Weekend in HELL

OMG living in Florida can really bite if you don't have air conditioning. Sometime late last week, my air conditioner decided it would commit suicide and leave me without the cool air it had given me since I moved in to this house in 2002. I noticed Thursday night that something was not right, considering I was sitting in my kitchen sweating, and I was not doing anything but watching tv. When I came home from work Friday afternoon, I looked at Dexter and said "HOLY CRAP is it hot in here!!" Dexter just laid there as if to say, "Shut up Mom and do something about it! You dont have a fur coat on!" The thermostat said it was 88 degrees in there. UGH.

I called American Air and Heat and cried "Oh Im so glad I got a hold of you!" The receptionist heard the desperation in my voice and said "Oh dear it sounds like an emergency!" I replied "yes it is hot as hell in here!" She laughed and said she would get a hold of the tech and see if he could make it out to me that evening. Unfortunately it seems everyone's air conditioning was on the fritz because he had 3 more appointments and wouldn't be able to come to my house until the morning. OH NO! So I asked when he could be here and she said first thing in the morning.

Chuck arrived at 8:30 Saturday morning, and had bad news for me. Apparently the compressor was "grounded" which means there was a short in the wiring, and it was tripping the breaker. I could have the compressor replaced (for around $1700) but since my system was six years old and also a crappy contractor unit (from the initial building), I might want to consider replacing the entire system. Well, this had been suggested to me last year, but I was an idiot and decided to wait.

I told Chuck "I want the new system!" He laughed and said good idea. He was very friendly, even for someone who had been working like a dog for the past few days on very little sleep. He went out to the van to do the paperwork and told me to prepare my self because he hadnt passed CPR yet. I told him as long as it wasnt over $10000 it would be ok. LOL He said oh of course it will be under that! (It was actually under $5000.)

The only bad part was that it couldnt be installed until this morning. So for the rest of Saturday and Sunday I had every fan in my house on high, and sprayed myself (and Dexter) with water. Mom (God bless her) came over despite the heat and kept me company. It could have been worse, it could have been in the upper nineties. Saturday night it came a huge storm, and cooled down to the mid seventies. Sunday was ok, but not as stormy. But it never got oppressive, and I didnt pass out. I did have some trouble breathing, but nothing scary.

This morning around 9:00 two nice young guys came and installed the new system. While they worked I watched MSNBC's rebroadcast of the Today show from 5 years ago of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I was at work on 9/11 five years ago and did not see the news as it happened. My best friend Patsy in Atlanta Georgia called me to tell me the Twin Towers had been hit by planes. I'll never forget being so scared for our country. I think about the families of those people who died, both in the buildings and the planes, as well as those on the ground and the rescue workers who were killed while trying to save lives. Even after all these years, it still is a shock.

The two guys worked quickly and by 12:45 it was installed, and I wrote the big check. I could already feel the cool air filling the house. AHHH. Dexter seems content again. And I am not a sweaty mess anymore! THANK YOU AMERICAN AIR AND HEAT!!!