Dry, Hot Unemployed Summer(s)— 24 of 31
Or “If you can’t stand the heat…”
I’m a patron of Ninja Writers and this is day twenty-four of the May Medium Post-a-Day Challenge of blogging for 30 consecutive days.
One. Two. Three.Four.Five.Six.Seven.Eight.Nine.Ten.Eleven.Twelve.Thirteen.Fourteen.Fifteen.Sixteen.Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty. Twenty-One. Twenty-Two. Twenty-Three.
“How did I do this?”
My stupid A/C stopped working Monday. It was one hell of a day. Personally and temperature-wise. Oh yeah, and my home warranty expired the day prior and I’d have to renew it to have the unit looked at.
Yes, I did YouTube it. It’s not the capacitor, so I ain’t touching it. I went and bought a box fan from Lowe’s. It’s not so bad.
Lying in bed last night, it reminded me of the six years I spent in California. I never had A/C at either of my two residences, so most of the year was pretty dreadful. Hot weather makes me miserable.
“Well, why would you live in California if you don’t like hot weather?”
Shut up.
GTFO.
But, the misery wasn’t the only memory of the heat.
Oh sure, I hated it. And had no less than two fans going in my room at all times. It was what the heat made me do: Get out of the house.
The house would literally be hotter than outside, so you know, science, first of all.
But, I also got social and put more work into friendships (big deal since I’m shy with new people). I needed to get out of the dry, miserable warmth of the inside and spending time with people seemed like a great incentive. Oh yeah, and getting a job.
Sitting on your ass all day is pretty unappealing when your house/apartment might as well be a pressure cooker (technically, you could be ready in 10 minutes). Those first couple of years had some blazing hot summers. I went without work for some or all (2013) of the them. So, if I couldn’t make some pay, it was time to make some friends.
The great thing about those two incentives to leave the house? They worked in tandem.
People I met at outings (probably through dodgeball) had referrals for their workplace or for others. Business connections. Hell, even just making friends and building trust in people who could one day “know a guy/girl” who could help me.
That and eventually somebody would come along who had a pool or knew somebody with one. Or A/C. If they had both, you treated them (rightfully) like a King or Queen. Pool parties were the jackpot: friends, business connections, and a way to keep cool.
Okay, fine, and hot girls, too.
So while the lack of A/C now is kind of a bummer, I look fondly back on the summers I spent without it. They indirectly made it possible to get where I am today. Things have never been better and it was all because I couldn’t stand sitting in the house in my underwear cursing my lot. I had to do something about it.
But, I still want my damn A/C back.
