August 07, 2007

Random Commuter Observation

Geh, what a day. Temperature in Your Nation's Capital will be up around the century mark this afternoon, with a generous helpin' of haze n' humidity on the side. After suffering multiple attacks of heat exhaustion, I've finally relaxed the Llama Dress Code to the extent that if the temp is going to be in the mid-90's or better, I won't wear a tie. I know, I know - another hammer-blow to the already crumbling wall of Civilisation. May as well hand the keys to the Citadel over to the barbarians right now and get it over.

By the way, I have a new theory that Metro deliberately turns off the escalators on especially hot days just to annoy its customers. There is nothing more depressing than finally getting off at one's stop in the evening only to find a huge bottleneck of fat, sweaty, clueless cattle trying to get up off the platform. Makes one want to hurl oneself onto the convenient tracks.

I could call this Dee Cee at its worst, but it isn't. Dee Cee at its worst is a solid week or ten days of this kind of weather. The air gets stinkier and stinkier, the hazy glare of the sun more and more maddening, and no matter how many gallons of water you chug, you find yourself growing weaker and more disoriented. Fortunately, we're only going to have a few days of the sauna treatment, after which it is forecast to break.

Of course, in a few days I'll be in Maine, too. I can't help noticing that the forecast high for my neck of the woods there today is 74. And that doesn't count the sea breeze. Sorry if I appear to be starting to obsess about this, but it's what gets me through this part of the summer.

Posted by Robert at August 7, 2007 08:22 AM | TrackBack
Comments

It makes you remember why, back in the day, Washington was considered a "tropical" assignment for the diplomatic corps of other nations.

Posted by: The Maximum Leader at August 7, 2007 08:30 AM

I keep making the argument for a Summer Capital somewhere up in the mountains but nobody listens. It's days like this that prove my point.

Posted by: Robbo the LB at August 7, 2007 08:37 AM

Oh...I vote for the summer capital. Of course, I doubt they'd care about the contractors - but maybe if we took some people out of here I'd be less cranky with this weather. Ok, probably not. Days like this I just thank God that I was born post-corset, post-crenoline, and post-AC. Those women of old...I admire their fortitude.

Posted by: beth at August 7, 2007 08:40 AM

DC was, fittingly, built on a swamp. What climate would you expect? Malaria was a big concern in MD and NoVa when they started building the city. Personally, I kind of like the idea of making our legislative class work in that environment.

Posted by: John at August 7, 2007 09:19 AM

What beth said and I'll add that I'm happy to live post-outhouse. Can you imagine an outhouse on days like today? Thank God for indoor plumbing.

Posted by: jen at August 7, 2007 09:36 AM