Sometimes it feels like I shouldn’t try to go outside my realm of comfort, because I’m punished when I do. For instance, when I go out on a limb to try to help an acquaintance, only for the person to screw me over in the process. It feels like the world is against me when I try something new and fail, but maybe I’m just too sensitive. That’s how I ended up throwing a big party and instantly regretting it when my HVAC system decided to throw me under the bus. I don’t normally enjoy party planning because of the pressure to please everyone at once, but I decided we should have an end of summer bash before it was too late. It was a super hot day, and I had the air conditioning cranked up to level 11 while I was cleaning the house in preparation for our guests. It seemed like I couldn’t get the house cold enough, simply because the heat outside was so overbearing. Everyone started to arrive and we were having a fine time, gathering in the coldest areas of the house and enjoying the AC that flowed in. Suddenly, the temperature started to climb, and it seemed to be unrelated to the addition of new guests. The thermostat was reflecting hotter and hotter ambient air temperatures, and the AC wasn’t kicking in anymore. My house was soon well over 90 degrees inside and the guests were miserable. My party ended early, with all our sweaty friends fleeing to the safety of their own home air conditioning.