What are you doing today?

[BlaiseinLondon]

Today I am thanking God that:
my son-in-law installed an AC unit in my bedroom so last night I got five hours forty minutes sleep instead of the three and a half I've been averaging since the heatwave started;
it was cool enough at 5.30am for me to open all the windows and doors to let the heat out;
my indoor cat is so amendable to being shut in the bedroom with the AC unit!

Will soon be heading off to the residential care facility where I am chaplain. It's sports day this afternoon, so I truly hope that the forecast cloud cover turns out to be true.

 

[GaryE]

I hope you guys get a break. A return to normal temperatures would be good - plus one of my grown up kids is heading to western Europe on a long planned trip, and that level of heat takes some getting used to. I hope she can avoid it.
I remember my visit to the Natural History Museum in London during one of the heat waves - a beautiful building designed to hold air, not move it. It felt like walking through a fog of hanging sweat. The heat and humidity were what we experience here, but the building resources weren't designed for it, and it was stifling.

Yesterday rained again here - this has been a wet summer after last year's drought and fires. I settled down to read two of my inherited killie magazines. I learned a fish I had kept and bred 20 years ago had been misidentified and what its real name was. I learned that an Aphyosemion species that is very susceptible to Oodinium sp parasites (velvet) can be saved from the parasite by the simple addition of increased water movement in the tank. I read an article detailing how 3 species I've kept occur in the same streams in the Republic of Congo, but in different habitats, and therefore have slightly different ideal aquarium needs. I wish I'd known that then, as it would have been easy to design tanks to take that into account. I doubt I'll ever see those species again.

Aquarists come to know so much. All these details and all this knowledge of fishkeeping. We used to pass it on so much better when people had to organize their thoughts and present to their interested peers. We shoot through things so quickly now, and so superficially. We could communicate better, but we aren't doing it. Those short social media posts have changed how we talk to each other.

So two magazines read, out of about 100 in the boxes. It beats watching game shows and reality TV.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Yeah, that sounds rough. We used to live in a house without AC and I would occasionally just jump in a cold shower and rinse off, especially if I'd been working outside. We'd close up all the curtains during the day and if the house stayed under 80F (around 26C) we could be OK. But we have two big advantages here: First, we don't usually have a lot of humidity, and second, we're at high altitude which means the outdoor temps immediately drop noticeably the moment the sun drops below the horizon. So we'd open all the windows all night to cool it off and get ready for the next day. I was VERY glad when we finally invested in a swamp cooler.

It was an unpleasant revelation when we went to Michigan one summer to visit Mrs. Badger's grandparents. Heat and humidity during the day I could handle, but it doesn't cool off at night!

I really hope you all get some relief soon.

 

[Back in the fold]

All this talk of heat and I’m wondering why my burg is missing it . Billings has been having an abnormally cool June this year and a dearth of warm sunny days . We haven’t had one HOT day yet and I like the hot days . Rain and grey gloomy skies today . How’s it down there in Sheridan Jay ? What about Lander Badj ?

 

[GaryE]

In November when it first reaches zero, I freeze wearing a heavy sweatshirt going out back to the fishroom. By February, I go out in a t-shirt and stop to talk with the neighbours (or the deer) when it's 15 below. The same thing happens to us in the heat - we adjust. Those of us in climates where the usual summer heat wave is 2 weeks never do though. I think that's why English fishkeepers are suffering horribly in temperatures and humidity many central north Americans are used to by July.

My Inuit friends used to sweat visibly at 6 celsius, and bemoan the brutal heat. But they'd go swimming in summer on beaches with icebergs in their photos. My wife, who's a coastal coolness person from where I live now never got used to Montreal summer humidity. I was 44 when we first got AC...

Benin this Spring almost killed me. The heat was painful and debilitating for me. But here. it's summer and we're at 18c today. I'm no longer used to heat and humidity. 3 more weeks of fishing in Benin and I would have either been dead or thoroughly adjusted.

 

[Back in the fold]

I can get used to the heat way easier than the cold . I just don’t like the cold anymore . Now , not to weird anybody out but I go naked when I’m alone in the house on really hot days and it’s great . Nothing you can do in the winter but pile on the clothes and I don’t really like wearing clothes . I’d make a great South Seas islander .

 

[jaylach]

All this talk of heat and I’m wondering why my burg is missing it . Billings has been having an abnormally cool June this year and a dearth of warm sunny days . We haven’t had one HOT day yet and I like the hot days . Rain and grey gloomy skies today . How’s it down there in Sheridan Jay ? What about Lander Badj ?

About the same here. 70 F and rain.

 

[BlaiseinLondon]

Yeah, that sounds rough. We used to live in a house without AC and I would occasionally just jump in a cold shower and rinse off, especially if I'd been working outside. We'd close up all the curtains during the day and if the house stayed under 80F (around 26C) we could be OK. But we have two big advantages here: First, we don't usually have a lot of humidity, and second, we're at high altitude which means the outdoor temps immediately drop noticeably the moment the sun drops below the horizon. So we'd open all the windows all night to cool it off and get ready for the next day. I was VERY glad when we finally invested in a swamp cooler.

It was an unpleasant revelation when we went to Michigan one summer to visit Mrs. Badger's grandparents. Heat and humidity during the day I could handle, but it doesn't cool off at night!

I really hope you all get some relief soon.

You have it exactly - it's just not cooling off at night at all.

 

[MattW]

I’m in the process of making an exhaust unit from an old shelf and PC fans to fit at the bottom of my velux window in my bedroom. Thankfully I have a window at the bottom of the stairs to the loft room, so cool air pushes the hot into my room and hopefully with this exhaust unit I can lower the temperature down a few degrees to help my daisy’s and their neocaridina friends .

 

[gwand]

We went on an organized Koi pond tour visiting 11 ponds in three different townships. The ponds ranged in price from $35k to $150k. They were all beautiful, some were magnificent.

 

[Boundava]

Interspecies save today, a green dragonfly somehow flew into the Derm office and behind the fabric window shade. I was racking my brain for something big enough to scoop her/him up without damaging the wings. Finally found a drawer organizer and manilla folder and was able to catch it in between patients. Poor thing went from chilling in the AC to blinding sun and serious heat. Took it a minute to realize it was free and it finally flew off. Beautiful lime green one, always happy to save a life when I can.
Last day of work for a week (not voluntary) so itching to go, but last patient isn't till 4 so probably leaving 4:45

 

[jaylach]

Watching reruns of the old Tales From The Crypt reruns while waiting for baseball in a bit under an hour. That show had some big name guests actors such as Joe Pesci.

Tomorrow my apartments are having a dog/burger cookout mixed with a potluck for the 4th but I'll skip for a couple of reasons.
1) I am not comfortable with groups of people.
2) I don't like eating other people's food without knowing them well enough to have a good idea of their kitchen hygiene. I am not a germaphobic but I DO tend to be picky on how food is prepared.
.

 

[MattW]

I forgot it's Brexit 1776 anniversary tomorrow. Hope you all have a good time!

 

[bgarthe]

Well, I finally decided to put my 7 Gold Blue Eyed Congo Tetras (P. aurantiacus) in the 75g with the existing 13 Congo Tetras (P. interruptus). I also added 9 more Diamond Tetras (M. pittieri) to the 33g long with the 7 existing Diamond Tetras.

Now the 75g is all about the active two Congo Tet species with just a few corycats on the bottom. When the Angelfish was in there, it was a tad hectic at times with the active Congos. They all seem ok so far. Fingers crossed.
The 33g long has quite the sparkly display with the shoal of 16 DTs.
The 75g has two AC 110 HOBs with baffles and an algae scrubber.
The 33g long has an AC 70 HOB with a baffle and an algae scrubber.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I forgot it's Brexit 1776 anniversary tomorrow. Hope you all have a good time!

I have a friend from Peterborough who insists that July 4th is British Thanksgiving Day.