One of the less pleasant realities of living in TO is the incredible heat that we experience every summer. Seriously, I had no idea it could get as hot and muggy as it does here on a regular basis. Growing up in the moderately climed Maritimes, a/c was something you only encountered at places like the mall or the grocery store, or in people's cars. In my entire acquaintance growing up, there was only one family who had a/c at home.
The opposite is the case here, with most people having some form of a/c at home, and for reasons I understand but don't necessarily agree with. It's freakin' hot in this city! For those of you who live down home, o loyal blog readers, think of the hottest day of the year, add at least 5 degrees, jack up the humidity and make it last 2 months, with brief stints of relief when it rains. Sleep becomes next to impossible, and all you do is lay there and sweat.
That being said, we do not have a/c in our apartment. Nor will we be getting any. One of my biggest pet peeves is the fact that people use a/c make their homes and/or businesses a temperature that they would deem unfit during the winter. I should not need to wear a sweater inside when it is 35+ degrees outside, people! That's aside from the obvious waste of energy and natural resources that using a/c causes.
Now, I don't think that using a/c is an inherently evil act. There are those for whom the extreme heat of summer is a genuine hazard, such as the elderly or those with certain health concerns. And think of all the people who work in bakeries during the summer - how miserable and/or lethal would that be with no a/c? But outside of these and other such exceptions, I just can't seem to justify the wide-spread use of a/c for comfort (check out the article on a/c and comfort here).
I have therefore accepted the Keep Yer Cool challenge issued by Crunchy Chicken to sweat out the summer without a/c insofar as it is within my power to do so.
So let me ask all of you - how do you keep cool in summer, without a/c? Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated :)
4 comments:
Frozen grapes (even though they often come from waaay too far away). It's not a big deal here, but it was in Fredericton, and they cooled off many a hot afternoon.
Ooh! Cool and yummy - I like it!
Take a cold shower, or jump in Cedar Lake :)
That would be quite a jump from here :)
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