Getting it done

Post-vacation life is always so hectic, isn't it? After a long day of travel to get home on Saturday, including an awful experience at the San Francisco airport (How are airlines going bankrupt when they have NO EMPLOYEES?) and then a day of groceries, laundry and long-ago purchased tickets to see Cirque du Soleil on Sunday, we started out the work week totally exhausted! So I feel like I've been playing catch-up the last two days and there's still far to go. But who can accomplish anything in this heat?

Yes, the Toronto heat wave has brought me to my knees. I don't ever remember this kind of stickiness, but maybe the fact that I'm carrying around another human being has something to do with my intolerance.

When we moved into our current apartment more than three years ago, it was supposed to come with air conditioning. When we asked about that, the landlord at the time presented us with a brand new window unit still in its original packaging. Now, I may have mentioned this before, but we are not handy people. After a couple of half-hearted attempts to contact some guy in the building who had helped other people install their units, we just gave up and shoved the box in the back of the coat closet. On hot days we appeased ourselves with these thoughts: At least our view isn't spoiled! and We're being so environmentally friendly and saving money on hydro!

Today, those excuses no longer held any water with me. I needed an air conditioner!!

So two hours later, after much confusion, a YouTube search on "how to install air conditioner window units," one phone call and one Skype call with my friend who knows how to do everything (seriously, she always knows), and the clever re-use of a loose kickboard from one of our dozen Ikea Billy bookcases, ta dah:


It may not be pretty* and the temperature on it may have only gone down by about 5 degrees in the past 2.5 hours, but I can breathe and there isn't a layer of sweat on my skin at all times. So I'm considering this a victory.

I'm also sleeping in the living room tonight!

By the way, I finally downloaded my San Francisco pictures from the other camera. I'll post them later this week, since the next two nights are busy with the beginning of the house hunt!

*Strangely enough, we only had the duct tape because of our bad San Francisco airport experience. That part involved trying to bring bottles of wine home in our luggage on United Airlines. Don't do it.