I am beginning to
have a personal understanding of why crime rates rise in hot
weather.  This heat has me more than a little cranky.  It was
at least 105 degrees yesterday.  Today was supposed to be about
five degrees cooler, but you could’ve fooled me.  Our air
conditioner is broken, and at 8:45 p.m. it is still downright miserable
in here.  I have no desire to do anything at all, and yet I feel
guilty that I spent a whole day doing absolutely nothing but trying not
to stick to the couch.  I’m currently working on reading five
different books … probably because I don’t have enough patience to
stick to one thing for more than two minutes.   That’s about
how long the intervals are between Toshi’s reminders that it seems
hotter than last year.  No, really?

We
spent yesterday traveling from one air conditioned place to another …
for thirteen hours!  We went to breakfast, my parents’ house, the
movies, the mall, IKEA, the Great Indoors, dinner, another mall, Home
Depot, and *gasp* WalMart.  It turns my stomach and goes against
all my principles to even think of setting foot in a WalMart, but
that’s just how desperate I was to find some relief in the form of a
fan that will fit in the bedroom window.  It was the only place
open; I still find it alarming that I was willing to stoop that
low.  (For more on WalMart, go here to the website for The High Cost of Low Prices.)

I am working half
days for the next week and a half.  Our district finally, after
eons of using (or not using) the same outdated textbook, has formed a
social studies committee charged with piloting new social studies
programs.  I am so excited about the possibilities and even moreso
about the air conditioning!  For the next three days we will be
hearing presentations from publishers.  For the following two days
the committee will be selecting two programs to pilot, and I will be
joining a second committee to create curriculum for third grade about
our local history.  It will be nice to be with like-minded people
who still believe that the content areas are important even though
they’re not on The Test.

I hope you’re all finding some way to keep cool. 

Quote of the Day:

It’s hot!
I can’t get cool,
I’ve drunk a quart of lemonade.
I think I’ll take my shoes off
And sit around in the shade.

It’s hot!
My back is sticky,
The sweat rolls down my chin.
I think I’ll take my clothes off
And sit around in my skin.

It’s hot!
I’ve tried with ‘lectric fans,
And pools and ice cream cones.
I think I’ll take my skin off
And sit around in my bones.

It’s still hot!
               
              
   ~Shel Silverstein