Classic Rant #762 (June 12, 2012): Crazy From the Heat

It's hot outside.

To that we all agree.

But it's summer. It's supposed to be hot.

With temperatures reaching 90-plus degrees today in the northeast for the third straight day today, weathermen are calling what we are going through a heat wave.

But for all of those who are complaining about the heat, would you rather it be 20 degrees with snow?

Smart people know how to keep cool when it is so hot outside.

First of all, if you can't bear the heat, stay inside, in air conditioning.

If you must be outside, drink lots of fluids, and I don't mean beer and soda. Water is the right choice for a day like today, because it hydrates you and quenches your thirst and cools you down, all at the same time.

I learned a valuable lesson a few years back.

My family and I were at Yankee Stadium, and it was 97 degrees that day, which means on the field and in the stands, it was probably even hotter.

I thought I was hydrating myself by drinking my usual liquid of choice at the time, soda. But all I was doing was ramping up the heat for myself.

In the middle of the game, I felt sick and dizzy, and ran to the bathroom, where I proceeded to pass out.

My son called for help, and the Yankee Stadium security crew did a great job at getting me going again, spraying me with water, and getting my body temperature down.

They even allowed us to sit in one of the exclusive restaurants there so I could really cool down with the air conditioning in there.

I was better almost immediately, and later that week, they even called me to find out how I was doing.

Many years earlier, when I was a teenager, I passed out during a very hot day while riding my bicycle to a friend's house.

I was ready to cross a crowded intersection, and the next thing I know, I was on my back on the island in the middle of the street. To this day, I have no idea how I got there, but somebody must have dragged me over there, basically saving me from getting run over.

I am smarter now. Sure, I have a sugary stuff every now and again, but when we go to an outdoor event like a baseball game, I drink water.

The best thing about water is that unlike soda, I don't feel that I have to go to the bathroom every once in a while when drinking it, so I can concentrate on the game.

So to stay cool, drink water, stay in the air conditioning, and don't do anything too strenuous.

I'm not much for the heat, and the heat doesn't do much for me.

But you have to respect it, and you do that by respecting what your own body can and can't do when it is this hot. I learned my lesson and hopefully, I won't ever have a problem again with the heat.

Hopefully.