JULY

April 15, 2025

JULY

“But here I am in July, and why am I thinking about Christmas pudding? Probably because we always pine for what we do not have. The winter seems cozy and romantic in the hell of summer, but hot beaches and sunlight are what we yearn for all winter.” ― Joanna Franklin Bell, Take a Load Off, Mona Jamborski

Good Afternoon

UNDERSTANDING THE WORLD

When it comes to the weather, there's more than meets the eye. The energy it releases_ wether is cold or hot, rainy or stormy, or just cloudy _ affects my attitude in ways I haven't been able to describe. Certainly, a lot of times is easier to complain than to be inspired by it, or to be depressed rather than to be appreciative. I often surprise myself wishing for rain when it is sunny, and wanting a sunny day when it is cloudy,

When a situation becomes unbearable, I'd do my best to remain calm and positive, and if I remember, I embrace what torments me to ease the pain. Asking for the impossible is futile, I have a tendancy to forget how the world works. But who really understands the world?

SUMMER OF 2022

Having said that, the summer of 2022 was brutally hot, and my whole wish was for it to end. I made myself unnecessarily miserable. But now that it is Autumn, I'm able to recognize my unfairness attitude. I could not see myself pass another day of 110 degrees, I HATE it!

The month of July hands out the perfect excuse to complain for just about anything and everything, the brutal heat waves we have experienced during this Summer, had overwhelmed my senses and everyone’s dealings leans to insensitivity. Everybody talks about the heat, but none wants to fret about it, however, the sun is so overpowering that there is no escape from it.

The month of July is like a needy person, a capricious child that demands attention, always wanting something. And no matter where I turn, I feel his presence. The month, demands from me to turn up the air conditioning, to moisture my skin, to wear sunglasses outside, use sunscreen, hydrate my body through out the day, used energy wisely, save water, open windows if there's a hint of cold air outside. The pervasive and persistent heat over 100 degrees Fahrenheit made July a fun month, if only I were a Camel.

UNNATURAL FURNACE

The human's ability to adapt is quiet something. I went on a quest to find the hottest places on earth where humans live. What I read was an eye opener in many ways. For once, most of this places are in Asia and the Middle East, second, the amount of heat they are accustom is out of this world. Take the following examples from the BBC Sciences Focus website, which states that "While the locations on the list won’t remain as hot, the record temperatures suggest a high level of average heat"

Jeddah (Saudi Arabia): 52°C (125.6°F)
Mexicali (Mexico): 52°C (125.6°F)
Al Jazeera Border Gate (UAE): 52.1°C (125.8°F)
Turbat (Pakistan): 53.7°C (128.7°F)
Basra (Iraq): 53.9°C (129°F)
Mitribah (Kuwait): 53.9°C (129°F)
Tirat Tsvi (Israel): 54°C (129°F)

It is likely that the heat we experience in California is nothing compare to the places from the list. However, it's the unpleasantness in the middle of a long Summer that prompted me to decide to make changes, and I am _ as I write this lines _ in the process of moving out of this unnatural furnace before the blazing sun makes its round again.

I STAND BY

Now that I have finished with all my complains. You must know that as I get older, my priorities in life had changed. My likes have been many, and now, my dislikes are even more numerous; I'm also able to identify bull-shit a mile away, and because of the wisdom, I believe I'd acquired in life, I'm friendlier, and with more empathy for people’s suffering.

What I'm trying to say is, I am not apologizing for the poor things I said about the heat and the month of July. For the record, I stand by my opinions, since being older has made me less tolerant towards everything extreme, and still less motivate to express regrets for the things I say or think.

During the summer of 2022, I managed to composed a music duet for piano and cello. Inspired entirely by a wish, rather than for the need of a rainy day. I was able to capture some ideas. This piece, alas, represents the outspoken yearning for a change, dreaming for something different, wanting an unlike outcome, begging for a cool wind to caress my face while whining a little.

Thanks for reading

MUSIC Information: