Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Climate Control Freak
Summer has hit Underwood High School...hard. At least so far as temperature is concerned. This year, we have so far been fortunate that the warm weather and humidity that characterize summer in the city (back of your neck getting hot and gritty...) have basically stayed away. Until now. Maybe it's because of final exams. Some cosmic being in control of weather and with a terrible sense of humor must have figured that if the kids are going to be miserable studying for finals, one may as well make them really miserable by turning the school into an oven. And me with only one box fan.
Equally annoying, to me anyway, is that there's no escape from the heat, even at home. I love my apartment, but being on the top floor of the building means I have direct solar exposure on my roof the entire day such that when I return home, it's often nearly 90 degrees inside. My little air conditioner unit can't cool the whole apartment. At least not without leaving it on a long time. Since electricity (and A/C) are not included in the rent, the best I can do is turn it on when I get home, sit nearby to cool off a little bit, and then use a fan for other cooling needs farther away from the actual machine.
To me the whole thing is reminiscent of sitting by a fireplace, it's like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. The teacher gets home, takes off his shoes, pours himself a glass of lemonade and sits in his easy chair by a roaring air conditioner.
By the way, for those who care, F-Day has so far lived up to its name. Top score in my homeroom? 66!
Summer has hit Underwood High School...hard. At least so far as temperature is concerned. This year, we have so far been fortunate that the warm weather and humidity that characterize summer in the city (back of your neck getting hot and gritty...) have basically stayed away. Until now. Maybe it's because of final exams. Some cosmic being in control of weather and with a terrible sense of humor must have figured that if the kids are going to be miserable studying for finals, one may as well make them really miserable by turning the school into an oven. And me with only one box fan.
Equally annoying, to me anyway, is that there's no escape from the heat, even at home. I love my apartment, but being on the top floor of the building means I have direct solar exposure on my roof the entire day such that when I return home, it's often nearly 90 degrees inside. My little air conditioner unit can't cool the whole apartment. At least not without leaving it on a long time. Since electricity (and A/C) are not included in the rent, the best I can do is turn it on when I get home, sit nearby to cool off a little bit, and then use a fan for other cooling needs farther away from the actual machine.
To me the whole thing is reminiscent of sitting by a fireplace, it's like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. The teacher gets home, takes off his shoes, pours himself a glass of lemonade and sits in his easy chair by a roaring air conditioner.
By the way, for those who care, F-Day has so far lived up to its name. Top score in my homeroom? 66!
