Yesterday was not hot by the rest of the country’s standards, but it was close to 85 yesterday and it is expected to be higher in the next few days. There were a number of Homeowners in my area who had their air conditioners on. I would have been one of them but me and air conditioners don’t have the best of track records. My apartment air conditioner was notorious for breaking down every few weeks during the hot season. No matter how many times the techs would come out, they seemed to be satisfied by literally “wiggling a wire” to get it working. I wasn’t too surprised (more resigned frustration) when I turned on the air conditioner to my home and found ti blowing non-cooled air.

Unlike the apartment, I couldn’t just call maintenance to come out and fix it, as per the contract. I knew I would have to call someone out and it would be on my dime. Ah, the thought of my first major maintenance payment. Something in the back of my head thought it might be a bit silly to have an air conditioner serviced in February. I decided on the next, best thing. I went to Target and among other things I bought two fans. One I put at the bottom of the stairs, so that air from the slightly opened door would be forced up the stairs into the house proper, and I took the other fan and put it on the desk where I work on the computer. I have another fan that is in front of the TV facing the couch.

Trust me, it’s not cooler but the air circulation helps move the air around, which doesn’t make things feel so oppressive like yesterday.

A few weeks ago I was excited about the possibility of planning a 50 year old birthday trip somewhere out of the country. As I started breaking it down, I came across two issues; I couldn’t find a place exciting enough for me to want to go and the few places that did tickle my fancy were well past my budget. The need of repair air conditioner I encountered this week started me thinking about making sure to have reserve funds for emergencies. In my head I knew they were needed but now I’m staring at a practical reason for doing it and that reality is making my fantasy trip seem a little too much like a splurge. I might have a patently initially complicated work around I’m famous for in the works.

I’m hoping the moving will be done by the end of the month. Having things in two places is a pain and all I want to do is get everything in one spot, get everything unpacked and start living normal again.