Lancaster Newspapers, PA
08-02-06
Hot & bothered
Heat wave makin' ya grouchy? Join the cranky crowd.
By Cindy Stauffer
Lancaster New Era
LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - On a day when it is hot enough to fry an egg with a
side of scrapple on Lancaster County sidewalks, when the sweat trickles down
your back, when that lady with the impossibly big basket accidentally brushes her
moist arm against yours in Central Market, when that driver in front of you does
not notice the light turning green — Earth to doofus: Move! — most of us are
feeling a tad, shall we say, irritable.
Of course, unless you’re one of those annoying people who actually likes the
heat, who say that it’s summertime after all and what do you expect, blah, blah,
blah, blah.
Earth to impossibly cheerful people: Shut up. You’re getting on our nerves.
A crabby reporter and a sweaty photographer drove around in a non-airconditioned, ancient Volvo station wagon (Earth to reporter’s tightwad husband:
Fix the dang air conditioning) Tuesday afternoon when the heat index measured
110 degrees, to take the county’s crankiness temperature during the midst of a
major heat wave here.
We discovered that minor nuisances morph into major vexations when the
mercury soars above 95 degrees.
Chris Simmons, 48, and Sharon Kauffman, 39, of Marietta look surprised when
they are stopped and asked if the heat makes them cranky. Do we look cranky?
they ask warily. Um, not at first.
However, a little hint here: do NOT bring up the the Phillies with this duo. Or the
convention center project and how the average working man doesn’t get state
grants for his business, OK?
Oh, and the county’s decision not to spray for black flies along the Susquehanna
River this year? Also a bit of a sore subject.
“When they bite, it feels like someone is walking up to your leg and has stuck you
with a safety pin,” Kauffman says.
Simmons has another peeve: “People out driving, running yellow lights. People
who are waiting to get out in traffic and other drivers won’t let them in.”
Mike Milisock, 21, of Washington Boro, says he is probably is one of the
crankiest people around when the weather gets hot.
“I just get really irritable, man,” he says, squinting into the sun.
Take those commercials for this drug or that drug on TV. Please. You know, the
ones that say, “Ask your doctor about...”
“The side effects are worse than what they cure,” he says, “like the nasal sprays
that cause seizures or bloody noses.”
What else?
Any commercial on the radio drives him crazy, he says. The radio should be for
music, not commercials.
What else?
“The littlest thing can make me mad. Like if I just dropped my keys on the
ground,” he says, “that would probably make me mad.”
What else?
“Anytime people ask me something three or four times in a row,” he says.
Beth Lavenziano, 42, and husband Mark, 43, and their son, Thomas, 11, are
vacationing here from Long Island.
“Kids whining that they’re hot and they’re tired,” gets on the Mrs.’ nerves, she
says.
Hmm. Could she be referring to anyone in particular?
“Of course not,” she says, rolling her eyes and laughing.
For his part, Thomas says what gets on his nerves is, “When I don’t get my way.”
Martin Whitehead, 43, of Lancaster, says outdoor chores feel extra taxing in the
heat: mowing the lawn, sweeping the sidewalk, picking up trash.
His wife, Jocelyn Cooper, 43, says having to stop in the heat to talk to someone
annoys her. No offense, she adds nicely, flashing a wilted smile. (None taken.)
Turns out there is science to back up these feelings. Studies show that people
actually do get more irritable when it’s hot.
In fact, the rates of serious and deadly assaults rise along with the mercury, even
when factors such as poverty level, demographics and cultural differences are
taken into account, according to a study by Craig Anderson, a psychology
professor at Iowa State University.
Lancaster City Police Sgt. Bill Gleason doesn’t need any study to prove it to him.
He’s seen firsthand how fights and disturbances increase during hot weather. It’s
just common sense, he says.
“In really hot conditions, you’re prone to more problems,” he says. “You’re more
cranky. Your patience is wearing thin a lot quicker.”
Tell us about it, Lancaster County.
Debbie Rowley, 49, of Lancaster, gets irritated when she calls her son to see if
he can help her unload her groceries, and he’s not even home.
Cindy Williams, 44, of Willow Street, gets impatient when only one cash register
is open at the store and there are lines waiting to check out.
Mary Lou Zalesky, 55, of Conestoga, hates it when the sweat drips into her eyes
when she’s picking tomatoes from her garden.
Jay Miller, 47, of Lancaster, has fashioned a paper plate into a fan and stands on
a city sidewalk, in search of an elusive breeze. He waves his plate/fan in front of
his face as he casts a sideways glance at a reporter asking him what makes him
cranky in the heat.
“People talking to me,” he says. “I don’t want to talk to nobody when it’s this hot.”