RWO: It's Hot Here

Jess writes:

It’s hot here (great "Random Weekly Observation", huh?). And I know that you are all very well aware of that fact, since we complain about it a l l t h e t i m e. Ugh. But I thought it would be worth pointing out one humorous observation about the heat and that is the sheer, debilitating effect that it has on us humans, and how we try, vainly, to cope with it. I don’t think anything will illustrate this point better than a short story about a fellow coworker on one, particularly hot day at Thembalethu. Enjoy!

It was already over 100F by 10am and getting humid. All of us on the compound were starting to feel the weight of, well, just the air in general. By noon it had reached a far-too-balmy 114F. The fans did nothing but blow hot air in your face – that is, when the electricity was on – and even in the shade you could feel your skin wanting to just peel off in an attempt to cool you down. The general consensus of the staff was that our brains were beginning to literally sizzle in our skulls. And for those of you that have experienced that kind of heat you know that there is a point where you just are unable to think any further. Basic tasks become impossible. Actually attempting to work on a project is akin to asking a preschooler to perform brain surgery. And eventually, you just stop functioning…

Thus, the scene is set:

Adam was crossing the courtyard and saw a fellow coworker walking in his direction with some papers in hand. Obviously he was headed to one of our many offices to drop off some work, make copies, or some other related function. Before they passed one another, our coworker stopped short. And then he just stood there. He looked up at the sun. He looked down at the papers. Still just standing. So, as any of us would do, Adam asked with a smile, “Did you forget where you were headed?” To which our coworker responded, “It’s hot out.” He then turned around defeatedly and headed back in the direction from whence he came. And that was that.

The point of this story: He was right. It was just too damn hot out.