Friday, July 14, 2006

My Arctic Apartment

I've developed a cold. I actually seem to get all my colds in the summer. Does anyone else have this problem? It's my powerful air conditioner. Mine turns my apartment into a freaking ice box. It's like that in a lot of places in New York, including my office. Indoor New York can be freezing! It's like people here react to steamy temperatures by turning the insides of buildings into habitats fit for polar bears. I have central air in my apartment, but even at the lowest setting, I'm shivering twenty minutes later. But if I turn it off, it gets hot again. So I'm constantly having to turn it on and off while I'm sitting at home. I remember once when a friend asked me what BTU she should get for her A/C. She said the guy at the store told her to get a unit that was like 2,000,000 BTU or something ridiculous like that. Well, I advised her to just get the smaller unit if it's just for her bedroom because my A/C gives me pneumonia.

I know a lot of people don't have air conditioners, and I'm sure in this weekend's heat wave, I will be the object of envy by many. But this summer when I'm at home and work, I'll be pulling out my fleece and drinking my hot cocoa to keep me warm.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

blanket, tea, saltines, repeat...

teahouse said...

Gosh! My only suggestion is to just turn the damn thing off and rely on fans and open your windows.

My air conditioners are wall units, but they do freeze the place up rapidly. So I too am turning them off and on. But I've never heard of anyone having to do that with central a/c!

And I'm with you on the office buildings. Mine is always freezing.