72 degrees
77% humidity
62 dew point
mississippi river road path, north/mississippi river road path, south
In Please Add to this List, one of the writing experiments is:
Attempt writing in a state of mind that seems least congenial.
In earlier, happier times, when it wasn’t so hot and humid and my long runs were only 10 miles, I tried out this experiment by composing a poem while running up a steep hill. That “least congenial state of mind” lasted for about 4-5 minutes and then I was back to “gee, isn’t it fun to run in the most pleasant weather ever!” Sara. That was early April. Now it’s June and unusually hot and humid and almost every minute running outside seems to put me in the “least congenial state of mind.” It’s difficult to be creative and curious when you feel so tired and drained.
Dew Point, 6 Versions
1
Looking through a running forum about humidity and the dew point, I found a great phrase: The dew point as an index of human misery. I want to create an index of human misery, relative to me. What would it include?
Sara’s Misery Index, some ideas in no particular order
- Waiting in lines, especially lines with aggressive people trying to cut ahead of you or clueless people not moving up.
- Sitting through a ceremony that lasts over 2 hours in very uncomfortable chairs.
- Flying through 2 hours of non-stop turbulence.
- Being stuck in very small spaces or in the middle of a row or next to someone wearing too much perfume.
- Not being able to breathe.
- Waking up in the middle of the night with restless legs.
- Ending your swim and getting a charlie horse in your calf.
- Being forced to listen to smooth jazz, especially Kenny G, at the Mall of America on a Saturday in June.
2
Do point me to the pool, please. It’s 80 degrees. But the heat index, taking into account the dew point, is 95. Too miserable to run.
3
Dew point, shmew point
I hate you too point.
4
How much dew can the dew point do if the dew point can’t point dew?
5
The higher dew point, the more you sweat. Are you a salty sweater? I am. Here are a few signs that you might be too (according to Runner’s World): Your eyes sting when you get sweat in them or your sweat tastes salty or your skin feels gritty or your hat has white streaks, called “cake sweat”, after you run. What to do, if you’re salty sweater too? Remember, salt is your friend. Eat a pickle. Drink an energy drink. Don’t talk about salt behind her back, telling everyone that she’s mean and unhealthy and trying to kill you.
6
When you mix up the words in dew point you get: not wiped. Not wiped? I guess if the dew point is low. Anything under 50 would work. Otherwise, it should be totally wiped, but those aren’t the letters in dew point. You also get: wit open’d. Really? Could more miserable conditions = more wit? I suppose for some comedians, this is true. And you get: owed pint. Owed pint of what? A pint of blood that traveled to the surface of your skin to help cool you down instead of flowing to your heart? Or the pint of beer that you owe your body for putting it through the misery of running in the heat and humidity?