On Sweating

It is mostly very hot here in the south. In April it gets hot. In October it is still hot. But here now in July, boy: words cannot express. New York can get pretty miserable in the summer. But I do not recall it being this hot, this consistently. When I first moved here it was summer (two years ago) - the end of June. There wasn't a soul on the streets. I would walk around the neighborhood (sans sidewalks) and listen to all the a.c. units running and SUVs whizzing by. And I would sweat. Now I go for regular morning and evening walks with gas fils and I still sweat. That's just about all there is to do here in the summer; and there's no getting used to heat like this (at least not for me, reared in northern climes - Canada, practically). But we cannot sit inside all day. And despite the heat and overall lack of rain thus far this summer the neighborhood is remarkably green and pretty.

Even Gas Fils sweats. The little ends of his hairs on the back of his head start to lay flat against his neck, weighted down by the moisture. Given that sweating is one of my few occupations this summer (while mlle. gass-y is working all day), I thought I might start a list of occasions when I sweat and sort these occasions into categories: times when it is okay to sweat and times when it is not okay to sweat.

Times when it is okay to sweat:

• When I am doing yardwork. Sweating makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something even when I look down and see how much more I need to do.
• When I am jogging. Ditto.
• When I am about to jump into water.
• Sex (depending on partner)
• When I have a flu.
• When I'm dancing (after 2 a.m.).
• When for whatever reason I want to drink a beer in the middle of the afternoon.
• When I'm writing.

Times when it is not okay to sweat:

• When I am teaching. No matter how comfortable I feel with my class, no matter how cool the building is kept, no matter what: I sweat when I teach. Hence the dark clothing. It's not because I'm cool or wanna-be-cool. Dark clothes hide sweat.
• When I'm dancing (before 2 a.m.).
• After showering, with fresh work clothes on.
• When I'm getting a haircut. Bad enough under all the hair. But it's so embarassing when the cape comes off.
• When I'm in an interview.
• Dinner out.
• Sex (depending on partner).
• While reading the newspaper. Cheap paper, runny ink.
• When giving a conference paper. It's like teaching, except that I never get comfortable giving a conference paper.

There are many other occasions, I guess, pro-sweat and con-sweat. But these are the ones that come to mind at present. Now I have to set out on my mid-morning walk - before the temperature hits the 90s. I will still sweat, no doubt. But since nobody goes outside here and since nobody walks anywhere, nobody will be there to notice me sweating. It will almost be like I am not sweating. But will I feel a heightened sense of accomplishment?

The Sweaty-Man

One must [now] have a mind of summer / ...and have been hot a long time / To behold the [wisteria vines] shagged with [pollen dust] / ...and not to think / Of any misery in the sound of the [lack of] wind, / In the sound of [...] few leaves....

Damn. I was holding open my book of Stevens poems to recall these lines from "The Snow Man". But when I pulled away from the book my sweaty hand stuck to the page and ripped it clean out.