To the escape pods! ¡Nos vamos!

I hate the Texas summer. Every year seems hotter and this has been the hottest: day after day over 100°, made even worse by the record-setting lows in the mid-80s. The relentless heat is more than my brain can handle: I'm sour, lethargic, and indifferent. I don't smile, I can't think, I don't want to do anything.

But at last, this Friday, we escape.

For the sixth straight year, we're leaving for a month in Buenos Aires, where it's late winter. For the fourth straight year, we're renting the same one-bedroom apartment in a high-rise near the corner of Callao and Pacheco de Melo. For the first time in months, I'll wear long pants, real shoes, and a coat.

We arrive Saturday morning, when it is forecast to be about 50° and overcast.