The Curse Of The Fan

I have a cubicle on the fourth floor of a building built before air conditioners. There are a few windows but many of the screens have disappeared and cannot be replaced. I still open these windows, but my colleagues do not like the possibility of birds, bugs and other creatures entering their humble “offices”.

It gets warm on the fourth floor in Virginia when there are no air conditioners. You really never get used to it. You are either always fighting sleep, drinking cold liquids, thinking about drinking intoxicating cold liquids, or wondering what would happen if you rubbed anti-perspent over your entire body. It is not a very productive situation.

As I was walking through my favorite department store, I had a brilliant idea. I needed a fan. I went to the fan section, and I was amazed that I had so many choices. I could only use a small desk fan, but I had several reasonable choices. I debated with myself for longer than I wanted, but I appreciated the air conditioned store. I finally chose a $6 Haier fan. It met all of my stringent requirements; it was cheap, small, quiet, and cheap. This fan would only be useful for two months, and it would be in my less than aesthetic workplace. I do not make enough money to spend a lot on a fan for my “cell”.

After putting my fan in the cart, I continued shopping. Most of my purchases consisted of beef and cheese. I also bought a few tomatoes and potatoes. As I was checking out, I was glad that the fan only cost $6. If it cost any more, I might have not purchased the expensive ice cream that cooled me so well after a long hot day in the office.

The fan works well. It makes my days more bearable. It is still hot, and I spend way too much time in the lounge, but on the whole I am really happy with my $6 fan.

I learned this morning that Haier is a Chinese company. A colleague chastised me for buying anything Chinese. I also read that politicians have called for trade barriers against China.

If we limit trade with China, who is really going to be hurt?

I certainly do not want to give up my fan.