sultry solidarity

It is bloody hot here. As I've complained already, we have no heat in our rental house. I walk to work, which takes about half an hour. When I get to work, it often looks and/or feels like I've run a couple of miles. And now, the A/C is down in the building where I work. Unlike

I have very different duties and background than all of the other folks in my Unit, which sometimes make it difficult for me to talk with my colleagues. But, as I'm learning, there's at least one thing that's good about the heat: it provides a common experience around which me and my colleagues can talk. We talk about cooling strategies for homes without central A/C (surprisingly common in an area so prone to humidity), favorite no-cook meals, and how furry pets cope with the heat. For the first time since I've started this job, I feel like can be just a "regular" Unit employee. It's a nice feeling, even if I'm already planning to go back to school full-time a year from now.

And, the silver lining: 12 days until we move into our new (to us) house. That house has central air, thank goodness.