I am in awe of cool air. It's gushing in from the new metal box in my window, and I am so grateful.
Last summer I simply sweated; I lived somewhere different and it wasn't so stuffy. Cool breezes swept in each morning and a small fan carefully aimed made things bearable in the evenings. But my current bedroom is much smaller and entraps heat, apparently.
I returned from a wedding-themed vacation to find New York had started summer without me. It was cold and clammy when I left; thick and steamy when I got back. I stayed in my apartment just long enough to take a shower before I went out to buy a fan.
The fan sufficed for one night before I realized it wouldn't. Stirring hot air doesn't do much to cool a person off, unfortunately. And once my online research convinced me I wasn't going to singlehandedly cause nor prevent global warming, I vowed to seek out an energy-efficient A.C. and set my sights on coolant-induced relief.
My first resource was Craigslist. Eight emails garnered two offers, one promising but overpriced, the other seemingly ideal. I thought I was all set, but as the hours passed, so did my opportunity. (The Craigslist interaction could really be a blog post of its own; maybe I'll just copy, paste, and let the email chain speak for itself.) Which meant that last night, against my intention, I again slept spread eagle on top of the covers, directly in front of the fan, which did its best to help.
Tonight I went retail. I already knew I'd be paying more than $100; I'd checked out the market the day before, to inform my Craigslist negotiations. But the cheapest models still in stock were more like $140 or $170. I hemmed and hawed, enjoying the chill breeze in the appliance store while I mentally weighed the cost of comfort.
Budget initially got the best of me and I ended up choosing to pre-order a $100 model that should be available in a day or two. But while I waited for the salesman to type up my address, I thought about returning home to my hot and stifling bedroom. I thought about how another night would still pass before I felt the benefits of what I was purchasing. I thought about how much a night in a hotel with A.C. would cost, and about how many nights I would use my new machine, and realized what I was really paying for, and impulsively upgraded to the nicer, pricier, immediately available model.
I'm so glad. And even though I couldn't get it home by myself--no fewer than three New York strangers helped me out, god bless this city--I installed it with only minor assistance, and it's already proved worth every penny.
Sure, it was a drag dropping so much hard-earned money on something I could probably have gotten cheaper another time, but I have to live in the present. And presently it is air-conditioner weather, and I am deeply appreciative of my ability to buy what I want when I need it. I don't take my good fortune for granted; I know I am privileged, and I am grateful.
