Thursday, July 16, 2009

Weekend Assignment #275: Staying cool

Really, I should have no problem with this since I'm cool like The Fonz. (For you kids out there under age 30, go here to find out who The Fonz was.)

Anyway, Karen wants to talk about summer. How do we stay cool, beat the heat, whatever other term there might be for it.

Weekend Assignment: #275: What's your favorite way to stay cool in the summer? Is this even an issue where you live?

The good thing about this summer, so far, is it has been very cool here in the Chicago area. This spring was one of the coolest, and wettest we've had, and the summer hasn't changed much. It's not quite as wet, but it is certainly cool. There are a lot of people around here complaining about the lack of heat, but, I'm sorry, those people are just plain wrong. What is so wrong with it being warm enough to wear shorts, but not so warm that you can't go to the end of the driveway with out a water station set up there?

I guess you can say, I'm loving this summer. The humidity has been low, the temperature has been nice, there really isn't a whole lot to complain about. Sure, you can't go to the outdoor pools very often, or the beach for that matter, but so what? If you had a pool in your backyard I could understand the frustration, but otherwise there is not a whole lot to complain about. Maybe it's just me, but I don't like driving to a pool in order to get splashed and trampled by a million other people. And the beaches around here aren't all that great. When they are even open that is. We seem to get a lot of closures due to contamination in the water near the beaches. Doesn't that sound fun? Let's go swim in filth!

Sorry, I'm totally getting off the subject of this assignment. What I usually do during the very hot days of summer, is sit in the air conditioned house. Summer isn't all that long here, but when we get the really warm days it is usually accompanied by high humidity thanks to the warm, moist air from the Gulf. It's not fun. Heat is one thing, but when the air is so thick that you can actually see it, it's just unbearable. So, the air conditioner is your friend around here. I crank it up in the car and in the house. The electric bill isn't so fun, but I don't stick to the couch. That us totally worth it right there.

Extra Credit: Was climate a significant factor in deciding to live where you do?

I've lived here all my life, so I really didn't get to pick the climate. I don't know where the weather is perfect all year round. I don't think that place exists, at least in the United States. Maybe when Jenn and I retire we'll do something like our neighbors do, go somewhere warm in the winter, then come back here for the summer. Of course, we need money for that.

So, how's the weather by you this summer?


3 comments:

Karen Funk Blocher said...

I'm glad you're having pleasant weather this summer. It helps to balance out the not-so-pleasant weather elsewhere!

Florinda said...

I really hope that humidity stays low for at least another week - I'm not used to it any more! (And neither is my hair.)

And honestly, beaches are among the last things I associate with Chicago :-).

Mike said...

Karen: I know. Some of the plains states are baking. I feel a little bad for them. A little. At least your heat has low humidities, for the most part.

Florinda: It doesn't seem to want to get any warmer, so you should be okay.

We have a lot of beaches along Lake Michigan, whether or not you want to go there is another story. :)