Electric Josh

Tuesday, July 02, 2002

A man named Steve Fossett has circled the world in a hot air balloon. In other, equally interesting news, I'm watching TV. Dude, TV is awesome. A-and I have a glass of water sitting next to me. Rock on! #

...

We have arrived at the point in the summer when it no longer makes sense to go outside for any reason at all. The air is hazy and doesn't move. I find myself looking forward to a house full of air that is yet warmer and stiller, and maybe as steamy. The air conditioning on the train can almost keep up, but not quite. Everyone is coated with a shiny layer of sweat that adheres clothes to the skin and will not evaporate. Our recent houseguests from San Francisco were saying last night how wonderful it was that one could wear daytime summer clothes at night. "I could definitely live here. This is a pretty cool town," they'd say. How they failed to notice their muggy discomfort is kind of beyond me.

Growing up in central Vermont, there was always one week during the summer when the weather was unbearable. The temperature would approach 90 and the wind would stop. How can people live like this? When it's insanely cold in the middle of winter in Vermont, one can put on a bunch of layers and go outside, ski, walk around. In the summer all you can do is sit around in an air conditioned box of one sort or another, maybe take a cold bath. In Pennsylvania, I'd sit in cold bathwater with a book for an hour or so, which helped.

Yet another reason to worry about global warming. #