My apartment of horror

Let me start by describing the current situation. It's 8:10 PM and indoors it's about 88. I can't really explain how it's 88 in here, since it only reached 82 outside, but nonetheless, it's hot.

The air conditioner gave up the ghost about two days ago. However, in it's last dying act, it managed to leak into the basin beneath the unit, soaking the surrounding carpet. I didn't realize that it happened until that afternoon, and despite my best efforts the carpet mildewed later. It wouldn't be so bad if this was an isolated incident with the A/C- it's not.

The air conditioner runs on freon, yes, freon... the stuff that air conditioners ran on when my grandpappy was knee high to a grasshopper. It goes through the stuff like Ted Kennedy through a six pack. The unit apparently has a leak, the kind that you can't repair apparently, because the landlord hasn't seen fit to fix it or replace it in two years. Every few months it will run low and be hot for a few days until the landlord can get out here to have a look at it.

On the rare occasion that the air conditioner is cooling the apartment, the poor little thing is worked to the point of exhaustion. Sometimes at night, I hear the little bugger whimpering outside during it's rare hiatus from slave labor. You see, our apartment is so poorly insulated, that if it weren't for the wood paneling on the walls, I would have to say that the whole place was insulated with saran wrap.

The mailman snickers each month, I'm sure, when he delivers our electricity bill. This month, $130.00; last, $152.00; before that, $140.00. It's out of control, people. My parents have a house about 4 times the size of this place and their electricity bill is about $80/mo. If you were wondering, our rent to electric bill ratio is just under $2:$1.

I've got a few more months till the brother and I graduate, and until then I don't think we'll go through the hassle of moving... besides, in the winter, we usually don't use much heat. Since we don't run the A/C, it means lower bills, and since the rent is pretty low, it will make sense for the next few months anyways. After that though, I'm gettin out of here... and when I do... Mr. Air Conditioner, we're gonna have a little man to machine talk... and I doubt you'll make it out unscathed.