Please Fix The AC

This is the third installment of my series that I am calling my "diary" where I write about things inspired by my personal life. These are just personal anecdotes, things that I recommend, etc.

Inspired by the current challenge "Too Hot For This," this is a rant about my current struggle for relief from the heat. As a rant, I am not asking for advice and do not want solutions. The retelling of this story is meant to humorously emphasize the repetitiveness of the lack of heat relief for the challenge.

Growing up, I was never bothered by the heat. Living in Southern California, I am no stranger to the heat. I am actually in the minority of people who prefer being warm to cold. To emphasize to you what I mean, I used to prefer 90 degrees to 40 degrees. I know, insane.

However, something has been changing within me because this summer so far has been especially brutal for me.

My workplace is a retail store that has corporate offices on the second floor. The corporate offices have a different AC unit than the retail floor. My office is located in a corner on the salesfloor first floor, and there's a vent right above my seat. In the past, the AC has been so cold that I wouldn't even have to keep my lunch in the fridge. My keyboard and mouse would be freezing; I'd wrap myself in blankets.

In February, the AC broke for the retail floor (not the corporate offices). This is especially frustrating because the people who'd coordinate the fix of the AC have offices on the second floor. We could complain all we wanted, but they weren't experiencing it so they didn't realize how bad it was getting.

It is August and the AC is still broken.

If you don't know, California law under Cal/OSHA standards (Title 8, Section 3396) indicates that when indoor workplaces reach or exceed the temperature of 82°F, employers are required to provide drinking water, cool-down areas, and preventative safety plans.

Naturally, my coworker bought a thermostat for our downstairs offices and we were reaching 83°F daily.

We could complain to HR all we wanted, but it wasn't until someone had to go home early because the heat was making them physically ill when something was finally done about it in July.

What did they do?

They put Otter Pops in the fridge, bought huge fans for the floor, "allow" us to take 5-minute breaks in the AC corporate office hallway, and bought those of us with offices downstairs a fan that has a cooling feature.

By the way, the cooling feature on mine doesn't work (yes, with ice & water) and the vents are turned at the strangest angle and I can't figure out how to fix it.

I'm finding it so hard to be grateful because I don't appreciate what it took to get these fixes and why the AC still isn't fixed.

I still sweat through my clothes and end all of my shifts drenched in sweat. I have meetings with vendors and they leave drenched in sweat. My chocolate snacks are melting in my office.

The customers complain and leave instead of shopping more. I would've thought the loss of money from that would be motivational for an AC fix.

I'd go home every day to my parents' house (because they charge so much less for rent) where they refuse to turn on the AC. My relief was a cold shower.

Finally, after much convincing (and offering to pay for the AC bill), my parents put on the AC and said we were not ever to go lower than 80 degrees, and that's pushing it.

And man, have I never been so comfortable, cooled off, and grateful for the cool air of the AC, even if it's only for 80 degrees.