Hot Air Show.

Usually, when I struggle with the heat, I notice people around me going about their everyday lives seemingly oblivious and I wonder if I'm having a stroke or maybe I'm making too much out of how hot it is. Today at the Atlantic City Air Show however, was an exception. I noticed several others struggling and complaining, so for once I didn't feel alone in the darkness. Once.

The company I work for (toil for) gets an annual invitation to the Atlantic City Air Show. Until today, those invitations had bypassed me. This year, my name came up on the "invited" list, and until recently I felt privileged. Obviously a corporate oversight. When I arrived in Atlantic City amidst the 90-degree heat, I felt tortured. Lucky for me they fed us lunch and had bottled water available, but even at that it was barely bearable.

It was Africa Hot today in Atlantic City. It was so hot that I may as well have been drunk, because I couldn't think straight. Fighter jets were flying overhead, World War 2 planes were doing acrobatic maneuvers and Army guys were parachuting in from high above. All I could think about was how firkin hot it was and how long I was obliged to stay in order to fulfill my corporate obligation to the people who invited (tortured) me today. The show was scheduled to run until 3:30. I lasted until 2:05, which included one trip to Trump Plaza's lobby to just stand around and envelop the air conditioning.

That's pretty good, considering.

Sadly, I didn't stay long enough to see the Thunderbirds, but I did stay long enough to see some fighter planes - F-15, F-18, F-something - once you've seen one F you've seen them all, some helicopters and other noise-making aircraft. The jets make a lot of noise and generally scare the BeJesuz out of you before the guy with the microphone tells you they're coming. Hey dude, it might be nice to know that a large jet-powered aircraft is within a thousand feet of my head. Then, we find out that they're not doing all that they can because if they did, the resulting sound barrier blast would shatter windows.

That, I'd like to see.

So, tomorrow it's back to work.