Cooling Off Period

Growing up in Phoenix and the surrounding area, I was accustomed to the heat. It was hot or warm most of the year, although it certainly can get cold in winter there. Winter did not last nearly long enough, and so there were a lot of coping mechanisms for people there. For one thing, Phoenix has historically been one of the more enthusiastically movie-going markets in America, partly because of the air-conditioning provided. That's a nice perk.

I never did get out to the movies as much as I would have liked. I saw a fair number, I guess, especially in the days when the movies were one of a much smaller group of options. It used to be a terribly thrilling thing to consult the movie listings in the newspaper and ultimately reach a compromise on one of the movies with several other people. You didn't always get a movie you wanted to see very badly, but you go that precious air.

Something I made a point of doing was to have a glass of ice water by my bed every night. It had to be pretty well filled to the brim with ice and the remainder filled in with water. We had central air in the house, but it was just never efficient and powerful enough to cool the whole house to a comfortable level. My bedroom especially felt like a sweat lodge a lot of the time, and so I had to have the ice water to drink at any time that I might awaken in sweltering conditions.

As Los Angeles is approaching the warmer months presently, I'm making a point of keeping water on hand overnight, but it doesn't need to have ice in it. It cools off rather well here overnight, and the water is necessary mostly in the morning, at which time the ice would have melted and its cooling properties run their course. Regrettably, the water is stale from standing all night long, and chances are excellent that little bits of dust and things have fallen into it, but you just have to have that water first thing. It's very good for you.