Here’s a shot from the hilarious movie Airplane.  That’s probably me.

It’s 29 degrees Celsius in my apartment at 6:30 pm (84 Fahrenheit). For the first time in my protected life, I don’t have air conditioning.  No screens on the windows either.  So curious mosquitoes come calling.  (Sigh)

I remember being with my Belgian friends in Senegal.  I was staying at a hotel in the village of Toubacouta.  Lydia knew I loved walking around and saying hi to the residents.  She kept imploring me to return to my air-conditioned room in the afternoon for a siesta.  I ignored her until my body gave out in the heat.  Then it was hours stuck in the coolness of the hotel.

There’s no such rescue here.  But I’ve found some answers.  Buying a small personal cooling machine that allows me to get some sleep.  Buying a plug-in mosquito chaser that emits a mist unloved by biting things that fly.

Beyond that, there’s nothing I can do about our current heat and the realities of an apartment built in 1865.

So here I am smiling.  My cello practicing needs to be in the early morning before the temperature starts climbing.  There’s a soupçon of air conditioning in the gym but essentially being on the elliptical is pretty hot work. And I accept the dizziness that often comes over the span of the day.

But once again … “So what?” I signed up for Belgium, the good and the bad.

“Suck it up and live your life. Get on with it!”

There is the song You Can Close Your Eyes that needs to be learned on the cello. There’s writing to be done. And wondrous so-far-unknown folks to meet.

Let’s get to it!

I’ll just need a few tissues