Also “gross”.
“Sticky” works too.
Feels like 108°F is not really ever what you’re looking for when you check the weather.
So it’s Indoor Weather, for those of us who have that choice. For me this gets in the way a little bit for things like riding the bike, but I did one of those anyway on Tuesday evening and today I plan to do some walking and stadium stairs despie the weather.
Fortunately this patch of hot and humid weather — did I forget to mention stormy, with loud thunderstorms, thunder and lightning, high winds, and a few tornado warnings for some extra fun — is due to end tonight with much more pleasant weather for the weekend.
Nighttime lows over the next few days: around 60. Turn off the AC, open the windows, feel some cool night air, good for sleeping.
It’s amazing how different the day can feel depending on something we have zero control over: the weather.
But as I have to remind myself often during the warmer months, “it’s Summer in Chicago”, and you do what you gotta do despite the weather, and despite these warnings they issue for hot weather, as if nobody ever had to deal with it before. I strongly reject such pandering to fear, a very noticeable trend in weather reporting over the last 20-30 years (and all types of news, really). It’s exhausting and I will not be a party to manipulaion like that.
There’s a fine line between sensible adaptation and living in fear. Most of us used to know where that line is, and didn’t need weather scolds screeching at us to avoid dying on any given day.
I’m very fatalistic about such things. Bring it on. We’ve seen it all before, right? Yes we have. And life has always presented challenges to everyone who ever lived, in fact, far more challenges than we face in our pampered existence in the 21st century. There’s nothing special about our time here as opposed to any other people at any other time, and it’s pure hubris to imagine otherwise.
When it’s hot, drink more water and just don’t be foolish. Know the warning signs for heat exhaustion and then go live your life. Take control of your choices because ... they’re yours.
Here are the symptoms of heat exhaustion — didn’t you already know most or all of these?
- Clammy skin
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Muscle cramps
- Extreme thirst
- Excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis)
- Dehydration
- Fainting
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Weakness
- Decreased urine output
Besides, as the old saying goes about the weather around here, “if you don’t like the weather, just wait, it’ll change”.
Now go face the day.