Friday 28 September 2012

Ambient temperature

I generally work in coffee shops.  From time to time I come to the Costa that is part of a large superstore a short-ish cycle ride from my house.  In the summer, when the days were too hot to move outside in anything more than shorts and T shirt, I came here several times, and within minutes of starting tapping at my computer I was so cold I had to put a sweater on.  The first time this happened I was caught on the hop, and had to go get a fleece top from the superstore's clothing department.  Thank you, air-con!--a coffee shop full of people sitting in their coats looking through the window at folk outside walking in next to nothing.  Today it is cold; I have come wearing a vest and shirt, with a sweater in my satchel.  But because, I presume, some notional  date-marker has been passed the air-con is off and the heating is on, I am sitting here in shirtsleeves, and actually I'm a little warm.  The energy that is pumped into making me, alternately, too cold or too hot.  Western civilisation: the future is looking at us now, through their historicoscopes, and they are not pleased.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Ah, how I know that feeling! I think the air con is a "subtle" device for whetting the appetite for something warm - if you are indecisive and contemplating whether or not to get a coffee or something equally hot and later discovering it's much warmer inside. I tend to err on the side of cold when it comes to British weather, which is why I often lug a coat and umbrella with me wherever I go, which actually rarely get used. Good circulation ftw! BTW, I adore Costa for writing and have gotten many a free drink off my points card. Debenhams, though more expensive, do a really nice scone/tea deal thingy!

Unknown said...

Oops, I mean, much warmer outside in comparison!