The true heroes of Phoenix, Arizona - air conditioning technicians
I like air conditioning. I live in Phoenix and can't imagine doing that without A/C. I collect old photos of Phoenix, and I see that people did, for many generations, but I wouldn't have been able to, I'm not that tough. But if you're wondering where those incredibly tough people are nowadays, just look up. They're installing and maintaining air conditioning.
Now waitaminute, I'm not saying that A/C people are more important than the people who keep my internet up, or keep my cell phone coverage working. I'm just saying that I could live for a day without the internet or my cell phone (although I would hate it!), but I would really suffer without air conditioning. I've lived in this house for over twenty years and had to spend only one (1) night without A/C and I was pretty much delirious the next day from lack of sleep. And I certainly didn't get any work done on my computer here in my home office until I started feeling that cool air again.
Air conditioning is something that we take for granted in Phoenix, because it has to always be working. I compare it to snowplowing in Minnesota. Extreme weather in these places isn't something that takes them by surprise, they're prepared for it. I had the misfortune of living in California for a few years, and since the weather there is "always nice", when it wasn't, it was miserable. On a recent visit to Los Angeles, the temperatures were in the high 90s, and the shuttle I was on had an air conditioner that wasn't working. I can't imagine that happening in Phoenix. I guess in Cali they just wait for it to cool off. You really can't get away with that in Phoenix.
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Phoenix has thrived because of air conditioning. And I know that I'm happy living there because of it. I'm the typical person who has always gone from an air conditioned house to an air conditioned car to an air conditioned office to an air conditioned store, and I never really give it a thought. But I do think of these people who make it all happen. When I'm sitting in cool comfort in my car, I see them up on roofs. When I'm sitting here at my computer, again in cool comfort, I hear them bumping around up on my roof, making sure that the magic keeps happening.
And to me, that's was air conditioning is, magic. And they people who make the magic happen are amazing. Thank you!
Image at the top of this post: An air conditioning unit being put on my roof a few years back.
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