Ode to A/C: How Arizona Has Changed Me
by Joe Bardin

The greatest invention of the twentieth century is clearly air conditioning. But I would have never even known this had I not become an Arizonan. I would still be back East somewhere, overly impressed by nuclear power or the Internet or some such gadget, like the rest of 'em. The Internet, in case you’re wondering, requires A/C to keep its cool. So let’s don’t get the cart stuck in front of the horse, shall we.

History buffs will be quick to point out that air conditioning dates back to the Roman, Persian and Chinese empires. But I refer to the electronic variety, the stuff that gets you through the dog days. It was invented by one Willis Haviland Carrier in 1902. It is thanks to Mr. Haviland that I can now see my breath in the movie theater, and that the Valley of the Sun is inhabitable at all, for that matter. Unless we were all to make like Frank Lloyd Wright, who camped here during the winter months and then marched back to Wisconsin for the summer.

But let’s leave history behind. After all, isn’t that what we come to Arizona for? Being a year-around Arizonan changes one’s sense of temperature. I now use “warm” to describe temperatures in the 90’s just like the weather people, saving up “hot” for when it’s really necessary. They say Arizona’s heat thins the blood. I’m not sure if this is true, but I do know that temperatures don’t mean what they used to living in DC and New York. 60 degrees Fahrenheit is now downright cool, never mind the Minnesotans sporting shorts and t-shirts during their December visits.

The obverse of course is true as well. Temperatures in the 20’s and 30’s always seemed cold to me, but now they strike me as simply gratuitous. Clearly, cold needs to have the opportunity to express itself, just as hot does, but does it have to take it to such extremes? And no, I don’t miss the seasons. Which brings me to a chicken/egg conundrum. Has Arizona changed me? Or has it simply brought out who I was all the way along? A person who prefers heat to cold, with the intervention of blessed A/C at the ready.

Originally Posted: July 12, 2008
Filed Under: Arizona

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About The Author

Joe Bardin is a freelance writer with over a decade of experience, a few awards and numerous opinions herein expressed.