What Would I Do Without
My AC?
June 6, 2006
Warm and humid weather finally
arrived last week, providing a much-needed hiatus
from a succession of rain-chilled days. At first,
I was thrilled. Like most people, I adore the heat.
However, my adoration ebbs when indoor temperatures
soar well above 80 degrees.
By mid-week, my cozy apartment
was downright stifling. I'm one of those odd characters
who can't sleep unless I have at least one blanket
covering my shoulders. Imagine, then, the challenge
I endured.
Open windows and whirring fans
provided little comfort, so I decided it was time
to buy an air-conditioner.
When I mentioned my plan to my
father, he instantly said he'd get me one.
"Oh, you don't have to,"
I said. "I'm planning to save, somehow, to buy
a unit myself. Now, I admit, being a 20-something
living in Fairfield County on a modest salary is not
easy.
But I was determined to buy an
air conditioner myself.
I didn't really get a chance,
though, because two days later my father called.
"Can I come over?"
he asked. "I have something for you."
I took a sip of ice water and
repositioned myself yet again in front of the fan,
seeking rather elusive comfort.
"You didn't," I said,
my voice tinged with unabashed glee.
Two hours later my father pressed
the "on" button. The unit droned deliciously.
"It's not too loud, is it?"
he asked worriedly.
"No!" I laughed. "Not
at all. It's fantastic. It really is."
Although the rainy weather has
returned, I know the heat will inevitably return,
and this time, I'll be prepared.
I was thinking about how important
air conditioning had become in my life when I listened
to Board of Finance members discuss the importance
of bringing a proposal to install a $565,000 air conditioning
unit into Samuel Staples Elementary School to a Town
Meeting.
I agree that public input is
crucial. There is $627,000 in a contingency fund left
over from the $31.5 million approved for the Staples
project.
It's a lot of money. In light
of the narrowly passed 2006-07 budget and the Region
9 Board of Education request for $1.3 million to complete
the Joel Barlow High School building project, this
meeting could give residents a chance to speak out
in a way they may not have been able to before.
Through the unique Town Meeting
format, residents will have the opportunity to have
their say in a way that is more interactive than pressing
a lever in a voting booth.
Residents can ask questions and
hopefully get the answers they're looking for.
Some Board of Finance members
are worried that the numbers presented by School Building
Committee Co-Chairman Steve Rowland are not "hard"
enough.
I honestly don't have an opinion
on this one way or another. Like the Board of Finance
concluded, it is ultimately up to residents to make
their decision.
One thing I thought was interesting,
however, was when several people talked about the
"old days" before air conditioning was all
around us.
We take so much for granted,
be it air conditioning in our cars and homes or technology
that allows us to conduct a conversation entirely
online through instant messaging.
A few summers ago, the Easton
Historical Society conducted a weeklong summer camp
for students at the Adams Schoolhouse, circa 1850.
The camp was difficult, however,
because of the heat.
One camp group even sought refuge
in the air-chilled Easton Public Library one day because
the heat was oppressive.
I can't help but think about
how it was when children were actually going to school
at the Adams Schoolhouse.
They went in the summer and winter
because they helped their families plant in the spring
and harvest in the fall.
Perhaps, because they had never
been exposed to air conditioning, they had no idea
what it felt like.
I suppose it's impossible to
go backwards. Air conditioning is something that is
necessary, in many cases, for maintaining health.
Children and the elderly are
often more sensitive to the heat. Ironically, a lot
of elderly people grew up without air conditioning
and still don't have it, and they're doing fine.
But today, just like most people
use computers and telephones, most people use air
conditioning. Most of my school classrooms were air-conditioned.
I think it would be wonderful
for Staples to get air conditioning, and I hope that
down the road a similar initiative might bring it
to Helen Keller Middle School.
What
Would I Do Without My AC?
