**pant**

Having experienced some unusual May snow upon my arrival, I'm now suffering with 18 million other Muscovites through the worst hot spell in years. It is 8:17pm, and it's currently 88 degrees in Moscow. That's only 5 degrees cooler than it is right now in Riyadh. It hit 94 today, and is supposed to be 97 on Wednesday. Only movie theatres and top-end stores have a/c, and the metro has no ventilation at all. Needless to say, it is uncomfortable! Adding to the experience is the fact that all hot water was shut off a week ago--an annual summer ritual whose purpose no one has ever been able fully to explain to me (I suspect that saving money is the real reason). In previous hot summers, this has been a problem, since sponge baths with water heated on the stove never make you feel very clean. But this weather is so ridiculous that I gladly spent 20 minutes in the ice-cold shower tonight. My hair's still wet, but I'm hot again. Maybe it's time for another shower!