It's Like a Heat Wave

No, wait...let me check...it IS a heat wave, ready.gov's definition being "an extended period of extreme heat...often accompanied by high humidity." (Note the humidity part as an explanation as to why I haven't talked much about heat before.)

You've had to wait a few days for a post, but there's a good reason for that: in an AC outage during the 2nd-hottest day in Chicagoland since last August (the hottest day being, of course, tomorrow), my immediate family evacuated to my Granny's house for a night until the AC at my parents' house could be fixed.

It was this impromptu campout that inspired me to search on ready.gov on your behalf, so that you know what to do if a similar outage happens in your neck of the woods.

Honestly, the list of things to do "before" a heat wave is pretty intuitive: know your neighbors, update your disaster kit, check your weather stripping...One suggestion I thought was interesting was putting reflective material into your windows. Like sun shades for the house. I have seen this done out in Las Vegas. It doesn't look good, so some communities don't allow it, but if the government says it's effective...well, in MY opinion you should use your own knowledge of your surroundings, your own common sense and aesthetic tastes.

Here's what to do DURING the heat wave:
- Crank up your NOA radio (I assume you must have one by now) and stay tuned for weather alerts.
- Never leave children or pets alone in closed vehicles.
- Stay indoors as much as possible. I will revise this to, "as much as you can stand." I personally had to play squeakyfootball with the dog for five minutes a day to avoid going completely insane.
- Stay on the lowest floor out of the sunshine if AC is not available.
- Postpone outdoor games and activities.
- Consider spending the hottest part of the day in public air-conditioned buildings.
- Eat well-balanced, light, and regular meals. Do not take salt tablets.
- Drink water, not caffeine or alcohol.
- Dress in loose-fitting, lightweight and light-colored clothing.
- Wear a wide-brimmed hat. :)
- Avoid strenuous work during the hottest part of the day.
- Check on family and pets. FINALLY...
- Avoid extreme temperature changes.

So...that's that. As for me, until the heat breaks I'll be reading a trashy romance novel and doing more experimental cooking. Stay tuned.

Product Reviews

I recently attended a professional development in which we read a portion of the 1992 article, "Jihad v. McWorld." Part of the after-class online discussion component, because one of the professors conveniently forgot to upload a question for us to answer, was to comment on how "Jihad v. McWorld" compares to our contemporary American political parties. I answered that the parties are not different and that both support a McWorld of ugly consumerism that I myself also support because McFlurries are delicious and I would like to keep my cell phone in coltan for as long as possible.

So, in a nod to the McWorld that we live in, I offer the following reviews of products I have acquired as part of my apocalypse gear. I tested these products this Memorial Day Weekend (thank you for your service, veterans) during a camping trip to Mt. Charleston, where it (drum roll please) *snowed* on my head!

I finally got to use the ThermaRest camping mat that I bought for $3.50 at a recent REI garage sale. Oooh a contest!!! Ima totally use my ThermaRest again and try to win me some stuff! ah-haha. Maybe. There's a lot going on between now and June 11 when the contest ends.

I am so impressed with the boosting power of the ReVIVE solar charger that I purchased a combination solar flashlight/radio/NOAA radio/cell phone charger. The jury is still out on that. Out of the box, the radio worked really well, but after a few hours of cloudy charging on the mountain, not so much. The flashlight still worked like a charm, though.

I also unwrapped my first Emergency Fire Starter (thanks for the tip, Gokey!) on this particular trip to the mountain. I eyeballed it with suspicion for three full minutes, but then three minutes after THAT, thanks to a generous handful of dryer lint, I had THIS:

And this kept us in not dogs and s'mores.

AND that's about all of the products I've been able to afford in the past few months. I've lived up to my Being Useful resolution by reviewing them, and a few more, on amazon.com. There is however something else I learned during my trip to the mountaintop, which I will share with you-all now:

YOUR APOCALYPSE BAG IS USELESS IF YOU HAVEN'T PACKED IT.

Remember all of the little check marks I put on the Na'he list? YEAH. I have all of those things, but I only have a small number of things in the grab-as-you-head-out-the-door bag. In fact I had to make a memo in my cell phone (thank you, Congolese miners!!!) to throw the games and the paper/pen into the bag. I'll do that now.

I cannot say enough about the value of field-testing your apocalypse kit. Not only does it simultaneously make you feel prepared (ThermaRest) and show you how unprepared you are (games), but it also gives you a chance to breathe air untainted by the smog of the McWorld below, which we seek to escape even as we are entangled in it.

We were able to see verdins in the trees, white-tailed antelope ground squirrels, whole families of deer, wild horses (sorry, I simply COULD NOT help it), and burros to boot!

Summer's coming! It's so close that we can taste it! Happy Camping.