If You Can't Stand the Heat...

Ever since the terrible happenings of last semester, I have vowed to never complain about my living situation again. I have incredible roommates, and a beautiful condo located in the heart of UT's West Campus (the social epicenter of the entire student body). I have my own room, TV, and I am eternally grateful for everything.

However, on a day like today I feel the need to bring out that soap box from the closet, dust it off, and spend a few minutes of my time venting. Today it is a chilly 35 degrees in Austin, TX. I realize it's not as cold as the snow-filled DFW, which stands at a current 30, but it is a decent burst of cold air for any Texan. And so I arm myself with a giant coat, scarf, rainboots (because it refuses to snow here and instead we must settle for freezing rain), and my trusty pink umbrella. I will admit the cold is a rush and one can't help but shiver when the wind blows just the right way and somehow manages to surpass the many layers of clothing. I have made the trek across campus today to my classes, and I will say that nothing is more comforting on days like today than a nice burst of warm air as soon as you walk through the door of your condo/apartment.

But as I walk through the doors and start to thaw out from the outdoor cold, I begin to climb my spiral staircase up to my lofted bedroom that rests atop the kitchen of our condo. About 6 or 7 steps up I am hit with a hot draft coming from the large vent that is used to heat up the entire condo. I cough and can immediately detect the stale air feeling that comes from those hot, sunny Texas summer days. As I continue to climb the stairs, I realize that this feeling isn't going away. In fact, it gets worse. Once I finally reach my room I open the door and am greeted by stale, stagnant, humid, and downright HOT temperatures. My comfortable oasis soon turns into a Tropical pit of sweat. And all at once I am reminded of a small, yet important physical fact: heat rises.

Now I understand that downstairs the temperature is perfect. I recognize that the other 2 bedrooms of this condo tend to get drafty and cool as they both have windows connected to the outside elements. I even remember that other than the 3 winter months of the year (Dec-Feb) I am usually very comfortable with the temperature. I even have an overhead fan and a stand alone fan that I have tried countless times to circulate this heat. I leave the door open, I wear tank tops and shorts, I even do my homework downstairs. But at night, I can't help but be extremely uncomfortable-to put it nicely. I toss and turn well into the night (3am usually) and sometimes am even driven to the point of nausea and vomiting. I go through about 2 glasses of ice water a night, which results in several trips to the bathroom as you may have guessed based on your own experiences.

I guess all I really want is for my roommates to understand where I'm coming from. One doesn't ever say anything, but another tends to complain about how cold her room is and is constantly messing with the thermostat (currently set at heat and 85 degrees...making my room an easy 90 degrees). I believe she likes it warm enough for her thin sheet-like top blanket and shorts be comfortable for sleep. I don't complain to them. I keep it on hot temperatures for most of the day. I don't say anything. I suck it up. I just wish they'd at least let me mess with the thermostat until we can come to an agreement on what temperature and what settings we need to keep it on. I wish they'd let me have those 8 hours at night when they can be snuggling up in warm sheets to have that cooler temperature. Afterall, I believe it is more understandable to adjust the temperature for everyone to be able to sleep, than keep it from being at a temperature that makes you want to stay in bed and cuddle than get up. And with that, I will merely state an obvious fact: it is easier and more socially acceptable to wear sweats and put on more layers than it is to walk around the condo naked. That is all.

XOXO-Heather