Beating the Heat

 

Stamford Town Center a few years ago

It's 7:43 p.m. as I begin typing.

The temperature is 86 degrees, according to Alexa.

I know it was in the 90s at one point today.

Texas will no doubt scoff at us. Florida, Arizona, and others will do so as well.

In fact, it is 112 in Phoenix as we speak.

But, alas, it was in the mid-90s here in the GCH and upper 80s inside the Presidential Suite.

So, yeah, it was warm. Humid. Sticky. 

Hot.

With each night recently, I've slept a little less due to the heat. Yes, I do have air conditioning but, if you know anything about Eversource, our electricity provider, then you know running the AC all night can be a costly decision.

Reminder: I pay often more than double what I paid for electricity in a four-bedroom house in Mahopac.

I ran the AC for a bit before I went to sleep last night but, as has become my thing, I was wide awake at 4 a.m. with a cat that wanted to eat.

I caved in and fed him. I also caved in and turned the AC on.

I slept.

So, caving might have to happen tonight.

Anyway, we've been around the place a bit too much and it gets warm up here. My bedroom gets the warmest for some reason and I've never figured out why.

I've considered trying to sleep in the living room. Heck, I've even considered sleeping on the deck.

But also, we've basically been home since returning from the Renegades' rainy deluge on Monday night.

So I felt we needed a cooling center of sorts to go to, if only for an hour.

I had the idea of going to the Stamford mall.

Ah, yes, the Stamford Town Center. Once a glorious place for fine shopping or even moderately-priced shopping, I knew it was past its sell-by date.

I also knew they had air conditioning.

Beyond that, I knew there was still a Barnes and Noble there and that was enough for me. We could take a walk, see what state the mall is in, and then enjoy the bookstore.

That's exactly what we did, followed by taking a walk to grab some lunch in downtown Stamford.

The mall? Yeah, it's not the place I first walked into in 1988. There are a lot of empty spaces and the quality has certainly changed. That's the world of malls in 2023.

But the mission had been accomplished. 

I suppose I had a vision that Sean would do his thing and I'd do mine. Maybe I'd grab a book and a cup of coffee and read for a bit.

But we stayed together, looking at my usual departments: history, biographies, travel, music, and of course, sports. He was content to tag along and we laughed and talked.

We bought nothing and we walked out. We had lunch and headed back home.

At one point, I sat on the deck and enjoyed a comfortable breeze as the evening progressed before heading back inside.

I sit here now, feeling the heat of this now 78-degree evening, I'm beginning to wind down and look towards a night of potential tossing and turning. We'll see.

At one point, Sean mocked me (when does he not?), calling me "Mr. Florida" for my love of the Sunshine State. He wondered how I would wilt in the heat down there.

But I'd take that heat all day over the cold of a northeastern winter and the godawful snow that comes with it (just not this past winter).

I reminded him what I'd heard about many Floridians during the hotter months.

They go from their air-conditioned house to their air-conditioned car to their air-conditioned office.

"That would be me," I said.

He had no response.

I prefer comfortable temperatures personally. Spring and Fall are always my seasons.

I prefer clothes not sticking to me.

But I'll take this over winter all the time.