Bah. I have so much to do around the house this weekend but the heat is making me woozy.

I am seriously considering shelling out $500 for an air conditioner.

A lot of parents just make assumptions as to "what video games are" and then become horrified when they're proven wrong.

When I bought my nephew a game for his 11th birthday, I had a heck of a time finding one that wasn't way onto the gory-and-highly-rated end (which he may well play, but which I feel I shouldn't be buying for him without knowing his parents' stance on the issue) but didn't look like it was designed for a six-year-old. Very annoying.

Ended up with NBA something or other, which went over well. But really, it wasn't very hard to look at the box and say "huh. I should not be buying this for someone else's child without permission."

Kristen, why so much? Do you have to get central, or something? If you can have one at your place, you can get a cheap window one, usually for under a hundred bucks.

Kristen, why so much? Do you have to get central, or something? If you can have one at your place, you can get a cheap window one, usually for under a hundred bucks.

The cheap window ones only work with hung windows. If you have sliders, you're looking at about $500, and may as well say fuck it and go freestanding.

Ugh. That's so evil.

Sadly, I don't have a conventional window to put it in. I have those old aluminum florida windows. So I need a portable a/c that vents through a tube.

It's actually not bad if I don't move. I can lie on the sofa with the fan on me and sip iced tea. But my parents are coming on Thursday and I have so much to do. And every time I try to do stuff it's all, whoosh.

Also, we have a flash flood warning in effect. Which leads me to ask, WTF?

Ugh. That's so evil.

When we had our windows replaced this year, we went with a hung-picture-hung instead of an X0X slider, because HPH was about the same cost as X0X (I think it was less than $100 for the difference), and we already have an AC for a hung window. (Which we had sort of rigged in very trashy style in one of the old sliders before.)

Kristen, can you get one and take it back when your parents are gone?

Oh, you poor sweetie. I've been sick, for almost two weeks, but thought I was getting better. Scott has also been sick, so the house has been rather disgusting. I took to the bathrooms with bleach yesterday, and foolishly hadn't turned on the A.C. yet, and hadn't eaten. I had to stumble to the couch, and have the kids bring me orange juice and a banana, because I seriously felt like I was going to pass out. I felt like such an ass.

Maybe you should wait til evening, Kristen. Even with work, there is lots of time between now and Thursday. You don't have to have it perfect, just not gross.

Kristen, can you get one and take it back when your parents are gone?

Hmmm...I wonder what Sears return policy is.

And yeah, Cindy, I think I'm probably going to wait until nightfall to do stuff and hope tomorrow is cooler. Since I'm moving in the next few months, I don't want to buy an a/c that I may not need at the new place.

But I have such a long to-do list. I really wanted to paint and stuff before they came.

I seriously felt like I was going to pass out. I felt like such an ass.

I know that feeling. With my exhaustion and the stress at work, I've been having panic attacks. Makes me feel like such an idiot.

I know that feeling. With my exhaustion and the stress at work, I've been having panic attacks. Makes me feel like such an idiot.

Oh, the heat's not going to help there, either, because there's no frigging air to breathe. I think your plan of lying down and having some ice tea is wise. Also? I sympathize. Or maybe that's empathize. I'm prone to them too, at certain points in my cycle particularly, and being sick at the same time was like a double whammy. Not eating and then getting woozy all at the same time made it worse. I have a virus (you'll enjoy this, you're a bronzer, called Fifth Disease) and in adults (it's a kid thing, mostly) it leaves painfully swollen joints in its wake. I can't make myself look at my ankles, to see how bad they are, because I know I'd end up with an anxiety attack, and I'm home alone, right now.

Your parents are coming to see you, remember. I don't blame you for wanting to get the to-do list done, but if the situation were reversed, you would not want someone you love making herself sick in the heat to tick off items from the list, just because you were coming to visit.

Do you have more than one fan? If not, they're way cheaper. A couple blowing the hot air out of your place, and a couple positioned such that they're blowing across you, might help. White wings has recommended the multi-fan approach, from experiences when her AC has died (she's in Texas). I hope it gets better for you.