Wednesday, August 06, 2008

at least it's a soggy heat




Factor #4 -- warm, sunny days; cool nights


No, it is not one of the songs from Grease; it is one of the factors that I once said would help me in picking where I want to live in Mexico.


This is the point where my legal training jumps into the middle of the path, waves its hands nervously in front of its face, and, in a quavering voice, implores: "Stop. We need to define our terms."


To calm down our Ur-Clio, let me tell you what I mean by "warm" and "cool." I have noticed that on some message boards, members will post such statements as: "I could not live in Morelia; it is way too cold" or "The heat in Veracruz is deadly."


We all have different comfort ranges when temperatures are involved. I doubt there is a household in the world where there is not an ongoing spousal battle over the thermostat.


For me, an ideal day is 55˚ with drizzle and overcast skies. But my comfort envelope goes from about 45˚ to 69˚. 65˚ to 69˚ is warm. Anything over that is hot -- and I will tolerate it. 55˚ to 45˚ is cool.


Is this factor still important to me?

Not very. I am not moving to Mexico for the weather. It is merely a consideration; certainly not a critical issue.


Grade for Melaque:

F


There is no spinning this factor. If what I want is warm days and cool nights, I will get neither in Melaque. (Look at the forecast for the week.)




My visits in the summer and the winter tell me that the days are hot and the nights are hot.


Even in the winter, I do not recall the temperature in my bedroom dropping below 72˚. The only relief in the winter is that the humidity drops off.


But it does not matter much. I want sunny days to give me an opportunity to get out and see Mexico. And if I want to get away from the heat and humidity, I can travel to the highlands on an archaeological trip.


In one sense, this is like getting an F in physical education.

4 comments:

Larry Prater said...

Steve, I really like your blog. And yourlove for the Professor Jiggs. Maybe, just maybe, you should consider the state of Morelos, where here in Tepoztlán we have warms sunny days and cool nights, year round. And we are only a three hour drive from Acapulco. Within a half hour drive to the north, the altitude is higher and the temperature lower, the reverse is true a half hour to the south, where plant nurseries and water parks abound. Just a suggestion. Larry Prater

Islagringo said...

You've lived in Texas, California and Greece. I think you probably know what living with heat full time is like and how to cope with it also. Very wise to move #4 off the list. Once you do settle down and actually buy a house, I bet you will be surprised by how little you actually travel.

Anonymous said...

Steve,
You must be hating the weather here yesterday and what is forecasted for today. Love hot weather but prefer it temps less than 85 degrees not the high 90s. As you said you can always take an excursion to visit cooler climates when the temps get too hot for you. After all you will be retired.

Steve Cotton said...

Larry -- Thanks. I have found the blogging process to be great therapy. Instead of doing anything, I just write about -- what I call verbal existentialism. I have looked at Tepoztlán; it is certainly not off the list. My renting (rather than buying)plan has left a lot of options open.

Wayne -- Weather does not matter that much -- as long as we are not talking about the Arctic or the Sahara. One reason for holding off on buying is exactly the point you raise: I will probably stop roaming.

Jackie -- The 90s in Oregon do not bother me. Jiggs was miserable, but I noticed that I could tolerate being outside much better in Salem than I did in Melaque. Maybe my thermostat is resetting. Of course, the difference is the humidity.