The importance of cooling one's home

Having moved to the thriving metropolis we call the Big Apple from the hot and humid south, I thought that winter would be my greatest challenge. It was awful. Yes. Truly awful. And now that we are into summer, one would assume that everything would be easy for me. I'm used to working outdoors in the heat and driving a car with no A/C. What could the city throw at me that I wouldn't be able to sweat through?

Well, it's simple. Due to some laws of physics or something that I do not understand, my apartment is unnaturally hot. I did not turn on my heat once during the entire frigid winter. In fact, the windows were open most days. So now that the temperature is reasonable, my apartment is unbearable.

Off to Target for a window unit! After spending the last $100 I earned at David's Bridal Shop of Horrors, I painstakingly carried the heavy unit home and up the stairs, thinking to myself that I really should have gone on Biggest Loser this season so maybe this task would be easier for me.
Of course, once I opened the package, I found the giant book full of instructions that make no sense. And, as it turns out, window units are illegal in my building so they have built the windows to make it impossible to install a/c units correctly.

I spent a good part of the afternoon with my toolbox, trying to convince myself I was handy, before I just gave up and plunked the damn thing on the window sill. It works!!!! Now I'm sure that because it is not installed remotely correctly, I will probably have an explosion at any minute. But in the meantime, the 10 foot radius around the unit is wonderfully cool. And who needs more than 10 feet of cool space? Sleeping on the floor is supposed to be good for your back...

successful endeavor? You bet! i would never admit that I wasted a whole 100 dollars.