Do I Need an Air Conditioner?
I’ve recently started writing a new project, which is intended to be an ongoing collection of short stories with an ensemble cast, kind of like an online, post apocalyptic soap opera but not. The whole point behind it is isolation and disconnection, but a problem I’m encountering is my own connection – my room has it all, Sky HD, Xbox 360, PC with internet access, BlackBerry phone with Twitter and Facebook on it and all kinds of other stuff that just connects me to the world and keeps me in touch at any given moment. That’s great, but I’m finding it impossible to actually get myself into the right headspace for it, especially with my two flatmates making squawking noises all the flipping time, so I’ve decided to go back to the self storage unit. The question is, do I want to hire an air conditioner for it?
The deal is thus: all I will be taking to this unit (or the Lost Room as I’m calling it because I’m all goth and cool, according to this chick I spoke to on Saturday night) is a notepad, a few pens, maybe a bean bag to sit on, and my iPod. No laptop, no furniture and my phone will be switched off all the time I’m there. This will hopefully give me the isolation and sense of disconnection that I’ll need for this, the perfect industrial-style hole with nothing to keep me company but my music and my words, for a few hours here and there, at least.
The problem I have with this is simply that last time I was in one of these things was summer and it was flipping hot. I don’t want to roast, but I want to save money and also keep the feeling of no modern technology near me (well, except for the iPod). It’s definitely a conundrum and I know that hiring an air conditioner can be really expensive and chances are I’m going to be spending time in this unit pretty regularly, so the costs will mount up. I think what’s going to happen is that I’ll just hire the room, sit in there and see how the work goes and if I start to feel like I’m in a sauna when the weather picks up, I’ll hire an air conditioner.
I wish I didn’t have to go to such stupid lengths to get into the right headspace these days. I remember the days when all I needed to write something good was a Sisters of Mercy CD and a beer.
