2003-05-29 10:46 a.m.

Last night, while watching the local news, I discovered that San Diego was in a Stage One energy alert. Since, yet again, I had no clue what that meant, I watched the whole news cast until they got to the energy stuff. Stage 1 is just when they ask nicely "don't use a lot of electricity during the hot part of the day." Stage 2 they go to "large commercial customers" that have pre-volunteered to cut back when it gets to Stage 2. Stage 3 is rolling blackouts. hhmmm.

I knew it'd been hotter, I had to leave my A/C on Tue & Wed for Roshi during the day. But I didn't think it'd been that hot. But apparently I still have much to learn about the geography of San Diego County. Where I work is full "coastal," being about 3 miles from the Pacific, and is currently in what they call "May Gray" and "June Gloom" because there's a marine layer. The marine layer is really cool, unless you're on the beach trying to get a tan. But have you ever watched like old Sherlock Holmes movies or the show on PBS? You know the foggy mist that seems to roll in and around during the spooky scenes? That's what the marine layer is. And it's cool (temp wise) and moist & it's great. So coastal temps have been hovering around the low 60s.

Where my apartment is, 7 miles inland from my hotel, 10 miles from the ocean, is offically still coastal, but its on the border of "inland" so the marine layer burns off quickly & it gets warm quicker. But it still hasn't been too bad. Low 80s. But I worry about my spoiled doggie, so A/C. From inland, there is mountains and, much to my surpise, there is then desert. Like serious desert. I never realized it was so close (obviously I don't go east very often, right?) I knew I had to drive through desert to get to Vegas, but I guess because I've always gone north then east, it just didn't occur to me how many people in this county live in desert conditions. And for the last few days, they've been hitting highs around 115. Geez. But the next few days they're suppose to get some relief with highs on around 105. Yeah, cause that's where the human comfort zone is, 105.