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It’s 101 degrees in Cambridge; 105 degrees in the Netherlands; 110 degrees in Paris.
The heat wave that shattered high temperature records throughout Europe is now careening towards Greenland, threatening to melt literally billions of tons of ice, breaking those records too.
We all agree climate change is the only important conversation to be having about the heat. But, we’re human, and what do humans do? Talk about the weather. We asked The Prompt staff:
Besides the obvious (*cough* global warming (not a hoax)), what’s your hot take on the hot weather?
Jillian Conochan Doesn’t Have Central Air (and She Doesn’t Need It)
Sure, it’s 94 in here at the time of writing… and I had to arrest my cat from midair to lock him in the bedroom (which has a window unit). But if my estimates are correct, there is a maximum of 10 days per year that the heat is truly unbearable in my house. Today was one of those days, so I escaped to my dad’s house but half a mile away, and lemme tell you, it was a sanctuary. On too-hot business days, I fill my bathtub with tap cold water and WFB. What I’m saying is, I’m resourceful, adaptable, and cooler than a polar bear’s toenails.
Jesse Stone Reserves the Right to Change His Mind
Growing up I was one of those people who said “I’d rather be too cold than too hot!” Then, 10 years ago, we moved to Iowa. And I learned what “too cold” actually means. It means -40 degrees with the windchill. It means you don’t see your neighbors for months. It means suiting up for a walk to the mailbox with the same degree of vigilance that one would take in preparing for a stroll through Chernobyl.
Now I embrace hot weather. I embrace the sunshine and the kids running around with their friends in the oppressive heat. Knowing that as long as everyone stays properly hydrated, the worst that can happen is that clothes get sweaty.
Zach Straus Is Over It
No matter how original you think you’re being, any discussion of hot weather ends up with both parties sounding like JB and Lacey in Pootie Tang*.
*Pootie Tang being a movie somehow criminally underrated and overrated at the same time, made even more difficult to pin down, given it was written and directed by Captain Problematic himself, Louis C.K., but back before any of the reports of him doing shitty things to women, so perhaps still consumable?
…But “It’s a Dry Heat,” Says Sydney Mineer
My Hot Take on Hot Weather is… I don’t really mind it now that I live on the West Coast and humidity is no longer an oppressive tyrant sucking all of the moisture from my body, adding unwanted height and frizz to my hair, and pressing down on my chest in a manner that makes it difficult to breathe. Now, I find that if I stay hydrated and dress appropriately, I’m pretty okay. I can go to the beach! I can commandeer my roommate’s aunt’s pool! I can go to the movies and live and breathe air conditioning. And with the exception of the occasional heat wave, I can sleep easily with a light weight blanket and a fan or two. Heat is not the enemy, my friends. Humidity is the enemy and the one true evil.
Actually Being in L.A. For This Long Has Kind of Grown On Erin Vail
I don’t mean the brutal heat that settles in around September and October. Los Angeles summers are actually pretty great. I hate sweating, but there is so much air conditioning in all buildings in L.A. that even when it’s above 90 degrees, I have to bring a jacket or sweater of some kind everywhere. However, I do still miss the cold and like being home in Pennsylvania and New York in the fall and getting those cold breaths of fresh fall or winter air. But, the L.A. heat isn’t so bad.
Josh Bard is Taking His Tastes to South Beach
Hot take? I’ll take the hot everyday of the week, month, and year. I would tolerate, welcome, and promise to love the heat as my own, in sickness and in health, ’til death do us part. And sure, the heat may be the thing that kills me, but I’d rather die from the heat than live in the cold.
Shivering sucks. Not feeling your fingers sucks. Runny noses sucks. Getting sick sucks. Wearing multiple layers sucks. Shoveling snow sucks. Being stuck inside sucks. Daylight Saving Time sucks. Frosty the Snowman sucks. Slipping on ice sucks. Winter sucks.
Jake Cantrell Has Questions
Okay, I also prefer the hot over the cold because of all the reasons everyone else covered, so I’ll spare you that. But why does every public building overcompensate for the weather? You dress for the heat outside, wearing appropriate summer clothing. Then, you walk from house to car and car to building feeling warm but not too hot, then you spend 8 hours inside, absolutely freezing. Winter comes and you have to wear layers because it’s going to be 90 degrees when you get inside. So basically, you have to keep a winter coat for summer indoors and a pair of those pants that turn to shorts with the zip off pant legs for the winter.
So, what do you think? Hot enough out there for ya? Get in on the conversation on Twitter!
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