now we see the light, unfortunately

Did I mention Bella's obsession with Lucy's leash? Every time Cora brings it out for Lucy's walk, Bella starts waving her arms in excitement. She loves holding it. These pictures remind me of Adelaide walking the dog at 13 months.And now I will speak my mind about lighting. Lame subject, but it has become a topic of interest in our house. Bear with me here. Americans take light bulbs for granted. At the hardware store you can choose soft or white light and now the long lasting eco-friendly bulbs are the big thing. If you use a florescent bulb it's most likely to illuminate an area you don't frequent like a basement storage area or your garage.

Not in a developing country like the Philippines. Developing countries use florescent light bulbs for most lighting because it's cheaper. Our kitchen and bathrooms are full of them and they drive me crazy. Every time I turn on a light I close my eyes for a second so the flashing seizure inducing bulb flickers don't give me a headache. Once the light is on it buzzes and gives off a rather unpleasant gray blue tint. After two years eyes have adjusted to the difference of course, but when we are in a bathroom that doesn't have florescent lights, such as the one in our hotel room in Cebu, I am struck by how much softer and warmer we all look in the mirror. Florescent lights have been very bad for my self-esteem. My nose looks bigger (still debatable whether it's from the lights or age), my skin looks blotchier and my hair looks brassy under the unflattering lights.

We've lived in our home long enough now that the lights are starting to burn out. Like most household maintenance things, we just let it go for awhile before fixing it. The long florescent bulb above the sink vanity in the master bathroom has been dead for months and months now (probably 6) and I kind of prefer it that way. Next the bulb above the shower/tub went and then the one above the toilet. One light in our bathroom remained on the furthest side of the room. The last few weeks I've been taking a shower in the dark. Justin dragged our bedroom floor lamp next to the shower to illuminate things a bit more and it was nice to have that soft warm light to brush our teeth to. It finally took the drain in the tub backing up to get the light bulbs replaced.

Yesterday the maintenance man came to unplug the tub and when I explained to him that he'd have to work mostly in the dark because the lights were burnt out he then asked me if I would like to have the electrician come and replace the lights. "Huh? Well, sure I guess, thanks." Was my response. And so much to my conflicted happiness and regret, the lights are back. I took a shower in the equivalent of a wet "interrogation room" (to steal my husbands words) this morning.

I am looking forward to residing under warmer lighting when we visit the States in a few weeks. Americans take so many things for granted. Winter, fresh milk, crosswalks, breathable air, Dengue fever-free mosquito, and incandescent lighting; to name a few.

I can't believe I am posting a photo of my bathroom, messiness, toilet seat up and all. It's a lovely shot of my cluttered counter top. Notice my pile (so wonderfully coined my "sh*t pile" by my husband). No matter what, I always have a pile that accumulates. Having a maid doesn't eliminate my "sh*t pile". Anyway, you get the idea about the florescent. The ugly plastic grating above the sinks holds the burnt out florescent self-esteem kicker. I wouldn't let the guy change that one. Nobody needs florescent THAT close to your face, no matter what you are doing.