The Big Heat

DICK says: The big heat has hit  the City of Light. Must be about 90 degrees in the shade (or 32.2 Celsius). A lot of the locals began to take off for their vacances beginning on July 1, but the nutter who lives downstairs appears to be here for the long haul. That's okay, though. Liz has learned how to keep him downstairs in his hot, airless lair where he belongs. Of course, all those shouts of "Ole'!" we'll be hearing before, during and, in all likelihood, after the big Coupe du Monde final this weekend may cause him to peek at the passing parade from his half-shuttered windows.As Liz is fond of saying. "Whatever."  We're down on the Coupe du Monde in these parts because the citywide interest in the games screws up the ADSL, which is used by most people to deliver their TV, internet and landline packages.  Buster and Teddy are  down on it as well. All the exuberant horn honking that accompanies each victory disturbs their sleep. Thankfully, we're down to the final weekend. And thankfully, the Tour de France doesn't elicit the same kind of primordial enthusiasm. It has many, many fans, mind you, but after they scream from the side of the rue at their favorite riders, they go home or pack off to a cafe for  a drink. Not so with football fans. They want everyone to know whose side they're on, and they're happy to demonstrate that allegiance all night long.