Weather Woes

It's SO hot in New York City.

Tonight, while I was trying to get home to Queens, we had a crazy experience where a train stopped and made everyone get off several stations ahead of the end of the line (to make matters worse, the station was outside, so we all had to leave the air-conditioned train whooshing us to our homes and stand in the still, muggy, soupy air). And then, after about 15-20 minutes, they brought in a new subway car on a different level, so we all ran down the steps and got situated in the new car. And THEN, after 5-10 minutes in the new car, the conductor announced that the train was actually going the OTHER way, so we all had to get off again and run back up the stairs and squeeze our way onto a jam-packed train. I actually had a little girl standing on my foot.

So, as you can imagine, I was a happy camper when I got home.

The weather is putting a lot of stress on the electrical grid. We had flickering lights several times this evening, and there were reports that there was a fire underground (I actually did see smoke pouring out of a manhole, which is not something you expect to see in July; January, maybe). I live in constant fear that my AC is going to shut off. If that happens, I won't sleep at all, I can promise you that.

This heat makes me anxious for my three-week sojourn to Sleepy Hamlet to educate the masses. I leave a week from today - technically, now it's six days...