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Posted by on Feb 3, 2015 in Blog, Personal, Rants and Raves | 12 comments

My Thermostat Requirements When Visiting Your Home

 

burn_in_hell

 

I attended a Super Bowl party at a friend’s house on Sunday.  What I didn’t expect was the sauna and steam bath that came along with a small living room crammed full of people.  This is what happens due to poor planning.  A disaster.  The whole place turns into a sweatbox.  If he invites me next year, I’m showing up in a bathing suit.  I’m also bringing a fan and a cooler full of ice cubes.  Then, maybe he’ll get the message.

 

Or, if he reads this, won’t be invited.

I was the only houseguest among his two dozen friends and associates who had balls big enough to voice a complaint.  No one even had the courage to back me up when asked if anyone felt like they were about to pass out.  I felt like fucking Spartacus.  Three times I begged the host to “TURN ON THE FUCKING AIR!”  Make that, three times in the first half!

I am Spartacus!

It’s already February here in Las Vegas, which means 70-degree afternoons.  Sometimes it’s 75.  You know what happens when it’s 75 degrees outside and you have a closed, unventilated space?  Think of your car.  The inside heats up to like 90!  The same thing with someone’s fucking living room.  Then, add in one of those big-ass 65-inch TVs radiating nothing but light and heat.  But our host was apparently worried about running up a $60 utility bill.  Naturally, he’s a Republican.  Worse than that, he’s an accountant.  Do the math, people.  This guy doesn’t have a single credit card with a balance on it, and he’s never run up more than a $100 electric bill in a 2,700-square foot house because he’s “thrifty.”  When this guy thinks of a “fan,” a Japanese hand instrument comes to mind.

Voicing my physical discomfort didn’t do any good.  Each time I complained, the host pretended to give a shit.  But he really didn’t.  Instead, he slinked around the corner and went down a dark hallway (apparently, he doesn’t use the lights either).  He glanced over at me and jingled the thermostat a bit.  He sure put on a good act, enough to fool the other guests.  But he wasn’t fooling me.  I didn’t hear the air conditioner kick in one fucking time!  There was no “whoosh.”

By halftime, it became so hot inside the house that I had to step outside.  That’s not exactly the worst thing that could have happened when Katy Perry is your halftime entertainment.  Even this SUBTLE HINT didn’t register with the host — blind, deaf, dumb, and oblivious to everyone else’s selfish comforts except his own.  Now hear this:  If half of your guests are going outside to get some “fresh air,” that should tell you something. Here, let me spell it out for you…YOUR HOUSE IS TOO HOT!

Here’s the solution:  TURN ON THE AIR CONDITIONER!  As I said, it’s already February.  If you want a donation, I’ll kick in a few bucks to offset the costs of the AC unit blasting away for three full hours.  Pass around a dish, and you might even make a profit.  How very Republican that would be.

The second half wasn’t any better.  My discomfort turned into disgust as my bottle of Cotes du Rhone quickly heated up from a soothing 58 degrees to room temperature and began to progressively taste more and more like cough syrup with each gulp.  This is what happens when you leave a bottle of fine wine under a heat lamp for an hour.  I uncorked my own bottle of wine early in the second quarter (I brought along a decoy bottle for others, so they wouldn’t ask to sample my private stock).  By the time the Seahawks had built up a 10-point lead, a perfectly balanced and blended red coolant had deteriorated into 78-degree bathwater that was almost undrinkable.  Somehow, I still managed to polish it off and then also steal a cold beer while the host wasn’t paying attention.

Well, I’m through attending these senseless parties and trying to educate oblivious hosts with no common sense.  It’s simple physics.  The average human body temperature is 98 degrees.  What do you think happens when you ramrod 20 adults into a small room and have them all talking and yelling, and also exhaling CO2?  What do you expect will happen?  THE FUCKING TEMPERATURE’S GOING TO RISE!  IT’S GOING TO GET HOT!  AND PRONTO! 

SO CRANK UP THE AC TO FULL FUCKING BLAST!!!

.Why do you think television studios with live audiences are kept like refrigerators?  They know that a bunch of people crammed into a room will raise the temperature almost ten degrees, on average.  So, they frost the fucking walls in advance by cranking up the AC to the point of blowing a fuse.  End result — everyone’s happy and comfortable, except for the one waif who always seems to show up with her shoulders uncovered in some kind of sundress, then bitches that she’s cold.

Here and now, I’m posting my official thermostat requirements.  If you plan on inviting me into your home, you must adhere to the following mandates.  Otherwise, you will be blacklisted from hosting future social engagements where I am involved.  I will not come to your event unless…

—  The thermostat must be set at between 66 and 68 degrees in the summertime.  No exceptions.

—  The thermostat must be set at between 68 and 70 degrees during the wintertime.  No exceptions.

—  During spring and fall, my temperature requirements vary.  Those with homes right on the ocean with gentle breezes are permitted 2-degrees of leeway beyond the 66 to 70-degree range, PROVIDED THAT THE HUMIDITY DOES NOT EXCEED 50 PERCENT.

—  If the humidity exceeds 50 percent, power the COLD button on the thermostat down to the lowest possible temperature, and have every ceiling fan blasting at high speed.  I’m not visiting your home to find out what living in Jakarta must be like.

—  If you live in the mountains and it’s snowing outside, an active fireplace with real burning logs is permitted.  Otherwise, leave the motherfucker turned off.

—  When I’m on your guest list, instruct all waifs to bring along a sweater.  Better yet, have some blankets handy for your guests who don’t dress like Miley Cyrus.

—  If there’s a large-screen television inside the room where I am sitting, keep in mind that object turns into the equivalent of a fire pit.  Subtract five degrees from all temperature requirements posted above when there’s a ballgame on.

— When I say something about the temperature, just do it.  I speak for the masses.  All that matters is my feelings.  Don’t ask me follow-up questions, or query the other guests.  You’re objective is to guarantee my comfort, not conduct a Harris Poll of public opinion.

— If the situation fails to improve within a matter of time I deem acceptable, expect me to leave without explanation.  You will then be forced to suffer the humiliation of trying to explain to your sweaty huddle of houseguests what happened.

I look forward to many future social engagements and receiving several invites in the future.  Acceptance will be determined based on your adherence to these rules, in addition to the quality of free alcohol you are serving.

Thank you for your attention in this serious matter.

12 Comments

  1. Poor guy. Having too many friends and being extremely popular is the problem. I learned long ago to watch the game alone so I can experience all facets of the event including Katy Perry. Next time take my advice but don,t forget to use the close captioning feature to understand what Katy is singing.

    • Your friend is a CHEAP, INCONSIDERATE, DOUCHE BAG, please tell him I said so!

  2. I was at said party. For the record, here is the complete list of people besides Nolan I heard complain about the temperature in the house: . That’s the list. Nut up.

    Second, *every* electrical device radiates nothing but heat and light, which is just heat, and his TV probably radiated about as much heat as two (now obsolete) incandescent 100W light bulbs, a bit more if it was a plasma screen. Any increase in temperature in the house was completely driven by the number of people in the room, each one of which is its own 100W light bulb, not by the television.

    Finally, I am officially giving you notice, personally, I will *never* adhere to your thermostat requirements, NEVER! You’ve been warned. You may feel free to choose to not come to my house based upon this. I’ll have to find a way to live with that.

    • Watching the game alone is the way to go. I predict Nolan will choose that option next year plus he can sing along at halftime without compromising his feelings.

  3. Aren’t you the guy who lives in Las Vegas and refuses to use the A/C in his car?

    ” If mankind could live without air conditioning for 100,000 years before it was invented, then why do we need it now?”

    Heheh…

  4. I usually watch the Andy Griffith marathon and the game during the commercials. But I keep the house very cold. From Vegas Baby. You’re invited Nolan!

  5. Here are the thermostat requirements when you’re visiting my home:

    1. You adjust your comfort level to mine, given that you’re in my home.

    2. You do not say one word about the thermostat. You show me, my fiancee, and my family, some damned courtesy.

    These are the only two rules.

    • (Note: given that I’m a considerate host, I will definitely *ask*, and will usually offer a blanket if you’re cold when the thermostat is already as high as it’s going to go… but opening your yap to complain about the setting is about as rude as I expect any guest in my home to get, really…)

  6. Here’s my requirements since you live about 5 blocks from me & may actually come visit one day:

    1- you can control the thermostat turn it is cold as you like for all I fucking care you can put it at 40° ! colder is better. ❤️
    2- please bring chocolate

  7. Funny stuff.

  8. I find it crass and entitled to complain about the temp in another person’s house. Don’t go next time. I’m sure they won’t miss someone with your degree of self-focus. (and 66 to 68 degrees for A/C…that’s ludicrous, not just in terms of energy efficiency but comfort. As a female, I don’t want the AC set any cooler than 74. If you can’t handle 74, you’re likely overweight, have a metabolic problem, or sweat too much. You’re the outlier, not the host.

    • I have to agree with Kat on those requirements, Nolan. 66-68 in the summer is insane! I MIGHT go down to 75 if it’s super hot out. Perhaps my place requires less because it’s smaller than your friend’s house (whom I know very well), but anything under 75 turns my place into a refrigerator.

      YMMV.

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