Grr! (hm. it seems like this forum of mine has been some kind of vent for occasional frustration, making it look like I'm constantly annoyed. However, I pretty much only write here when I vent, so the frequency of my writing should be a good sign.. ;)
Anyways, today I really have no reason to be annoyed at all. It's 26 degrees warm outside, beautifully sunny, tomorrow we expect a high of 31 (SWEET), and I'm even inspired writing on a paper (how often does THAT happen?). But, the grad student office I'm sitting in is pretty much unbearable. The reason is that the AC is broken, so the air is totally non-moving, about 30 degrees warm, and it feels like the oxygen is disappearing. Now, had I been in a civilized country (most of the world except for northamerica, according the standards I'm about to present), I would simply have opened 2 windows in opposite directions and created a draught. Simple. Who needs AC really (and I actually totally detest AC, since it makes tha air dry and artificial, and usually way too cold). Now, do you think this kind of window (openable) exists in a building on this continent? right. So the effect is that, I'm slowly suffocating, thinking back on the hottest day we had at the observatory in sweden, when it was 30+ degrees. The air was flowing through the building, making cosy ruffling noises through the piles of paper. Of course, I'd sit there, nicely cooled down after the lunch-time dip in the ocean, but that's besides the point. The observatory didn't have an AC, simply because it wasn't needed. And I don't see why it is needed in Winnipeg either. Grr.
It's not only the window situation that makes northamerica uncivilized. Banking too. Who uses checks these days? I have to pay my rent with checks...!!! How do you transfer money to Sweden without getting ripped off? won't happen. According to my swedish bank, it's only Canada, US, Australia, UK. So much for british conservatism (ha, yeah, it's not only northamerica that ends up on my private axis of evil) that takes out horrendous fees for doing simple money transfers. I ended up sending a cheaper so called "money order", but that was so ancient, so instead the swedish bank had to take out a fee to handle it.
Would I like some cheese with my whine? :) (well not american cheese for sure) So why do you live there then, you donkey, you might ask. Well, priorities, right. And no, everything is not good about Sweden either. Just one example: People who sell you stuff, they must meet really nasty customers all the time. Last time I bought stuff (train tickets, groceries etc), both in Sweden and Holland, I felt like I was imposing on the sellers valuable time, I was a bug not worthy of a smile or even look. That felt weird after all the awesome conversations I end up having with all the sellers of stuff (there's got to be a word for that, but it's too hot for my brain to function right now) I meet in Canada.
Blablabla. there's no point to this rant, that's for sure. I wonder if I can find a place in my life, where all the best parts from all the countries I've visited are brought together. Perhaps that is found by the attitude with which I meet rather unimportant details of specific nations...
Unopenable windows are NOT unimportant details though. It's just plain dumb. Grr. (although, I'll admit that it's nicer to have the heat indoors than the cold).
3 comments:
The only place I can stand and feel free and feel that I want to be, because I am nowhere and everywhere at the same time, is in the middle of the ocean!! Air condition included - at least if you are not in the Indian Ocean. South Pacific is perfect, absolutely perfect! No poisonous creatures, either! Just check your toes, if you come to a tiny little island with a palm tree - the land crabs, BEWARE!!!
Good rant... which makes me think of a North American AC pet peeve of mine. We seems to always run our AC (especially the stores) insanely cool over here. It creates such an extreme to that outside that your body goes into shock either entering or exiting a building when it's hot out. Also, if you spend a good amount of time in a building that does this, your body doesn't adjust to the weather, so you always feel like you're boiling when you're outside. I've much prefered being outside when I'm in countries (sometimes even hotter than Winnipeg), where they don't crank the AC in every building. I think North America, in general, much prefers the controlled test tube environment (hence no windows that open).
I believe the word you're looking for is 'vendor'.
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