Heat wave

Today it reached 43 degrees.

So what?  You say.  Then you remember that degrees in this country are in Celsius.  So you try to figure out what 43 means.  Let's see.  Multiply by 9/5 and add 32?  Since 9/5 is roughly 2, and 32 is roughly 30, that should be about 116 degrees.  Holy Moly!  That can't be right!

So then you ask Google, and it tells you that 43 degrees is 109 degrees Fahrenheit.

There is no air conditioning in my building at work. 

However, my officemate explained yesterday when it was only about 31 degrees but we were aware of the forecast, that although our building has no air conditioning, when it was built it was intended to be the anatomy building, so it is well insulated. 

It didn't feel well insulated when it was 43 degrees outside.  There was a fan, and I pointed the fan directly at myself while I tried to think.  It was a little too hot to think, so I decided I'd catch the tram home 15 minutes early to avoid the rush.  What could be worse than a tram without air conditioning, standing-room-only, when it is 43 degrees outside?

I was not the only person who decided to leave 15 minutes early.  The tram had no air conditioning, standing-room-only.  And to top it off, the Australian Open tennis tournament is going on right now (unless the athletes all died in the 43 degree heat).  Which means that we crawl through the central business district, taking an extra 10 minutes to reach the main train station there. 

We rented an apartment on the ground floor, near lots of trees.  When I came home, the temperature was amazingly refreshingly cool inside. 

"Did you turn on the air conditioner?" I asked Tim.

"Nope."

Ah.  We picked apartments well. 

Of course, the temperature is forecast to be in the mid 40s all week, right up until Saturday, when it drops down to about 20.  Let's see.  Multiply by 9/5 and add 32 ... that's about 68 degrees.  Can you believe it?  We are going to freeze on Saturday, after a week of 109. 

I expressed some amazement about the forecast to my colleague.  He shrugged his shoulders and told me that the weather in Melbourne is changeable.