I've broken down and bought an air conditioner. This probably seems like a weird place for me to start after a good three months of not blogging, a new job and a move to what is practically a new country. I need to start someplace, and if I don't start simple, I won't start at all. So Bluefield, WV is heavily advertised as "nature's air-conditioned city." Because of this, man has introduced very little of his own air conditioning. That's fine, until you get a couple of weeks of 90-degree weather, and even the coolest cats begin to wilt a bit. For someone like me, who hits "wilt" at about 75° and is well beyond "melt" when it hits 90°, it has been a distinct challenge. I had been doing my best to keep cool the way I learned as a child--open up the house at night, close it down in the morning--but when the forecast came up with lows in the mid-seventies for the next week, I broke down. The solution was fairly easy, and not too expensive. I wish I could do similarly for my work office. It's on the third floor of a non-A/C building, and has no windows or air vents. Literally, the only opportunity for ventilation is the door, which opens up into a very warm hallway. The office manager told me that in an attempt to keep down the temp, a lot of faculty bring in a desk lamp so they don't have to turn on the over head lights. Fantastic.