Talk About Tuesday

 

In Which I Am A Melty Birb

Well, summer has well and truly hit my hometown. It's HHH - Hazy, Hot, and Humid today, and I cannot believe how awful it is out there. Anyone from the US South can make fun of me all I want, but I'm a Yankee tubbins who can theoretically walk into the sea from my house in an hour or less, so I'm never going to be accustomed to such a wretched triple threat.

For reference, today's high was 90℉/32℃ with about 58% humidity. It feels like about 92℉/33,3℃ in the sun, but I'm not going outside. You couldn't pay me to be out there today. I'd die.

I'm not being dramatic, I know enough about the way my body traps heat to know that this is deadly weather for me. Pathetic? Eh, it's just life for me. I'm not 12 anymore. I can't just melt in the sun without consequences.

So what am I up to today?

I've... not been doing much. Most of my efforts are focused on not exhausting myself and not overheating. Water has been chugged, coffee has been drank, a shower was taken, and the massive AC we bought a few years ago has been dragged out of the basement and set up downstairs.

Which is great for my mom and the cat, who are downstairs, but upstairs is a good 10-20 degrees warmer!

I try to stay upstairs, even on hot days like this. It's not just my stubborn, hermitlike nature, though. I like to watch videos and read and write, and those are not easy to do when the tv is on and playing Price is Right reruns lol.

Popping downstairs every hour or so for more water, a bathroom break, a light snack, etc is how I tend to survive hot days like this. No one is expecting me to be silent and hidden in my room tonight, thankfully, so I'll be roaming the house after the sun goes down, pulling the shade in my room, switching the window fan from exhaust to intake, and again, seeking water.

For the most part, today has been alright. I've reached my limit a couple of times and had to retreat downstairs, but mostly I've been able to stay up here and blog, wind some yarn balls to get them out of the tangle, and listen to some N64 tunes.

The tentative plan for this week (in spite of the heat wave) is thus:

• Art on Thursday - I've had no suggestions yet, so if you're interested in buying me a coffee with your choice of category (Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Location, Geometric, Word) please do!
• If the weather is good on Saturday, I'll talk about a game I've been playing!
• Next Monday should involve some more updates on the Secret Project, but if not, I've got other things I could talk about (like this massive yarn tangle I've been working on...)
• Next Tuesday I'll be back to blather and probably whine and cry about the heat lol

I'm excited to see where this sweaty week takes me, but hopefully if you're also enduring heat, you're taking care of yourself, so here are a few words of advice from one wilting wallflower to others:

• Your home should be as cavelike as possible during the day. Hide from the sun like a vampire. The sun is your worst enemy now. Close all blinds and shades and curtains!
• If you open a window for ventilation, find another window to open as well because otherwise it will do nothing - you must cross-ventilate!
• There are many instructions for a "swamp cooler" available on the internet. If you don't have an AC unit or any other kind of aircon, please build one. Heat kills.
• Hydrate or diedrate. I'm not even being funny - you must replace your fluids. Constantly be sipping clean water. If you bought bottled water, freeze some of them and use them as ice packs. You can also drink from them as they melt and refill them to replace the water you drank.
• If you have frozen treats, enjoy them. Slowly. Don't give yourself brain freeze!
• Damp washcloths on the back of the neck, forearms, and feet can help you cool off, too, if you're in front of or underneath a fan. This is evaporative cooling. Take advantage.
• Don't move if you don't have to.
• Stay out of the kitchen and block it and any room you won't be spending much time in off from the rest of the house, if possible. Believe it or not, your toilet can help keep your bathroom cooler than it otherwise might be, but your kitchen will always be hotter because of your refrigerator.

I think that'll do it for my advice. Hopefully you're already doing a bunch of this, but if I've given you any ideas that help you, that makes me happy.

Go Enjoy Something, fellow Toasted Marshmallows!

FC