The high temperature in Phoenix and most of the surrounding communities was 119 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday. Once in the 30 years my sister has lived here the temperature passed 120; that day Sky Harbor airport closed because the lift charts many aircraft use don't go any farther, so it's not safe for them to fly. The next two days are supposed to be as hot if not hotter, so we may be seeing grounded planes again this weekend.
My official work day at the church ends at noon, but on extremely hot afternoons I'm tempted to stay there and bask in the office air conditioning. Because I'm on a time-sensitive rate plan with the electric utility, my house is pretty toasty between noon (when the rates and my thermostat go up) and 7pm (when they both come back down). On days like today, even if I wanted the house to be cooler in the afternoons, my heat pump wouldn't be able to deliver; it worked hard all day trying (and failing) to keep the place at 82. I have nothing but respect for those who lived in this area in the days before air conditioning.
OK, I could hang out at the mall (also much chillier than my home), but doing that without spending more than I should is pretty difficult. My preferred alternative is a short nap under the ceiling fan. Of course, if it turns into a long nap, I'm courting insomnia at night.
Maybe the real answer is to temporarily become nocturnal. I could sleep from noon until 7pm and then stay up all night long, at least until the weather breaks.
Just call me "WOL."
"...Owl, wise though he was in many ways, able to read and write and spell his own name WOL..." ~A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh
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