Climate change? Srsly?

It's hot here in San Francisco, yo.

I mean, very very way way hot, no doubt because yesterday's historic ruling that the configuration of our genitalia or our chromosome count cannot be used to deny Californians our civil rights when it comes to marriage laws has opened the gates of hell.

Or, you know, climate destabilization due to decades of pro-business, anti-environment policies on the part of legislators.

The exact "why" might vary with political affiliation, but historic temperature records are falling all over the Bay Area, and it was in the 80s when I walked my dogs at 7:30 this morning. This does not happen here. I know; I'm from here.

My mom, in a fit of prescience and generosity, bought a tiny window unit air conditioner (I mean, I have purses bigger than this thing) for my bedroom. She said it was so my dogs wouldn't be too hot. They did, indeed, spend all day yesterday in that one room, and graciously let me sleep in there with them last night. I feel very guilty at the environmental toll of running that damn little machine all night, but not enough to have turned it off and suffered.

It is possible I own the only window unit air conditioner in San Francisco. I'm not sure.

So not only can I get married, at least until November when we'll see if the out-of-state religious right hate groups succeed in getting our constitution amended to strip me of my rights again, I am also the only person in the City who is not going to sleep in an agony of hotness tonight.

Well, the only one other than my mom, because she, too, has an air conditioner.

A friend in Virginia laughed last night when I said no one in San Francisco has air conditioning. She thought I was joking, and it took me five minutes to get her to understand, no, really: No A/C in this city. Not in homes, not in apartment buildings, not in older office buildings, not in restaurants, not in stores. Only the really big, newer public buildings, malls, etc. have climate control. Some movie theaters don't even have it, although all the new ones do.

Anyway, yes, I feel really guilty, but the dogs are blissed out and napping in my bedroom, and it's 84 degrees in my living room right now -- at 10:30 in the morning. So I'm trying to live with it.

Comments

[Red]

See, on the Oregon coast, there's no air conditioning either. I love how people think that sunshine in SF equals heat. It was 100-and-omgidontknowhwat down here today. I'm glad you have an AC unit. You and the kids will need it in the coming days.

[KT]

Anybody wanna to come to Sacramento? It was 75 degrees when I left for the office at 6am this morning ... 103 when I left the office again at 1pm ...

[Nish]

I hate this heat it's 93 degrees here in Tijuana/San Diego and it's only May. I can't even imagine what it's going to be in August.

We have ceiling fans but it's not enough. I just came back form the pool and it's crowded and boiling since the sun is hitting it straight on. I might need to go out and get a portable A.C. unit or something...