UN PETIT BIJOU: Heat Wave

My Personal Photo

Heat wave doesn't come close to describing the intensity of this week's heat and humidity. The heat index in Central Park reached 113 degrees. It's hard to maintain a chic and professional appearance in such extreme heat. I rely on natural fabrics, light layers, easy pulled back hair and little makeup to keep cool. It also helps that I leave for work before temperatures soar and work in freezing cold air conditioning.

I have always done better in heat than cold. I have had more than a few instances of hypothermia setting in, but no issues with heat. I didn't give the heat advisory a second thought when I headed out to an event I was hosting on the rooftop of Ink48. I quickly walked a few blocks up and over to the hotel. Upon arriving at the event I was preoccupied with greeting guests, making sure everyone had everything they could possibly need and educating people about the scholarship fund. After an hour and a half I knew it was time for water, but felt fine.

In a matter of minutes, I began to feel dizzy. I was in the middle of a wonderful conversation about education in the Mississippi Delta when I had to sit down. I started to feel nauseous and disorientated. The entire rooftop including the inside area looked pitch black. When I got up to grab a glass of water, I collapsed and fainted. Thanks to a fast acting doctor I was quickly diagnosed with HEAT EXHAUSTION and dangerously close to descending into HEATSTROKE. My core body temperature was 104 degrees. It was truly a scary experience.

I'm happy to say that I'm feeling better. I spent the weekend taking full advantage of my air conditioning, relaxing and sadly neglecting the blog a bit. Here's to happier summer thoughts: