cblj_backup | (no subject)

I have installed the air conditioner. I FEEL LIKE A GOD.

And everyone who's about to tell me I installed it to early, I know. But it's like the surface of a very humid sun outside, and I'm not going to drown in my own sweat while trying to sleep tonight.

There's a maxim that states that the first slice of pizza a child eats will define pizza for them for the rest of their life (there's a second that says the best hamburger you ever eat will define hamburgers for you, but that's another story). The first urban swamp summer I ever spent -- truly humid, unpleasant, and hot all summer -- was in Boston, and when weather like this hits I can't help but think of it. I adored Boston, was effortlessly happy there despite being dirt poor, but holy fuck it was hot. Even now, when I walk past an open shop door and feel air conditioning blow out of it briefly as I pass, I flash back to Downtown Crossing. Philadelphia was like that too, and don't even get me started on Austin, but Boston came first, and Boston's what I think of.

That was also the summer of the great New York blackout, where Boston was the only city on the eastern seaboard with power, because we had our own grid. I swear to you guys I have a guardian deity and s/he was working overtime that week. (On the other hand, our grid out in Jamaica Plain went down for a half hour around three in the afternoon every day, because too many AC window units were running.)

Anyway, my air conditioner's extensions don't quite fill the window and can't be screwed down because the frame is metal and I'm not allowed to put holes in it, so I use duct tape to keep them extended and fill the quarter-inch gaps all the way around. I had exactly enough duct tape to finish the job this time around. It might look trashy, but I guarantee no bugs will be getting through The Silver Barrier.

Bet you didn't think I could write a whole blog post on air conditioning, did you? MWAHAHAHAHAHA.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The Oregonian recently had a headline--on the front page, mind you--that read: "Scary-bright ball in sky will go away soon". We didn't have a single sunny day between late February and three days ago. Also, it didn't hit 60 degrees between early December (strange in and of itself) and early April. In conclusion: I wish we could combine Portland weather and Chicago weather for a perfect balmy spring.

I'm on the other side of the world to Oregon, but still . . . don't harsh my buzz, man! (Ireland is having lovely weather -- as in weather this SoCal native is wearing tank tops and sandals in -- and I've spent nearly all weekend gardening. I want sun to enjoy the fruits of my labor in too!)

(In case it wasn't actually as obvious as it was in my head, the Oregonian headline inspired the above comment.)

I have a friend in SoCal who used to live up here... when I tell him about the wind, or the pouring rain, or the hail, or the hard frost in the morning, he tells me "... it was a little cloudy today? I think that's the SoCal equivalent."

Well mostly, except for the Santa Ana winds that often help spread wildfires (and used to give me nosebleeds), and the rain-storms in the Winter and Spring that can cause flash floods in the backcounty areas. Most of SoCal weather is much more subtle though. And "Summer" in Ireland usually feels like "Winter" where I grew up . . . plus extra rain, of course.

On the other hand, both places are likely to rain sideways and make umbrellas pretty darn useless.

Coming from the aforementioned Boston, where the weather is as interesting as it sounds like it must be in Oregon (if not more so- 60 in early December? Really?), I've got to ask... don't you get bored in SoCal? If you go a year with no snow, hail storms, torrential rain, and 85-degree heat in the same week, don't you eventually get tired of it and wish for something more exciting?
Or is this just what we tell ourselves in between the heat waves and the blizzards, "We'd miss it if we left," to keep ourselves from moving to Florida?

Speaking as a native: We have weather, we just don't need it to shout at us. :) The weather is one of the things I miss most, I think. That and a certain relaxed flair when it comes to dress. I definitely stand out in a crowd here. (I mean, I never exactly blended in, but. . .)

Of all the permanently migrated snowbirds I've talked to, my parents included, the only thing people seem to miss is having all the trees turn bright colors at the same time. People will occasionally get nostalgic for freshly fallen snow, but then they recall how it looks after two weeks. And besides, if you really want snow, you can drive an hour and a half to the mountains for a day. And you don't have to shovel the walk.

And you don't have to shovel the walk. That's my mom's favorite thing about moving to the south... and I still can't quite believe her. Maybe it's a personality thing, but over a year away I missed the colors and the snow and the joy of spring something fierce. Coming back was a very good decision, though I guess it isn't for everyone- certainly not my mum!
Also, I love your icon. The otter! Hah! *laughs at bad puns*

See, I love the muted olives and browns against the bright blue. I love the smell of coastal sage scrub, of evening ocean air and natal plum. The way the thick fog occasionally rolls over the coast and canyons, but if you go up a big hill you can look over it. The way for just a couple weeks, there's a riot of greens when the winter rains have come and everything's suddenly awake. And the way the hills of Mission Gorge turn purple.

I don't know the rhythms of Ireland yet, but I'm learning to expect daffodils and cherry blossoms, exam weather, and slanted sunlight.

Icon is ripped from Cat and Girl: http://catandgirl.com/?p=2377

I believe they had a tee shirt at one point. :)