hummingwolf (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
hummingwolf) wrote2006-07-18 12:04 am
hummingwolf) wrote2006-07-18 12:04 am
(no subject)
Here in the Metropolitan Washington region this week, the weather is coming straight from Hell and the atmosphere is a thick, ugly sludge that wants to suffocate us all. On the plus side, bus rides are free tomorrow (at least in the MD and VA suburbs).
In other news... wait, forget other news, it'll only depress you. Well, except for the news that pollution can be good for something: "EVERY cloud has a silver lining. A contaminated lake designated hazardous is turning out to be a source of novel chemicals that could help fight migraines and cancer."
So today, after wasting time here in the un-air-conditioned house long enough to develop various signs of personal impending doom (headache, dizziness, nausea, the desire to watch daytime TV), I finally dragged myself into the sunshine long enough to get myself to the library where I could relax, read magazines, and quietly freeze to death. I could stay in the climate-controlled building for only so long (about an hour) before I had to go back out into the burning world to thaw out, so the several hours I spent enjoying the A/C in the library & other buildings were combined with several miles of walking. It could almost average out to a happy medium.
One of the places I walked was a wooded path I must not have visited since the storms earlier in the month. On the streets closer to home, I'd seen a big tree or two leaning on a building, but most of the trees have been chopped up into manageable pieces before I've gotten to them. On and near the path today, huge trees were lying uprooted. People keep saying that we had something like a 300-year storm, but you might forget what that means till you've seen a bunch of 100- or 200-year-old trees scattered helplessly on the ground.
Smaller plants seem to be loving this weather, though. I stopped for a while to watch bumblebees and tiger swallowtails feasting in a garden planted with healthy, meticulously-arranged wildflowers. Also watched for a good long while when I passed by the pond with the Canada geese. The goslings are still considerably smaller than their parents, but their colors now are very much like those the adults wear.
Midnight now and I am turning into a pumpkin. Here's hoping the bedroom cools off enough and I don't wake up to discover that I've become a baked squash.
In other news... wait, forget other news, it'll only depress you. Well, except for the news that pollution can be good for something: "EVERY cloud has a silver lining. A contaminated lake designated hazardous is turning out to be a source of novel chemicals that could help fight migraines and cancer."
So today, after wasting time here in the un-air-conditioned house long enough to develop various signs of personal impending doom (headache, dizziness, nausea, the desire to watch daytime TV), I finally dragged myself into the sunshine long enough to get myself to the library where I could relax, read magazines, and quietly freeze to death. I could stay in the climate-controlled building for only so long (about an hour) before I had to go back out into the burning world to thaw out, so the several hours I spent enjoying the A/C in the library & other buildings were combined with several miles of walking. It could almost average out to a happy medium.
One of the places I walked was a wooded path I must not have visited since the storms earlier in the month. On the streets closer to home, I'd seen a big tree or two leaning on a building, but most of the trees have been chopped up into manageable pieces before I've gotten to them. On and near the path today, huge trees were lying uprooted. People keep saying that we had something like a 300-year storm, but you might forget what that means till you've seen a bunch of 100- or 200-year-old trees scattered helplessly on the ground.
Smaller plants seem to be loving this weather, though. I stopped for a while to watch bumblebees and tiger swallowtails feasting in a garden planted with healthy, meticulously-arranged wildflowers. Also watched for a good long while when I passed by the pond with the Canada geese. The goslings are still considerably smaller than their parents, but their colors now are very much like those the adults wear.
Midnight now and I am turning into a pumpkin. Here's hoping the bedroom cools off enough and I don't wake up to discover that I've become a baked squash.
no subject
Damn, if the environment doesn't adapt. :) I love it.
As to the heat..it could be worse.
You could have my cold. :(
no subject
You could have my cold. :(
Given the choice between having the heat making it impossible for me to sleep *and* giving me symptoms of heat exhaustion before I've barely even begun moving for the day (headache & nausea already? oh joy!), making me even more likely to pass out, leaving me unable to think actual thoughts for very long while wrecking my ability to sit upright and do mindless stuff at the computer to keep myself entertained during my continued headachy insomnia...
or having your cold *and* air-conditioning...
Well, exactly how bad is that cold? 'Cos right now, I'm thinking that both our bodies are being unkind to us, but at least you have A/C.
::hugs::
no subject
no subject
Yesterday the A/C felt *wonderful* when I first walked into the building. I really have no way of guessing how cold it was in there, because it took maybe half an hour to stop feeling like I was overheated.
no subject
I hope you find some shade, today. I'll be thinking about you.
oh, not me!
I live in Florida and honey, the summers here are just w-a-a-ay too hot!!
Re: oh, not me!
Re: oh, not me!
Left again in 1993 and moved back in 1999.
Only once have I lived in FL without a/c and that was just horrible!!
I lived in Tennessee for five years and fell head over heels in love with the Smoky Mtns.
Even now I miss them.
What makes a mountain girl want to move to FL.....oh yeah, wait....THE OCEAN, right?
Despite my griping about the summer heat, I don't think i'd rather be anywhere but here.
Y'all come on down!!
Re: oh, not me!
Re: oh, not me!
As for the hurricanes, well. Yeah they can be very nervewracking but *knock wood* our area hasn't been badly hit in many years.
We're in the proces of having a new house built so naturally, I'm really concerned about this precious new abode. But now with the new laws, it has to have extra protection - like big steel rods placed all around at intervals and steel bracing on all the junctions of the roof trusses.
It's a tradeoff - but I'll tell you - in the winter when everyone else is digging snow, I sure don't mind our nice weather. Being in Northeast Florida, it does still get cold here - but never snow.
Of course now that I've said that, we'll probably have a major blizzard this winter! LOL
Re: oh, not me!
If I move to FL I will probably want to be on the Gulf Coast, more specifically Northwest FL (Destin and such). I am in absolute *love* with the white sand beaches there. They amaze me.
whoa
Given the horrible heat indexes in your area - and everywhere else, it seems - it can even be dangerous to be without a/c. Please - take care of yourself!
But I agree wholeheartedly with your observation about the extremely c-c-cold a/c in most public buildings. Seems to me it should be universarlly agreed to maintain all thermostats at 72 degrees or thereabouts. It's very detrimental to our environment to keep those thermostats turned so low - it makes the heat pumps work overtime....and when everyone does it, uh - can you say "rolling power blackouts?"
Sorry I tend to go off on tangents where the heat is concerned.
Read my latest rant
Hang in there!
Re: whoa