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Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Heat Wave, Day II

Well, we're in Day 2 of the East Coast Heat Wave (is Fox News covering this yet?). I actually like this sort of weather, but I pretty much keep quiet about it. You don't make many friends by sitting in an office without a/c, with all the windows open, sipping hot tea when it's 100 degrees outside. People just tend to think you're weird.

The one thing I miss [NOT] about living in the Big City at this time of year is the drama of the electrical transformer explosions. We lived about a block from Central Square, Cambridge, and all the underground transformers were in Central Square. It was like clockwork- right around 3 pm on the very hottest days the power would go out, and about 3 seconds later you'd hear this reverberating 'BOOM' sound from the direction of the Square.

Sometimes the exploding transformers would be really dramatic, like the time the one in front of the copy shop I used exploded and shot the manhole cover about 50 feet in the air just as somebody was about to walk across it (he was ok, but apparently a bit startled...). Another time some manholes around the corner exploded and huge clouds of black smoke billowed out for about half an hour- we got the news choppers and everything!

And then the power would be out for the rest of the afternoon, and all the local convenience stores and the supermarket would hold fast 50%-off sales on all their frozen goods.

Out here in the country on days like this we just sit around watching the tobacco leaves dry.

I'd rather sit around and watch Audrey Tatou dry...

6 comments:

Mike said...

I prefer my Audrey Tatou wet, but that is just me.

I live in fear of hot or extremely cold weather when I am at home because that is when I tend to lose power. Since we are so far out it takes forever to get things fixed and the power back on. A simple power outage usually lasts for days on end and that sucks.

Phoebe Fay said...

For the first time in weeks, I'm sitting here with the A/C turned off, and I'll probably leave it off all day. Highs in the 70s. Woo-hoo!

Catalyst said...

Amazingly, I don't think we've had the a/c on for two entire days here in Arizona. Temp topped out in the low 80's both days. Lovely not to watch the electricity bill soaring.

Forrest Proper said...

mike- well, yes. But in order to dry, she has to be wet first, so we are really in the same place.

phoebe- cold front, eh? Got enuf sweaters?

catalyst- and then there'd dry heat vs. humid heat. The main reason I love the west and hate Florida. Gaaaack. Heat is great, but humidity is the PITS.

Catalyst said...

Exactly right, CC. 'Course, my sister-in-law...who lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida...thinks both you and I are crazy.

jgodsey said...

I'd rather sit around and watch Audrey Tatou dry...

who wouldn't?