Antonio Vivaldi; from the Four Seasons, Summer; with Children of Bodom ~ OPEN THREAD ~

Time to re-post this terrific version of Antonio Vivaldi's Summer, played with exquisite skill by  Children of Bodom, also known as Alexi Laiho and Roope Latvala of Finland.

With a huge hat-tip and hug to my darling death-metal-appreciating Son One, who is now the tallest Tornello, having swiped that distinction from me earlier in the year.

The mercury that no-one actually uses to measure temperature any more is metaphorically climbing ever-higher.  It reminds me of the Summer of '99, in fact, when we fled the state one July weekend in hopes of finding cooler air in upstate New York.  The joke was on us, though--New York was having a heat wave to end all heat waves, with triple digit temperatures leading to buckled asphalt and bridge closings.  Fun!  (Did I mention I was seven months pregnant at the time?  How could I forget.  I should also point out that as lovely as century-old farmhouses are, they tend to be utterly bereft of modern conveniences, like, say, air conditioning.)

So, how are you keeping your cool this week?

Comments

[oddjob]

Staying in the shade, working in air conditioned buildings, and catching the ocean breeze whenever possible.

[Sir Charles]

It hit 102 here yesterday. We just finished the hottest June on record, with 18 days of 90 degrees or better, 7 of them over 95, and one that hit 100.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalweathergang/2010/07/june_2010_sets_warmth_record_i.html

After starting July with two beautiful days, the heat and humidity have struck hard, coupled with hideously bad air quality. We have already had more 90+ degree days this year than we had in all of 2009.

The notion of living through this without air conditioning is inconceivable. I am grabbing my lunch early in the morning and basically not going outside until I get home in the evening and walk the dog.

I wonder when the Fox News people will issue a mea culpa over their climate change denialism during our hideous winter this year. They don't seem to get the fact that extremes like this are precisely what climate change will look like.

[jeanne marie]

Wow! If summer weren't hot enough . . . this rendition is the hottest. As soon as my fifteen year old son wakes up, I'll have to share with him!

I won't be catching the ocean breeze until August. In the meantime, it's on the Craig and James rivers and the nearby Smith Mountain Lake. That is, when I'm not in my air conditioned office, home, car, or (it seems too frequently) grocery store.

[jeanne marie]

This summer seems particularly hot because we haven't had rain in several weeks and I'm suffering a second round of hot flashes! I thought I was done with that! :(

[oddjob]

By the way, Ringo Starr turns 70 today.

[big bad wolf]

a real question: how do we measure the temperature these days?

[Prup (aka Jim Benton)]

Sir Charles: I envy you. This house I live in is a comparatively old one -- my wife's grandparents were the original owners in the 20s and it has stayed in the family since -- ownership was technically transferred to Em and her brother last year -- though her parents still help us with our share of expenses.

It's not a bad house, but when the great move -- parents to Florida, brother and wife upstairs, us downstairs -- we got a new paint job and some new appliances, but the old windows and wiring were never replaced. So central air condotioning was impossible even if it had been affordable. Fortunately our house stays a little cooler than outside most of the year -- bad in winter, but a relief in summer.

There are 'dedicated lines' in our two bedrooms, my wife uses her for the (ancient) air conditioner in her room, and I even have an air conditioner I could use in my room, but I am not sure the line could handle both the air conditioner and the computer, and the only working phone jack is in my room. (Actually not a major problem even though we don't use a cordless since one of my wife's problems keeps her from answering the phone in most cases.) Besides, I have to keep my own window open and a fan in it because I am the one smoker in the house, and I am tolerated only if I limit my smoking to my room and the smoke is either blown out the window or 'eaten' by the air machine in my room.

Which all means that I wish I'd scheduled another therapy session for today instead of taking a break. The bus getting there is nice and cool, and it's delightful over there with the pool and all. Here it's likely to be sweltering, and I'll be ducking in and out of the shower all day, or into Em's room, or napping.

The one 'saving grace' -- so far -- has been the low humidity, not Arizona levels, but in the 20s and 30s. (WeatherBug -- which links to a HS Weather station two blocks from us -- has taken to adding a cactus to the picture of the sun as the 'symbol of the day.') But it's 11:06 and the temperature is already 93 -- and the 'lowest high' anyone is predicting for the next week is 87.

(If it weren't for the cats -- another reason for my immobility -- I might consider asking someone who exults in his air conditioning if this wouldn't be a great week for me to revisit Washington. I don't take up much room, really. But nocando.)

[kathy a.]

the fog rolled in the evening of 7/4 and basically hasn't left yet. a little chilly, but i can't complain because if it gets over 80, i turn into a human bonfire.

my dad would have been 80 today.

[low-tech cyclist]

I'm actually enjoying the heat. A bout of bronchitis and pneumonia in May and June has left me extremely sensitive to chills - being in an overly cool meeting room for an hour yesterday sent me home with a 101.5 temperature.

So I called in sick today, and have spent a good deal of the day outside, soaking up the heat that my body seems to crave in the wake of one of these 'cold shocks' as I think of them. Inside, I'm only cooling the house down to 80-81 degrees; any more and I'd freeze.

Picked what'll probably be the last of this season's wild raspberries when I was out earlier. The season came early this year, due to all our early warm weather - usually the season starts around the beginning of July, and lasts just a tad over two weeks.

[oddjob]

Going where it probably would have been better not to go........ ;)

[oddjob]

In the Boston area strawberry season began in May this year, about three weeks early. The roses were early, too.

[oddjob]

Not that this is a surprise, but it's still worth being aware of.

[Prup (aka Jim Benton)]

And I have one. Behold the economic conservative mind at work.

Laugh or cry?