This may be a dumb question but as a fellow disabled Chicagoan how are you managing the heat + bad air quality? I want to wear my n95 when I go outside but when it’s so hot I feel like I can’t breathe (even though I know I can, and I’m just feeling the heat, I’ve checked with one of those little finger oxygen pulse things). Do you have any tips/tricks?
I hope it's okay to post this publicly, in case other folks have ideas and tips, because honestly the way I've been handling it is just not fuckin' going out. Which is not an option for a LOT of people, I know. Honestly if it hadn't been the hardest ticket in town to get, I would even have bailed on the Obama Center because of the air quality.
I looked this up because I was curious: N95s will filter out particulates in low quality air, where fabric ones won't always. I have been wearing a fabric mask when I do go out because I have trouble tolerating N95s and I figure "some" is better than "none" but if the heat is the issue an N95 will probably be more comfortable.
For the heat, there's all the usual stuff -- wear lightweight and light-colored clothing, a broad-brimmed hat can keep the sun off, go out before sunrise or after sunset, stick to the shade when you can. I have a little portable fan that helps -- Target has ones with a USB-rechargeable battery for around $10 -- and drugstores (and probably Amazon) often sell small battery-driven ones that have a reservoir for water so you can spray yourself with a cool mist.
In addition to carrying a water bottle you can actually drink from, you can also fill a disposable water bottle about 2/3, leave the cap off, freeze it, cap it, and take that along to press to your forehead or throat if needed.
This is an extreme solution, but handheld air conditioners do exist (sort of). I own an Evapolar CHILL, which has a carrying handle and works by blowing air across a wet filter to cool it, then blowing the cool air onto you. It's not battery powered but you can plug it into a phone power bank (or a wall socket obviously) and run it like that for an hour or two. It's not powerful enough to cool a room but it does provide a steady cool breeze on your body. Downside is it's about the size of a football, not especially lightweight when the water tank is full, the filters only last about 3-6 months, and the portable CHILL model is not cheap. I also would not trust it not to leak in a "carrying it in my backpack" situation. Buying one was worth it when I lost A/C for three weeks and needed the three square feet around my body to be cooled at all times, but a $10 portable fan will probably be just as helpful for your purposes, honestly.
Readers, feel free to chime in! Remember to do so in comments or reblogs, as I don't post asks sent in response to other asks.
