I wanted to thank you for your assessment of Portland, which has convinced me never to move there, and let you know that, except for the weather, the people you describe are the same as the people where I live, in a suburb of the Phoenix (Ariz.) metro area. While the weather here causes our people to turn zombie-like, it's a very different species. Constant sun and heat, along with rude and cruel people, are what will kill you here. Seemingly oblivious, pedestrians casually saunter across streets and highways hoping to cause a fiery crash. Drivers are expected to anticipate this kind of insane, irrational and illogical behavior. I blame the zombie-like mentality on fried brains. It's no wonder that for every two people who move here, one moves away! Once they experience seven to eight months of 110-126 degree F days, they're desperate to get out. Why my brains haven't completely fried yet I don't know, although I don't spend as much time in the sun as most. I hope you haven't moved to the Valley of the "Done" -- well done, that is. I've lived here for more than 30 years, although I've tried desperately to move away many times, always being forced back by a family who has become as rude and as cruel as most of the populace here. When I first moved here, having no choice in the matter because I was a minor, the weather wasn't bad. It wasn't that hot in the summers and the winter weather was great. You could even see leaves on many trees in the Valley change color. However, all the rapid, almost emergency-response-like construction in the last 10-15 years has caused a "concrete jungle" effect in which the heat never dissipates. So the "summer" heat starts much sooner, always by April 1, and lasts much longer, usually until November. The temperatures at night are much nearer to the daytime temperatures, so at least no one has to worry about being stuck in the "desert" in the summer without a sweater or jacket like we did 30 years ago. What you have to worry about here is the fact that you can't get cooler no matter what you do. You can run your air-conditioner at 60 degrees F or lower and you'll just wind up with higher and higher electric bills, particularly if your electricity is provided by APS, the primary provider here, which raises its rates annually. I always preferred the cold, reasoning that I could get warm by putting on more clothing while there's no way I can completely cool off by taking off more than what I'm wearing. If it's 130 degrees F and you're naked, you still feel like it's 130.
K. |
Peoria, AZ |
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