hot dog days of summer

every morning, i check weather.com to see what the new york city summer has in store for us. in the last few weeks, it has almost always read 85 degrees or above with a humidity of 50% and a high chance of thunderstorms.

as much as i'd like to hole up in my air-conditioned apartment all day, my pug puppy needs her walks. so i pack her water bottle (and a few plastic bags) and we go on our way. unfortunately, she still hasn't learned the art of pacing in hot weather, so on our way home from the dog park, she runs for the first 3 blocks and then comes to a halt, panting and looking up at me with her big brown eyes, begging to be carried.

of course i give in. by the time we get home, i've walked 10 blocks carrying a 15-pound ball of fur, and am covered in sweat and dirt. the two of us paddle over the to a/c and stick our heads in the cold breeze until our teeth are chattering. she then sprawls out flat on the hardwood floor and takes a nice long nap, as i pollute the internet with more of my random thoughts.

when i moved back to new york from california, most people warned me about the cold horrible winters. i, for one, will remember to warn new california transplants of the hot dog days of summer.