| July 5, 1999 | Too Hot to Handle |
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It's more than 100 degrees in my apartment. Apparently the temperatures in Boston today have been hovering around 100, but the high humidity is making it feel like 104-110 degrees, or at least that's what the weather guy said. This may not sound like much oppression to people who live in areas like Texas, but it is really hot to all of the stubborn New Englanders who refuse to buy air conditioners. The last time I remember being this hot, was in July 1995 when I stayed in a dingy poorly-ventilated hotel in Greece's modern ruins with Mindy. Along with everyone else in the Boston-area, I was on Cape Cod for the holiday weekend. I went with Bocce and Damien to visit Damien's grandparents in Mashpee and then my dad in West Yarmouth. We spent most of our time at Damien's grandparents' house on Pompanesset Bay. We went out in their boat and swam in the ocean and got ourselves completely salty. Of course before even thinking about going outside to the pool or ocean we spent a half hour or more applying SPF 36 sunscreen to our entire bodies. While you might think we are just vain goths trying to maintain our delicate pallors, it turns a bit more serious than this. Since we were both extremely fair-skinned kids who summered on the Cape with our parents in the 1970s (before anyone worried about skin cancer), Damien and I both experienced more than a few blistering sunburns. Damien's dermatologist has already removed several moles on his back and stomach which looked as if they might turn all malignant. Hence, Damien is paranoid of sun. On Sunday morning as we headed out in the boat for the sandbar, protected by sunscreen, loose clothing and hats -- Damien said something that cracked me up. "The sun gives me mental pain," he said with utmost seriousness. posted by Jess Barron @ 6:26 PM 
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