8-6-7-5-3-0-9

My brain was shocked into life this morning at the sound of a number. Not the sound of a crashing car, not a baby crying, not a news story of gun shots, just a simple seemingly harmless number.

109.

Seems innocent enough....I guess it wasn't the poor number's fault but the combination of it and the word that followed. Degrees. Yes, 109 degrees is supposed to be the heat index today. When I was pulling out of the garage this morning I had just turned on the radio and that was what greeted me. I started sweating just thinking about it even though I was driving in air conditioned comfort. I do know intuitively that you reach a point where hot is hot and a few extra degrees doesn't make a difference but there is something just wrong about a three digit temperature. And I love how they try to make it sound so benign by saying things like "well the high should only be 99...it will just FEEL like it is 109". Okay seriously, two things bug me about that statement. A: the use of the word "only" like 99 is just a perfectly reasonable temperature that no one should be complaining about - perrrrfectly comfortable - I wish it was 99 ALL the time!?!? And 2: Someone please explain to me the necessity of the heat index. I mean do any of us really care what the actual temperature is - no - we just want to know how we are going to feel in that temperature. If the actual temperature was 70 but the heat index was 109 - it isn't like we would wear a jacket!?! I know I know, I live in Texas and heat comes with the territory...I just think that the weather guy should quit trying to sugar coat it with an actual temperature and just give it to me straight - I'm a big girl I can handle it. So it's gonna feel like 109 today??....okay...I think I'm going to cry! (so much for the big girl).