It was really hot in LA last weekend. The mercury reached triple digits and was the cause of way too many deaths and blackouts. In my west LA apartment, I closed all the blinds and tried to keep it as dark and cool as possible. I’ve lived in the same place for 7 years and have never needed a fan. I dressed in light clothes and drank lots of cool water. And when I couldn’t handle it anymore, I went and watched a movie.
Back in Hacienda Heights, it was much worse. My grandparents were the main beneficiaries of the new portable air conditioner which only cools up one room of the house. The rest of the house — which gets a lot of sunlight — was as hot inside as it was outside. Lori and I washed my car and tried to cool down with water from the water hose, it helped like it did when we were kids. A cool shower didn’t help much, according to Robbie, a family friend. Robbie said the cold water ran hot for at least ten minutes.
Further east in Ontario, my cousin Valerie asked tío Pancho if she could turn on the central air conditioning. They never turn on the a/c, even though it gets pretty hot out in the Inland Empire. Valerie didn’t want a/c so she and her sister could cool down. Nope, the a/c was for the crying puppies. As soon as the house cooled down, the puppies quieted down, snuggled together and fell asleep.
La pregunta: How do you deal with the sweltering heat (and humidity, if that affects your part of the country)?
