Oh man, this heat! You know someplace is hot when you arrive there from southwest Georgia in August and suddenly feel as if you've been dumped in boiling oil along with the souvenir peanuts. No, I'm only joking. We didn't bring any peanuts back.
It's so hot in Japan right now even friends of mine who never complain about the weather are complaining about the weather. One made a comparison of the weather here with the weather on Venus. Right now Venus is looking pretty good.
The big difference between Georgia and Japan in summer is the air conditioning. Air conditioning exits in Japan, but in Georgia, when houses and shopping malls feature arctic-like blasts non-stop, you can almost forget the walk to and from the car felt as if you were quick-stepping across a barbecue. My wife wore a cardigan most of the time we were there. I don't believe I've ever seen someone wear a cardigan in August. Atlanta, on the other hand, was downright chilly for us both. Rainy weather brought an early autumn. The airplane was a mobile prison of stale, freezing air. It set us down in a Jurassic swamp. The ground crew unloading the plane used apatosaurs to take care of their heavy lifting.
At first it was a pleasant sensation. Fresh, warm air and solid ground! Semi-fresh air, mixed with jet diesel and our own non-bathed odor. When you can smell your own breath it's time for a brushing. We started sweating that night, managed a degree of comfort in the afternoon, then broiled again last night even with two fans stirring the bedroom air. My first taste of the outside Monday morning was like drinking hot coffee or standing over a huge soup kettle.
One last observation. Georgia, which has had higher than average rainfall this summer, was the most startling green I've seen in years. The trees along Miyakoda Techno Road here have already started turning brown. I'm not sure if this is a sign of an early fall or if they're almost finished cooking.
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