Working seven days a week for ten hours a day is a great way to kill a month off... It seems like Mother's day was only a week ago yet it's the end of the month and very nearly Father's day. At least the money is good, very good. I loose track of what day it is though... That's occasionally annoying... Oh, well. I must make hay while the sun shines and the OT won't last forever.

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Today marks the end of my usage of air conditioning for the near future. I do this for two reasons really. This first is simply this; I'm curious how long I can take it. This is partially due to a mission trip I took a few years ago. One night we ate dinner with the local missionaries and discovered that while they had air conditioning they'd decided against using it. They had decided that there were better things they could use the money for than their comfort. Add to this the tropical climate they live in and I thought 'Wow, I guess I'm going to have to do mission work in Northern Europe or Asia ' cause I can't stand the heat.'

Shortly after the trip I was hired in at the former K-25 site. K-25 is a WWII era facility. It's contaminated with various radioactive substances, lead containing materials, asbestos coated everything, and 60 years of bird droppings. So the average worker inside the building is wearing scrubs with a full Tyvek coverall with hood, either a dust mask or a full face respirator, plus a belt containing a flashlight, radio and a Personal Air Monitor (PAM). Most of the time I chose to wear a full face respirator because I never felt that a dust mask was sufficient protection - no matter what OSHA regulations may say.

Many days I exited the building when I heard the sound on bubbling water - from the sweat pooled down around the air inlets on the respirator. Add to this the soaked scrubs and the very non-breathable Tyvek and you're in for a wonderfully hot time. From this I learned that I could work, albeit uncomfortably, in heat. Yes, I griped and complained with everyone else but I did successfully work there with no obviously ill effects - other than carrying multiple sets of clothes to change into at work.


Last year I decided to see how long I could make it without AC. Unfortunately I missed the hottest part of the year so I didn't feel that this was a true test... I installed a ceiling fan and bought two box fans and learned that a sheet was more than enough to sleep under. This year I'm going for the hottest part of the year. If it does get too hot I haven't dismissed the possibility of sleeping in the basement - where it usually runs 70 in the summers. I'm also aware that the electronics in the house might not be happy about it but they'll survive as I usually don't use them much.

I would have already started save for the new Heat Pump I ad installed. I wanted to see the difference in it's efficiency versus the 25 year old one it replaced... The bill runs about half what my old one did. I'm happy to report that it'll pay for itself within two years - longer than that save for the fact that I'm turning it off now...

My second reason is because the majority of the strain on the electrical grid is caused by cooling. I'm not usually the kind of guy who runs around screaming that the sky is falling but I do see the need for change and sacrifice - no matter how small - from everyone. Our planet has a finite amount of resources. God gave us this planet to do with as we will- I'm just certain he didn't intend for us to abuse it as we do so horridly. With the local drought our hydroelectric won't be producing as it usually does so we're forced to burn more coal... So I'm cutting the AC...

If you do happen to visit me during this time I will make certain the AC's on for you. Rest assured that the comfort of my guest means more to me than some wild experiment I've decided to try...