October 1

When I parked my car in the middle school pickup line this afternoon, it was a moderate 107 degrees outside. Over the course of the next half hour, it rose to a toasty 113.

It's true that I was sitting in full sunlight so the air itself probably wasn't quite that hot, but as I wandered around picking up the errant traffic cones that the office staff forgot to grab from the parking lot, I mused that it would be accurate to call the temp uncomfortable. Oppressive, even. Definitely hot with a capital H.

Although I'm not generally one to keep my engine running (even though I have a hybrid), I made an exception to my rule for obvious reasons. And that air conditioning felt really, really good.

So today I'm grateful for air conditioners. All of them. Because they have the power to make less than great situations much more palatable.