Switching on the AC

Last week it rained. This week, the rain finally stoped and the sun come out. This afternoon, when I left the office at five to pedal for a couple hours after being inside all day, I was surprised to discover that it was quite warm out.

Oddly enough, I'd nearly shoved a vest into my pocket for the ride, a habit cultivated over a chilly, rainy spring. I'm glad I didn't, as there was, for the first time on an afternoon ride in recent weeks, absolutely no need for it.

Of course, the warm ride was only a prelude to what turned out to be a stifling apartment. Even having left my windows open to try and get some breeze going through the place, it was warm at home. At first, I tried to just open the windows wider.

Unfortunately, when there's no breeze, there's no breeze, no matter how wide the windows are open. I tried to suck it up for a while, in stoic fashion. Eventually, I could stand it no longer, and switched on the central air.

I was loath to do this for a few reasons:
-It's expensive
-It uses a lot of energy (see above)
-With only one thermostat, it cools the entire apartment, even rooms that don't need to be cooled, or which are unoccupied

And yet, it was warmer than 80 degrees in here when I turned the AC on. Now, it's down to a comfortable 72 and I'll be able to sleep soundly. Of course, that sleep will only come if I'm able to get over the feeling of guilt I have over using the AC. Am I being a little crazy about this? Yes. At least this system is a lot quieter than a window unit.

In other news, here's a photo from Saturday's Rapha Gentleman's Race:

It actually captures the experience pretty well.