Heated debate

June 20, 2006

On Father’s Day (and tonight too) I was responsible for installing air conditioners. It’s not that I’ve suddenly taken some correspondence courses from ITT Tech or that I like to test my back without any prior stretching or toning exercises, it’s that my brother had a new baby a few weeks ago and my father had three sons so he wouldn’t have to lift anything.

Unfortunately, the strongest boy – Ben – moved into the big city where the heaviest thing he has to lift is Fletcher or Bob when they get in the way around his apartment. So, after lugging two monstrous AC units from ARonHubbard’s garage to his first and second floor respectively, AND GETTING TERRORIZED BY A HORSEFLY THAT FOUND ITS WAY INTO THE GARAGE, I decided I should install my air conditioner.

It was a good move because the one thing I need is a higher electric bill caused by a mouse-powered cooling unit that couldn’t cool the inside of an Altoids tin. But I’m not bitter, just hot. On a positive note, I rode 140 miles on Saturday in the Harpoon Brewery to Brewery Tour.

It was a little more difficult than past years because I didn’t bring the right snacks and post ride I volunteered to man the taps at the Windsor, VT food tent. Trouble was, it started to pour and in addition to getting my feet soaked in IPA – a fine beverage, and Raspberry UFO – a better beverage, I got drenched in the rain.

So the things I’ll leave you with today are thusly: 1. Respect your father and if you become a father, have many boys to lift things. 2. Get a larger air conditioner or design your home to have central air conditioning and a walk-in cooler. 3. Drink Harpoon. 4. Realize that when I say I rode 140 miles, understand that I was in my car the whole way and supported the real athletes who completed the Tour on their bikes.

More to come…