Pop Quiz, Fourth Period, Windows Open
Austin ISD says bond-funded cooling projects at four schools slipped past schedule. I wrote the district a worksheet. No calculators allowed; the calculators overheat.
5 min read
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Heat
Browse Old Austin Grouch posts about heat, Austin nostalgia, and the city habits locals still argue about.
Use this topic hub to explore satire, memories, and cultural commentary about heat in Austin, Texas.
8 posts · Newest first
Seventy-Four and Dressed for Fargo
The thermostat clicked off at dawn for the first time since May, and by 7:15 the whole city was in fleece. I went out to witness the one morning Austin pretends it lives somewhere with seasons.
5 min read
September Is a Summer Month and Always Has Been
Austin ISD sent Lamar Middle School students home early today after the campus AC broke. My credit union calendar insists it's autumn, and I've got some notes for it.
5 min read
Dear September Bill, Please Sit Down
Austin hit 107 today, so I wrote a letter to the electric bill that won't arrive for weeks. It covers the compressor, the grid, the rate tiers, and the one thing I'd like in return.
5 min read
Bring a Light Jacket, It's Only Ninety-Nine
I left town for a week somewhere with actual weather, came home to a lawn that crunches like a chip bag, and caught Friday's sub-100 high like it was the first norther of fall.
5 min read
Hand Me the Mitt Before You Touch That Wheel
My truck carries an oven mitt for the steering wheel, a towel for the seat, and a sunshade older than most downtown towers. Here's the full August kit, itemized, with technique notes for the next generation.
6 min read
Stop Log, East Riverside, No Roof Included
With CapMetro bus workers authorizing a strike, I spent an afternoon at an unshaded bus stop keeping a log. The bus came. The shade never did.
5 min read
Field Notes From Under a Box Fan, Volume One
A new summer series from inside the oven: a hallway thermostat under blue painter's tape, an electric bill read standing up, and a neighbor's St. Augustine entering hospice. Runs until the first real cold front.
5 min read