It All Comes Back to Me Now
The weather report says it will never be cool again.
Or at least it say that it probably won’t be cool again in the next week or so. In the meantime, summer has finally caught up with my air conditioner and the apartment is beginning to swelter. Morning comes with a feeling like a hangover because of overnight dehydration. This morning I found myself seriously contemplating a gin and tonic at 10 as I sat like a vampire, shades drawn and lights out, in the living room of my apartment.
Two summers ago I lived in a hell-hole near Porter Square, drunk from mid-July through mid-August, since rum and gin were my substitutes for air-conditioning. Temporary relief would arrive in the form of a sunless sky and a sudden downpour, but then the humidity would siphon whatever life was left in the apartment. My neighbors, who refused to put trash in dumpsters because they were rich and paid a guy to collect trash every couple days, left their dainty little trash bags mouldering in the fire escape doorways that led down to the building’s basement. Doing laundry was a descent into hell, and then the roaches arrived.
So this could be way, way worse.
Still, it’s late and I’d like to go to bed, except it’s an inferno in there and MK is already asleep in there, slowly melting into the sheets. And to be honest with you, this is the first time it’s been bearable in this apartment all day. I want to enjoy the respite from this heat.
Would it be crazy to go nocturnal?
You’re a freelancer. Your schedule is much less dependent on that of others than for most of us. I say: do it! Go as nocturnal as you can.
Alternately: start telling people you’re now on Hawaii time. That should work…
Work takes me to the northeast for the duration of each July, and I am experiencing firsthand this unpleasant weather to which you refer. I don’t know *how* people are able to sleep in it. I’m fortunate enough to escape to a hotel room with a good air conditioning unit at the end of my day.
Although yesterday was a short work day for me, no good circumstance usually goes unpunished: Last night’s hop deposited me in Teterboro, NJ, where just after 9pm with darkness finally having set in, I had the displeasure of walking around on the ramp outside (in long sleeves and tie, no less!) where it was still 95 degrees with a steamy dewpoint hovering around 70, initially in long sleeves and a tie, no less. Suckage! And to think only six months ago, I was walking around out there feeling like a block of ice in the zero wind chill.
It’s only been a week on the road, but already I am thinking about getting home to California.
Rob, is it your birthday soon? If so, steer the b-day present negotiations amongst your friends toward a new (or another) a/c unit. If it is not your birthday soon, then I recommend you concoct a new July holiday where it is customary for friends to buy you a gift. In the meantime, get thee to an air-conditioned location with free wi-fi!
The problem is my building doesn’t have central air, just window units, and it is simply too hot for my AC to keep up now. Maybe it is a little less powerful than it was when it was new (though I’m not sure about that) but I think the greater issue is that the rest of my building is hotter than hell and the outside air isn’t much better. But yeah, I should really just set up shop in the nearest Starbucks or ice cream parlor and stay there until Labor Day.
Sorry to hear you’re stuck here for the summer heat wave. It’s a rough place to be, although to be fair, it seems like this only goes on for about 6 weeks each year. Where I’m from, it was always straight from icy winters to blazing summers. We get some nice in-between here in Boston.
Well, if you’re getting a new a/c, may I recommend National? We’ve got one of its wall units that is about as old as I am – so about 20.
It regularly reaches mid-high 30 Celsius at 80% humidity in Kong Kong; and last time I went back, the damn thing’s still chugging along nicely like a loud, obnoxious zombie. It can only adequately cool about 500ft^2, though, unless you want to max it out 24/7, which I suspect affects its longevity somewhat.
Actually, do air conditioning units act as dehumidifiers, too? Cause the heat’s only half the fun.
My understanding is that, yes, an A/C does cut the humidity as well. But it has to work harder when conditions are humid, and ice builds up inside the machine, reducing the effectiveness of the cooling action.
I think I might end up getting a box fan to help the cold air circulate a bit better around the apartment. The big problem is cooling off the bedroom enough to sleep. Right now my sleep-aid is gaming until exhaustion sets in.