Thoughts on a Saturday Night: Radiant Heat

Just got back from work a little bit ago. Although a 7am start time is early on a Saturday morning (especially when you've been up until almost 1am Skype-ing with friends), I still prefer the morning shift where I'm done and home again by late afternoon. Now that my study session has been canceled, I have the evening ahead of me. (I should still be studying.)

I came home from work to a chilly apartment. Chicago apartment living means I only partially control the heat in my place; I can turn the radiator on, but the boiler down in the basement has to have been activated in order to send the hot water to me three floors up. I've been told there are 5 or 6 temperature gauges around the building, which tell the boiler when it's cold enough outside to allow tenants to turn on the radiators. I realize I'm from Southern California and all but shouldn't 41F outside be considered cold enough to activate the heat? Apparently not cause I've been sitting here under a blanket as my feet turned to ice cubes.

And then I heard the noise. It sounded like rocks tumbling in a pipe. Over and over, rattling away, letting me know my feet won't be ice cubes for long. Cause apparently that's the noise radiators make. (Just checked the temperature, it's 39F. Forty degrees must be the magic number.)