and bad for you. For your own good, we are making you use these expensive, made in China, light bulbs that turn your home into a hazardous waste site, emit harmful UV rays, and occasionally catch on fire. Your government and the government of Red China love you.
Antipoda
Antipods ... until you wrote, I felt so ALONE!
Now I have a warm, cuddly feeling. And I owe it all to your wisdom.
Cataracts and burning my house down around me are a small price to pay.
Besides, maybe it's the bulb-thief's house that would burn down. How neat would THAT be?
And yes, I would dance on the ashes. As I said, I AM petty. Did I mention vindictive?
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