Friday, June 22, 2007

The long, hot weekend

This weekend is supposed to be hot. Steaming vortex in the sun’s core hot. Do not cross the streams hot. They are predicting temperatures upwards of ONE HUNDRED degrees Fahrenheit (that is 38 degrees Celsius, for you metric fans) for the next few days, with Tuesday maybe maxing out at 108 degrees. Now, I’m not going to go around flailing my arms around and screaming global warming, because it apparently has been this hot in June before. But lordy, that’s hot.

Our plan is to hunker down over the weekend. My husband rented some movies (and a video game) and we are hoping that the increased demand for power doesn’t exceed the PPC’s limitations. We’ve got plenty of water, just in case, and we are pretty good at thumb wrestling so at least we’ll have something to do. But we will be keeping our A/C on a higher temperature so it will be bearable, but not on all the time.

For everyone in Greece (and anywhere else in the world experiencing a heat wave), stay cool. Drink water (but not too much too fast), stay in the shade, and go to designated A/C areas (some municipalities will keep buildings open for this reason). Check on your loved ones, especially elderly folks, who may not have A/C (or recognize that it is hot enough to need it). Enjoy the beaches but use sunscreen and immerse yourself in the water if you get too hot. I realize some people actually like it this hot, but these people are obviously insane and should be punished by being forced to have ice cubes in their drinks.

But most of all, we can pretend what life will be like when it is this hot every day in the summer, because that is what Greek scientists are predicting by the end of the century here in Greece. That is, if most of Greece hasn’t been swallowed up the sea by then. Hey, at least our house on the mountain will be prime beachfront property. I can see the bright side of things.

2 comments:

Flubberwinkle said...

Thumb wrestling is listed among the sports activites that health officials are warning the public to avoid during a heat wave.

Too much excitement.
:-)

Anonymous said...

I do have to agree... it is a 'tad warm' this weekend.