Heat Wave Diary in Charlotte, N.C.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Here's a day in the life of a heat wave:

6:45AM

One of the two tolerable parts of the day. The sun is just beginning to crawl up and over the treeline, preparing to grace us with it's life-giving presence. I hear the channel 9 weatherman's voice on TV in the background, but I pay little attention to him. It is 76 degrees.

7:15AM

Preparing for work, I realize that anything that needs to be done outside should get done now, otherwise it will have to be done after sunset. The disadvantage is that the days are long. I guess should straighten up the front yard now. On the bright side, it could be worse. Being single and childless has it's advantages.

9:15AM

I get in the car witch is already blistering hot to the touch. I blast the AC for a few minutes to equalize the hot air
inside. As I start to drive, I turn off the air and roll down the windows to try and get what little fresh air I can. 10 minutes later when I hit gridlock, they go right back up. I feel like the boy in the plastic bubble. 30 minutes later I arrive at work and amble into relative safety from the heat index, which I have been told repeatedly is a killer. It is 92 degrees.

1:00PM

I step outside Soundboy Wireless and go to lunch. In the spring and fall, I usually walk. But as everyone I see outside looks like they are dying, I decide to drive. I get in the car, and blast more fuel consuming AC for the 2 minute drive to simply fresh cafe. I don't really plan to eat, I just can't when it's hot, so I grab a cold bottle of water and unsweetened tea. It is 97 degrees.

6:00PM

I drive like mad to get home. I try to avoid any mention of the weather, as if to play a Jedi mind trick on myself.
I pass a few stalled vehicles on the Billy Graham Parkway. My first reaction is to pull over and give them a bottled water, but they are on the other side of the divider, headed in the other direction. Maybe someone else will have the same inclination. It is 99 degrees.

7:00PM

At home in Midtown Charlotte trying desperately to avoid the TV, I see on my Yahoo homepage that several elderly people were hospitalized and a few died due to the heat. The one time of the day I absolutely hate being depressed is after work. I get up and go outside for some air. The lack of trees in the front yard makes the angle of the sun beat down directly at my front door. I felt like stepping into a tanning bed. I move around to the back yard which is shaded from the sun but facing the woods, making it an insects paradise.

8:00PM

I sit in the back yard and return my mobile phone calls, as I have no bars inside (way to go, Verizon). I see people begin to emerge from their homes like bears from hibernation. I don't smoke, so I look around smugly at everyone who does. I don't judge, however. I know nicotine on only less addictive than heroin and crack. Keep in mind, it's still about 92 degrees, which proves my addiction theory. But overall there is a pleasant atmosphere, as the smell of grilling food and the sound of children playing fills the air.

8:45PM

The sun begins to set and street lights dot the landscape. The temperature is in the low 80's and tolerable, but not quite pleasant. I finish all the things I need to do outside then I have some dinner. At 9PM, after a hot shower
I hit Uptown Charlotte with my hipster friends. As we sit, eating and drinking, no one mentions the heat. Not because we are bad conversationalists, because we are all Jedi.