hateful summer

Our air conditioning is out again, just two weeks after we got it fixed. I first noticed it on Thursday night, when it was 75 degrees in the house. At the time, I thought it might be just a worse underperformance than usual. But on Friday it climbed to 85 in the house and we had to face facts: it’s broken again.

Instead of incurring yet another repair bill, we’re hoping to just hold out for cooler temperatures. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday are still in the mid-80s, but after that it drops to the 60s. And it’s October, right? Global warming or no, surely this is the last of the Indian summer.

But for now, it’s miserable in here. This house hoards heat insanely. I step out into the hallway (which is non-air conditioned and usually feels hot) and it’s instant relief. But I can’t keep the hallway door open because roommate is concerned about letting in bugs. You know, even when the cool front hits, it’s going to take some time for this infernal house to cool off…well, we’ll deal with it.

We could, in theory, go somewhere. I’ve done this during an extended power outage: I took the train downtown and spent the whole day camping at the train station Starbucks with my laptop. I could even go to the office (!!) on Monday. But roommate is reluctant to leave the house, and I’m reluctant to leave him in the lurch in case he needs help or something.

I remember two things from high school chemistry. The first is that water has a high specific heat. The second is that water is polar. (This is why you need soap to clean greasy dishes. Water is polar, oil/fat/grease is nonpolar, but soap has a polar end and a nonpolar end so it links up the water and grease.) Anyway, I am enthusiastically making use of chemistry fact #1 by holding a refrigerated water bottle against my face, neck, arms, etc.