Hotter than July

Not in San Francisco, where it's cool and foggy -- a typical first week of July. (Last weekend, when it was gorgeous on Saturday and Sunday for Pride, was exceptional. It should be foggy all month.)

But on the east coast, it's boiling. This 30 Jun 02 New York Times article (free sub required) recalls the summer of 1977, when NYC boiled over emotionally and socially. The Summer of Sam, Spike Lee called it. I still haven't seen that.

I can no longer stand hot and humid weather. As a kid growing up in the midwest and in Texas as a teenager, it was pretty unavoidable, and I think it's true kids don't feel the heat. I galavanted all over -- I don't remember getting sunburned, either. Now I'm a real shrinking violet when it comes to the sun, and as far as humid heat is concerned, I would rather be in San Francisco, where "muggy" means it's 70 degrees with 80 percent humidity. Three hot days a year.

And whenever I go anywhere, I so long for the fog. You know you love a place when it feels great to step onto the Arrivals area in the maw of the airport and feel happy at your first breath, no matter how full of exhaust, of the native air of your home.