The great heat wave of 2006…

Well, to say it’s been hot here in Northern California would be, as they say in the business, a slight understatement. We’ve had a record breaking 10-days straight of plus-90 degree temperatures in the South Bay. After living in North Carolina and growing up in Texas this seemed a bit tame at first, but after persisting and then wilting through the period sans air conditioner, I learned quickly what the word “sweltering” truly meant.

Oh, the wife and I were brave at first. Upon arriving at our new home we pledged to be true Bay Area-ians and refrained from the useless purchase of an ac unit for the new house. All along we were told “you’ll have two bad weeks of temps around 90, but the rest of the year you’ll be comfortable without having to fall back on any technology superior than a ceiling fan or two.” So we easily bought into it. We fell in love with the house we are in now — ac or not. But then day four of ten...

I hadn’t slept well (surprise there) for those four days. The wife was suffering from a horrendous summer cold and I was waking before 6 a.m. every morning drenched in a hot sweat. We both were becoming more and more cranky as the hot days passed and Bob the Cat was becoming more like Bob the Slug.

It was a Friday morning and I had tried every conceivable combination of open windows, open doors and floor fan placement trying to get a breeze into the bedroom to no avail. After moving outside onto one of the patio chairs for an hour to cool off, I managed to not only watch the sun rise, but also the temperature rise. The air outside quickly went from 85-ish to more like 90-ish. The breeze, gentle earlier on, died completely. I found myself sticking to the patio chair in a way that made me think of old Warner Bros. characters who pulled themselves like Velcro off of hot items. Hot became hot. On top of that, a new beast began to invade Northern California: humidity.

So that night after work, I drove over to our friendly neighborhood Fry’s Electronics to price portable air conditioners. When I first arrived there were about 75 units waiting in the front aisles, calling out to every shopper, “buy me … I’ll make you cooooooollller.” People flocked to them in a type of hypnotic trance.

My trance was broken by sticker shock — $399 for the cheapest version — and the fact that they were mostly manufactured by a company I’d never heard of. So, I rushed outside to call the wife and report that by the great power of supply and demand, prices had skyrocketed (in a moment of weakness earlier this summer we had priced them online and found them for just under $200). After twenty minutes of haggling with the wife, we decided that the purchase was necessary for our sanity. So I went back in. The 75 units were now down to a mere 30. Yes, they were selling like hotcakes.

However, I was unafraid. I turned to a salesman who knew nothing about anything and started asking questions. He gave me a brochure and tried to read to me what was on the side of the box as if it were written in a language I didn’t understand. I told him I could indeed read English and asked if he could provide any additional information. He could not. Twenty minutes later there were only 20 units left. I freaked. People were grabbing two at a time. It was as if air conditioners were the hottest new toy at Christmastime.

So I ran to the front of the store, procured a shopping cart, raced back to the aisle of cool and grabbed one of the cheapest brands left. I then made for the front counter where a line of hundreds snaked through in rows that reminded me of the wait you see at the hottest roller coaster at Six Flags. Forty-five minutes later, I made the $400 purchase and began to push out to the car. Looking back I saw only two units left on the floor. In an hour and a half, Frys had moved 73 units. In case you’re doing the math — and you should because I can’t (turn to the calculator) — that’s $30,000 if you say they were all the cheap ones. And they weren’t. The most expensive one was $699.

So tonight it finally began to cool off. Tonight we decided to open the windows and try to live in our entire house and not just the air-conditioned back bedroom. So far, so good. There is a nice sea breeze blowing and I’m not “Sweating to the Oldies” like Richard Simmons. All in all, it was $400 for five good nights of sleep. That’s $80 a night. A good investment if you ask me. A couple of friends have spent money on hotels. Some might call that smart, not investing too much in an expensive unit. But I hear there’s another heat wave coming next week. This time, we’ll be prepared.

Shows this summer ...

There was Cochella of course, much earlier this year, where I saw Franz Ferdinand (the best at the festival), the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (a very close second), My Morning Jacket, Gnarls Barkley (quickly becoming a favorite), Kayne West and so many more that I can't remember. Of course there was also Madonna, who we didn't actually see, but heard during our last night escape to the parking lot. I can't say she sounded very good at al, but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt since we were quite a bit away from her packed tent. The trip, with buddies Tim and Denis was incredible. I'll try to blog about it soon.

But my update tonight is about the shows coming up. This week will be fun. Tuesday it's Sonic Youth and Pearl Jam with newly anointed Californians Chris and Tiffany (friends who just moved here from Charlotte) and Sunday it will be the Raconteurs, Jack White's side band, with Tim, Kevin, Leslie and the wife.

Then for the birthday celebrations surrounding my all-important 32nd birthday (which also includes my inaugural trip to Vegas) will be one of my new favorite bands: Dirty Pretty Things. Stay tuned for updates!

To what do we owe this? …

I’ve been thinking a lot lately of our places here on Earth and what causes us to be who we are. Nothing has brought these thoughts to me more convincingly than an email I received tonight from an old college roommate.

Keith was a stanch democrat and at the time of our cohabitation, a real intellect who questioned everything from rock and roll music to the existence of God. He was a great mind who worked for me at the college paper as a political columnist and assistant editor. During our time at East Texas State, he wrote convincingly about why the president of the student body should step down after a “scandal” that led to several members of the schools fraternities being sworn in as student congress members without a general election. I can’t tell you how much fun it was working late nights on stories that we thought were crucial to due process and balance of power.

But beyond that, we had a great personal relationship. He was always there to talk through problems and politics, usually with a smoke in hand, our common bouts of insomnia and almost always Pink Floyd playing in the background. Funny that he chose to email me an update on his life the same week that former Floyd front man Syd Barrett died.

Anyway, Keith’s email started by telling me that he had surprisingly changed his party affiliation to Republican. I was shocked at first, but then my understanding of small town Texas afforded me a tiny bit of understanding into why this type of thing happens. Texas has become a pretty conservative place in the past few years thanks to the man in the White House. Gone are the days of LBJ and ideals that flush mostly left. Keith has returned to our hometown of Paris, Texas and is expecting his second (and as he says probably last) child in October. He is married to his high-school sweetheart. He is making ends meet working as a manager of a shoe store. Some would call that the simple life, but it makes sense for someone who has found the ground wire in his life, even if he now leans more to the right.

Keith also talked about his involvement with a church. Something I’ve been thinking as of late is an important part of life. I was a little shocked that the same person that used to question God’s existence, now was a very active member in a church. That type of change has been written about in books and has been passed down in stories so many times that it seems cliché, but knowing Keith as I do, I realize and will pass to you that is could be nothing short of sincere on his part.

Faith is an important part of life. Whether it is a false comfort as so many poets have reported or the dire need for sense of place on this planet, to each his own. You have to have faith to live. Happiness is knowing you are here for a reason.

Of course my mind plays tricks on me in so many ways, but tonight it seems to push further towards the question of “why am I here.” Keith helped me answer that a little tonight. Knowing that people from your past that you had important relationships with, who years later want to know how you’re doing so much that they spend the time tracking you down, just to send you an update through email is very flattering. It means that somewhere in time I meant enough to someone that they’d say howdy even years later. I’ve always felt like I have taken these things for granted. I’m learning that when it comes to friendship, you can’t do that.

Life’s too short.

Thoughts of mortality… eventually

He is one of this place’s good people — a figure of strength and stability in a world of constant change. Most people, including those who have had coffee with him every morning for decades at the local coffee shop, know him as Charlie. I know him by just one name: Granddad. He is one of the few people I look to with incredible admiration. He is kind, honest and God-fearing. He is tall, strong and wise. My entire life I’ve seen him be nothing less than giant, larger than life. And as grandsons often do, I saw him as invincible. However, recently I’ve seen him as we all are: mortal.

In recent weeks I’ve seen him in one hospital or another. Fighting heart disease at 79. Where once a strong, tall, powerful man of words and actions stood, I see a weak, struggling old man who knows his next breath could be his last. That knowledge would be devastating to most everyone. But not Charlie. My grandfather has made peace with this world and knows his calling is higher. His faith carries him through and makes him the man I’ve always seen him to be. Even though his body is failing him now, he still has sharp eyes that tell you that he’s ready for life after death. For those of us here in the present who will debate the afterlife for years to come, knowledge that the passing tide could be at hand is a treacherous venture. For Charlie, it’s just the next step; an enviable position that shows confidence and builds character. While suffering the most pain, he is sure of his position. You can’t find that strength anywhere here on Earth.

But no matter when his final breath comes, I know he will live on inside of my brothers and I because he helped mold us into the men we are now: strong, capable and immortal in our thoughts and ideals. We are as tall inside as he is outside. We will always be that because he helped make us this way.

and on that note, my favorite bible verse: "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6