An embarrassing moment for a coffee snob
Have you ever heard of seasonal affective disorder? From what I understand, it's a fancy label for the feeling some people get when they don't get enough sun during certain seasons of the year. This causes their mood to drop. I guess that's understandable. You might be a little confused when I say that I think I'm the opposite. I guess I don't mind the sun, especially when it's a cool or cold day. It can be kind of nice. However, there's something special to me about overcast or stormy days. I get a burst of energy and a mood boost from this weather, and I don't know why. I like it especially when it's cold outside. Still, it is nice on cold and cloudy or stormy days to take refuge in a warm and cozy house with a good furnace, particularly when it snows. This is the type of weather that actually gives me a good mood, which is strange when so many other people seem to really miss the sun in the winter. I mean, if I went without it for a very long time, I know I would feel the negative effects, but I love the dark and cold, so long as I can enjoy the comfort of the soft light in my home and warmth from the furnace while I relax and watch the rain or snow fall. I suppose it would be quite a different scenario if I didn't have the advantage of these things to fight off the chill and the darkness.
Why I don’t use air conditioner during my workout
Whiling away the hours during a hurricane can be a drag. We recently were hit with a hurricane that did significant damage to our area, but we did not feel that it was coming close enough for us to evacuate. It turns out, we were barely right. It might have been a good idea to evacuate after all, but we stuck It out. Before all was said and done, the power was out, and the water was seeping in through our doors. It didn't flood the whole house, it just made the entryways wet with puddles. The worst part was losing power. We needed something to take our mind off the heat and humidity. My family did not have access to a generator, and obviously, fans couldn't be blowing or anything like that. But, the tropical storm force winds were actually pretty nice, considering the fact that they gave us quite the stiff breeze! I'll admit that I stuck my head outside every now and then to feel the cool wind, because of the lack of A/C. To pass the time, I played many games of solitaire and listened to radio programs with my family that I would not normally even knew existed, because all we had was a battery operated radio when it came to electronics. We also played board games together as a family. We also got the chance to have good conversations, at least. Despite the time of fellowship that we had, I can tell you that there's nothing quite like the feeling of the lights suddenly coming back on without warning as well as the air conditioner kicking in, but especially the air conditioner kicking in! It's an incredible feeling after three days!
What’s the opposite of SAD?
There are all sorts of methods that I use to sleep well. From sleep supplements to the atmosphere in the room, many things need to come together for me to get a good night's rest. I'm just grateful that it's gotten to the point where I have found a way to sleep well, more or less, every night. The only thing that stands in my way when it comes to getting a good night's rest, admittedly, is my reluctance to go to bed early, despite the fact that I have to wake up early for work. But, that has nothing to do with actually being able to sleep. I sleep fine on the weekends when I can sleep in. I mentioned sleep supplements, and I also read before bed, which helps me sleep, but the number one thing that helps me sleep is a cool room with fans blowing right on me. I will even have fans blowing in my room in the winter. However, I tend to point them away from me when it gets really cold in my room. Still, I prefer the A/C running and fans running in my room throughout the night to sleep well. There is something about the combination of a cool, crisp room combined with the droning fan motor and being nestled in thick blankets that really makes it easy to sleep for me. Without the benefit of a cool room, and especially without the benefit of a fan or multiple fans for that matter, it makes it significantly more difficult for me to sleep.
My morning commute to work is typically quite enjoyable. Well, it would be far more enjoyable if I wasn't half asleep. All things considered, however, at least I am comfortable during my commute Thanks to my car's air conditioner or heater, depending on the season. It's that quiet moment of solace that I get before I have to start the work day where I can sit in my car and reflect and think or maybe doze at the wheel a little bit. Well, not really, but it's almost like a sort of wakeful nap. Recently, however, my commutes have been uncomfortable and frustrating, the reason being, my air conditioner has given out on me! These past few mornings have been very warm, and I have gotten no respite from them. It's also oppressively humid, so opening the windows for air flow is not the greatest solution. Besides, there's all sorts of noise and car exhaust smells when I open the windows as I'm driving to work. I need to get my air conditioner in my car fixed as soon as possible! I know I won't have time until the weekend, though. It's only Wednesday, so I've got two more days in the heat, and the weather isn't getting any cooler. At least my office is well air conditioned once I get out of my car and leave the parking lot and step through the lobby. I have no idea what happened to my car's air conditioner, and I really hope that the repairs aren't costly.
My methods for sleep
URL
After a few consecutive nights of not getting very much rest, I was desperately craving my bed yesterday evening. I was only halfway through the work week, and I needed a decent evening of sleep in order to recharge to make it through the rest of the week. Nothing was going to stop me from getting into bed early. There always seems to be something or another that occupies my attention to where I don't get enough rest, but this time, I genuinely went to bed with enough time to spare to sleep well. I could hardly believe it as I closed my eyes. Tomorrow would be better after all! A mere two hours later, I couldn't believe my rotten luck! My power was cut off! I knew immediately, because my fan that is always on my nightstand turned off, and I can't sleep without the noise from my fan. I also couldn't sleep without the air conditioner! I laid there in bed, willing the power to come back on as quickly as possible. Five minutes turned into ten minutes and ten minutes turned into thirty minutes. I wanted to cry. By that time it was already hot and stuffy in my room. For three hours, I was without power that evening. There wasn't even a thunderstorm outside that could have caused a lightning strike to knock out power. Finally, after three hours, my power kicked back on. However, by then, it was 3:00 a.m., and I only had three more hours before I needed to get up for work! Three hours had been stolen from me!
My car A/C trouble
Why did it have to be so hot on Halloween evening this year? It was actually cool and crisp throughout most of October. Then, in the last week of October, we ended up getting a miniature heatwave. As I was getting my kids ready to go out trick-or-treating, I checked the temperature and I was astounded! It was 82° outside! It's not even that hot on summer evenings around here, sometimes! Worst of all, I had chosen a costume a couple weeks prior without thinking about the possibility that it was going to be hot outside. It was a big, old, furry gorilla suit! My kids thought it was hilarious, but I dreaded going outside and leaving my air-conditioned house far more than the way I looked. Still, I'm a firm believer that Halloween can be one of the most fun and exciting holidays in the year for kids, so I resolved to take my kids out trick-or-treating, despite how swelteringly hot and sweaty I would end up being traipsing around the neighborhood with them. It's not like I was going to let them go all by themselves at this age! Sure enough, there wasn't even a slight breeze outside and it was hot and muggy. Quite often, when we got to a door and rang the doorbell, I felt a rush of cool air hit my gorilla mask as the door opened, and I truly wished that I could be inside in the air conditioning handing out candy like these other people! However, my kids showed no sign of flagging energy, and their candy sacks were not even quite halfway full, so it was still going to be a long night!
In the summer heat, my brother contents himself with three portable air conditioning systems. They're placed in the same three areas the space heaters are placed in, and they keep things nice and cool!
Trick-or-treating on a hot evening
How my brother keeps comfortable in his single wide mobile home
The single wide mobile home, while spacious, is still small enough to where he only really needed three space heaters
My brother has always cared far more about the piece of land that he lives on than the actual home that he occupies on that land. Still, I have to admit that he has a pretty darn nice set up. He lives in a single wide mobile home that he’s managed to supe up into a very nice place to live! Everything is well-maintained and well furnished, and I have to admit that it looks nicer inside than many people’s regular homes. He also designs the layout and furnishes it in such a way that you barely notice that it’s a mobile home. The only thing he was initially concerned about when he moved in was the thin walls and lack of insulation. We live in the Midwest, so weather can be quite brutal on both extreme ends. The summers can be very hot and the winters can be super cold. My brother loves to save a buck whenever and wherever he can. He figured he could remain comfortable while using the simplest climate control implements for his home. The single wide mobile home, while spacious, is still small enough to where he only really needed three space heaters. There’s one in his bedroom, one in the kitchen area, and one in the living room area. Even in the dead of the winter, this is sufficient to keep him warm as long as he wears an extra layer of clothing and has thick blankets for his bed.
I'm not big on concerts
Outdoor concerts don’t really appeal to me all that much.
- It has to be a very entertaining band for me to be willing to stand out there in the heat surrounded and pressed in by people just as sweaty as I am.
Sure, you can order a beer, but it comes in a plastic cup and it’s pretty much lukewarm really quick. I’d rather chug ice cold water while I’m out there. Better yet, I’d rather not be out there at all! Give me an indoor venue with great air conditioning, however, and I’ll actually enjoy myself. Well, as long as people don’t get up in my personal space too much. If it sounds like concerts really aren’t for me in general, maybe you’re right. The main thing is my comfort level. I’ve been to some indoor concerts that are just too cold. I get they’re trying to keep us cool because we’re packed in like sardines and that generates a lot of heat, but you can overdo it, especially with giant commercial air conditioners! I know that some people feel like there’s nothing quite like listening to their favorite band live, and I get that. However, I think I genuinely prefer getting a great sound system for my vehicle or my house and listening to the music that way. Then, I can set whatever temperature I please, and enjoy the music in peace and privacy. If I don’t sound like much fun, well, I definitely never said I was an extrovert. I’m sure there’s plenty of people that feel the same way, however.