London was not made for heat. I generally think London "heat waves" are adorable little spikes in temperature. But then again, I'm a walking commuter and have never had to get on the tube in summer rush hour; due to this I'm quite sure, as I've been told often enough, "[I] don't know what pain is!"

Fair enough. This summer has been worse than the last however. I'm trapped in my tiny dorm room, which doesn't have air conditioning (most people here don't have air con) but also the windows don't open (which I'm sure most people's windows do.) Hence, long after your tube ride is over, I'm sweltering the night away, waking up drenched in my own sweat several times in the night. I nicked a thermometer from work, it has been 34C (93F) in my room for the past three days.

I'll survive, and fondly look back on this post in late January, when the holidays have gone and I haven't seen the sun in four weeks and have to wear a scarf in the office or else my head will freeze off. I'll survive, but I'm not entirely sure London will.

Tonight, for example, we canceled dinner birthday plans off Oxford St due to fear of power outages. EDF, the French firm in charge of London's electricity (whose bright idea was it to put the French in charge?) claim it to be too hot to run properly, and plus all the demand of air con units (who are you people and why don't you invite me round for tea?) has knackered the system. This affected King's College as well, with a power outage on Sunday rampaging the email servers and the email is still not working as of today, Friday!!! (Every time I get the inkling that I attend a world-class, first-rate university I am promptly reminded otherwise.)

In fact my own little Dell Inspiron 1100 is suffering a similar fate. I just placed the thermometer under the fan on the bottom that kicks out the heat, it read 44C (111F). Sweet Jesus.