Bad news comes in threes: Part 2

Part 2 to the whole bad news thing actually occurred on the same day as part 1 but thankfully wasn't as awful. When we returned from the emergency vet we climbed back into bed and tried to get some sleep. I didn't have much luck even though I was exhausted. I kept thinking I could still hear him breathing or feel him moving on the bed and it would just bring back so many memories. Still, we rested a few hours, had a late lunch and suddenly noticed that the heat was creeping up in the house. By about 7pm it was 76 degrees despite the thermostat being set to a chilly 68. Something was obviously wrong.

This wasn't the first time we lost our A/C. In fact I think it was the third time in three years so we were a LITTLE more prepared this time (i.e. we have a big ass fan) so the fan came out and the windows opened up and we tried our best to stay cool. For the next four nights it was at least 86F at night as we tried to sleep. I had grown up without A/C and put up with sleeping through hot nights but once you have it it's hard not to be spoiled by it.

In the end the A/C guy showed up and fixed it without even coming in the house.

Technical Explanation coming up:

Turns out the compressor (or something) had burned out (or something) and therefore was preventing the fan (or maybe something else) from sucking in air (or blowing it) from outside (or somewhere) and cooling it (or doing something with it).

The timing was kinda spooky. I knew the A/C was working that morning because I was freezing trying to look after Barnaby. He always did like it warm and at least it gave us something else to focus on. A tip for any of you who lose your A/C this year, make sure your ceiling fans are spinning in the right direction for summer. I think it's supposed to look clockwise (or something).

Thank you for all the comments about Barnaby. I really appreciate it.

Glorious Air

Yay! The A/C man is finally here and finishing up as I type. It was up to 84 degrees last night when I went to bed so it is not a moment too soon. I expect to crank the air down to about 50 and enjoy the chill.

Then promptly complain about the cold and put a sweater on.

Where are you AC?

No, I'm not referring to the much loved character from Saved by the Bell (who really should have had a spin-off...perhaps one where he ran for congress... "AC in DC" anyone? no? ok). I'm talking about the other A/C. The one that keeps me nice and cool and at a constant 69 degrees all year round no matter what it's like outside. It went out a couple of days ago and I'm still struggling to cope with it's loss. It's weird because in England we never had A/C. I didn't know anyone who did, no matter how rich or fancy their house was. There just really isn't much of a need for it. It can get to be very hot during the summer but often it's just for a few weeks and then it's back to more comfortable weather...or rain. The other reason was that most houses there are made of brick and so at least the downstairs of my house would actually be fairly cool even on the hottest days. We didn't even have ceiling fans though (nor did anyone else) so night was really the worse. It felt like the heat didn't abate any during the night and opening up my windows just let in the moths rather than the cool air. These past few days here without A/C have brought some of these less than fond memories streaming back. I've just become to accustomed to living in a climate controlled house.

The repair guy showed up today to take a look at things. Looks like the compressor is no longer working. We had problems on July 3rd with the same thing but I managed to "Man-up" and fix it by flicking a few breakers till the compressor jumped to life, but now it's completely packed in. He should be back any minute to tell me either a) he got it started or b) it will be another two days of hotness and bare-chestedness around the house (by me, not Ms. Allclick).

Well, at least the cats seem to be enjoying the heat.