[Survey] A long (and warm) afternoon

A long (and warm) Afternoon

Bing! Bing! Two short bells chimed overhead as the hanging open air gondola pulled into the station with as much grace as a sluggish beetle crawling into its dwelling. While the sun may have dipped behind the tree canopy, the humidity remained ever present in the heavy afternoon air. A small crowd quickly amassed at the entrance of the gondola and slowly, everyone found a seat. The last aboard was Sticky, lugging her overstuffed bag of camera and convention equipment onto the last remaining empty window seat. A few quiet apologies could be heard from Sticky as her bag bumped into a few tails that were unfortunate enough to remain in the center walkway. No one seemed to mind thankfully, everyone seemed to be focused on getting home and getting out of this dead heat that permeated the very air they breathed. Bing! The gondola lurched forward and started its ascent towards Upper Aberion. Most of the noise from the passengers died down soon after the departure. The stagnant heat sapped any energy for light conversation. To take her mind off the climate, Sticky dug into the bag hoping to reorganize its contents to make it less unwieldy. Pulling out a few unused picture frames, Sticky reminisces on how popular her photos were at Aberion Photography Conference. The delightful and kind words from others were the only thing keeping her going in that blazingly hot plaza space the organizers had reserved for photographers. Next time she goes, bring water with ice so it’ll stay cool for longer. After shuffling the picture frames around to rest on top of her camera tripod. Sticky zips up the bag, confident she’ll be able to carry the rest of the way home in one piece. Just the thought about a moment's rest in her comfy bean bag chair after such a long day makes Sticky wiiiiiish the gondola would just move faster. To pass the time, she contemplated taking a trip to Torini for a week. Getting away from this damp heat would be amazing. With Torini’s fresh sand beaches and abundant sea life, she could capture some really intere- Bing! Bing! The bell chimes pull Sticky from her daydream. The once quiet gondola was filled once more with a cacophony of noise as the passengers disembarked. Sticky waits patiently while everyone files out, hoping to avoid clogging the walkway with her bag. With the knowledge that her house is only a few minutes away, Sticky uses the last bit of energy to stand up, sling the bag on her back, and start on the last leg of her journey. It’s a quiet walk on the wooden sidewalk, everyone at this hour is probably asleep or wishing they were, Sticky falls into the latter… After two flights of stairs, Sticky finally arrives at her home. Without a second thought, she pushes through the door and plops the bag onto the nearby table. Now free of her burden, she takes a deep breath while making a mental note to thank Reid insisting she should invest in wood cooling insulation. The air inside the home is perfect, especially on a day like this. After such a productive day, Sticky thought, why not treat myself? She saunters over to the kitchen, collecting two ice cubes from the fridge and a glass of juice. Too eager to wait, she takes a big sip of the juice before adding the cubes. Finally feeling the fatigue of the day settling in, Sticky settles down in her oversized bean bag chair. She plans on catching up on the new episodes of Starcraft before falling asleep. She just makes it past the intro sequence before drifting off for the night.