Hi, Coconut!

Today is the ninth day in a row of 100+ degree weather. But at least the humidity came down to 20%.

You know that whole - 'sure, it's hot, but at least it is a dry heat', thing? Apparently Sacramento is what they're comparing it to. 'At least we're not in Sacramento.' Where there has been about seven hours a day of temperatures less than 90. And those are the hours when I actually let myself turn on the AC. Because I'm trying to conserve energy. Because they're threatening rolling blackouts.

For those of you unfamiliar with The California Energy Crisis: California has Too Many People and Not Enough Power. For the past several years, they've (I guess now it's "we've," since I live here) had to buy extra power from surrounding states - and Canada. Except when those states (and Canada) need power for their own people, Cali is SOL. So they just kind of have to dole out power to different areas at different times. Rolling blackouts.

I've lived in Minnesota, Oregon, Alaska and North Carolina. One thing I've learned about myself: I hate hot weather. Cold weather? Bring it on, baby. Some day, I'll retire to Siberia. Fur muffs and parkas and hot chocolate by the fire... So much better than rolling blackouts.

Anyhow. I'll stop whining now.

Okay. Here I go again -

I started my Behavior and Development rotation today. Except that it should be called... umm... well, something clever that means "really boring and sleep-inducing." This morning we listened in on conference calls with social workers, psychologists and pediatricians deciding whether certain patients still qualified for services for kids with developmental delay. Then, in the afternoon, I sat in a dark room watching through a two-way mirror while a doctor administered a couple of developmental surveys to a four-year-old.

A four-year-old, who incidentally could not identify a picture of an umbrella because he had never seen one before. (It all comes back to the weather!)

During the testing, the kid said "I cooking it!" referring to a glove in a plastic pot. But it did sound for all the world like he said, "Hi Coconut!"

That was the highlight of the day.

Okay. NOW I'm done complaining.