cold!

it is now officially chilly here. i have to wear a scarf and coat and mittens or else i freeze!

this has become an issue mostly in my apartment. my building is old - it even has some broken windows in the stairwell - and it also has no heat. no central heating, no radiators, no gas, etc. again, it is "non-furnished."

this means that soon i will be purchasing an 'estufa,' or rather, a stove, to heat my apartment during the winter. they really love gas here because the electricity is so comparatively expensive. however, i've been told that if i buy a gas stove, i need to crack the window so i don't die of carbon monoxide poisoning. *this is mentioned to me in a very casual, offhand manner.* alternatively, i could get a carbon monoxide sensor and then when it starts beeping open the window.

for some reason, i was under the impression that as long as gas is being burned, there's not a terrible danger of monoxide poisoning. for example, many people have gas stoves, and there's no concern unless the gas is on and the stove isn't lit. anyone have thoughts on this? shouldn't it be the same for my estufa? and, presumably, if i buy a decent estufa, the chances of dying should be lower...