Air Con--On

I have mentioned that the weather this spring has been quite mild--with windows open and fan running, my officetel has been quite comfy. Until this weekend. This weekend, it got hot. Oh, the weather outside was around 29 or 30 C, but with my southern exposure and eight-foot windows, my thermometer climbed to 33.5 C at 3 PM on Saturday. That's 92 degrees in American!

So, I finally turned the air con on. Or tried to, but neither the remote control nor the button on the wall unit would make it do anything. I made my way downstairs and fond the security guard who speaks English and explained the problem.

"Oh, it's not a problem," he assured me, and showed me an announcement buried on the bulletin board at the elevator bank. "See, 'Air con preparation announcing,'" he read, "they will turn on air con on June first, it will not be a problem."

"Yes, problem," I countered. "It's too hot now; I am not worried about next week, but today!"

He laughed. "I understand; already many people have complained."

"And ...?"

Well, And nothing. Someone in the management offices decided that it wouldn't be hot enough for air con until June, and that's it. Now, this only flummoxed me because it has not been the procedure in the past. I don't know when they have turned on the air con power circuit before, but it wasn't as late as June first, and it was before I needed it.

33.5 C--come on, that's hot. I know the temp because I bought a little thermometer a while ago, the red alcohol type: cheap, dependable technology. I just couldn't abide there at home, so I made my way to Itaewon for some frosty cold beverages and returned when it was a bit cooler. So, yes, Adeel, that may well have been me you saw!

Moving ahead, today is June first. The temperature today was somewhat cooler because of the rain; right now it's 20 C, or about 68 F outside. But I don't care, I've got the air con blowing!