Living Without Air Conditioning

We finally turned the AC on this week.  The savings have been significant, but the weather has finally reached the point where it is unbearably hot.  (I'll try to remember to post the approximate amount that we saved after we do the May budget retrospect.) We had been opening the windows and enjoying the breeze.  At night it cooled off enough to sleep.  Sleeping with the windows open was hard due to street noise, but much to my surprise I eventually got used to it.  (Normally I have trouble sleeping unless conditions are perfect—absolute silence, cool temp, usual routine.) 

One perk of keeping the windows open is that your body adapts and after a while you can feel comfortable in a much wider range of temperatures.  I also felt more connected to the outside world, such as the rhythms of the neighborhood, the weather, and the wake-up call of the birds.  If we had a more flexible routine where we could go to bed later and sleep in, we might have been able to go AC-less longer.  Even now, with the curtains drawn and the thermostat set at 78, the AC rarely kicks on.

It's one of my favorite parts of being human: We're incredibly adaptable. 

One of my other favorite parts of being human: Creativity!  Gotta get in some more time in my studio...