Things are really starting to heat up around the state of Arizona. I'm not just talking about the immigration debate, with all of its rallies on one side and legislation on the other side, either. I'm talking about that time of year when the office pools aren't about sports, but about the weather.
It seems that at this time each year we begin to make our guesses as to when our first 100-degree day will come. It's anybody's guess, but statistics tell us that the average start day for our summers of hell -- as if hell could possibly be any hotter than Arizona -- is May 5.
For all of the bragging that we native Arizonans do, from May through October this native wouldn't mind trading my weather for some of my out-of-state friends' cool summer temps. Just think of spending the summer in locales like Denver, Reno, or Buffalo -- places that look bad in the winter but so good in the summer.
While most of the country gets to enjoy baseball being played outdoors, the way Mother Nature intended, we get to watch America's pastime in a glorified airplane hanger known as Chase Field.
Seeing as we're expected guests anyway, it's never too early to plan to join the rest of the "Zonies" in San Diego for a few days of summer. Anyone who's taken a road trip to the beaches of southern California during the summer knows that you're among friends when you're there because, odds are, half of your neighborhood will be staying at the same hotel you are.
An Arizona summer is a great way to test a new Arizonan's adaptability. All of a sudden, that long walk to the mall just because you found a spot underneath a nice shade tree doesn't look so bad, especially if you have leather seats and still want skin on your legs. Another tip for those spending their first summer here would be not to throw away old towels. Those towels can easily be transformed into a hand-saving drape to place over a steering wheel.
While the heat can be miserable at times, it does make for an exciting storm season affectionately known to us as monsoon season. After all, we should consider ourselves privileged to live in one of two areas in the entire world where giant walls of dust called "haboobs" make their way through our bustling "metropolitan" area.
Ah yes, the summer and all of its glory. I'm reminded of my days of high school golf and summer practices where I'd hit balls into the desert at our course at Johnson Ranch near Queen Creek. Hearing the rattle of a snake as the ball bounced amidst the cacti served as a reminder of where I was. It also begged the question: Why do people live here?
I'm quickly reassured, however, as I look at my watch and find that today's date is April 11. It feels great to know that there are only six more months of burning-my-hands-on-the-steering-wheel heat that will be followed by cooler months and some sort of weather phenomenon known to most of the country as "winter."
I suppose I should look on the bright side of things. If something ludicrous like what happened in the movie "The Day After Tomorrow" occurred, Arizona would look as good as a 60-degree day in the middle of June.
T.J. Shope is a political science junior who enjoys the indoors May through October. Reach him at thomas.shope@asu.edu.
