Time for another cold shower

I was going to write something interesting about these neat devices they have in Spain (I'm sure it's an old, simple and common technology for everyone outside of the US), but all I can think now is OH MY GOD IT'S HOT. It was 102 degrees today and now that it's one in the morning it's only cooled to 82. To put things in perspective, the average high for July in Portland is 78 and the low 56. The basement is coolest place in the house, so I decided to sleep on the floor until the biggest spider I've ever seen crawled over my face. So now I'm on the couch in the basement. I'm not sure why I think that giant spiders won't make it up onto the couch, but I'm sticking with it.

Anyway, in Spain they have these things outside of all the windows that look like mini metal garage doors. Some roll up and down and some just flip up like blinds. Now in the US we have shutters on the windows, but they're purely for decoration in any house built after, say, 1840 and no office buildings have them at all. These high(er) tech Spanish shutters are on literally every window in the country. You can sleep all day in total darkness or be completely unaware of anything happening outdoors. Whyyyyyyyy don't we have these here? Imagine how much cooler the house would be if every window blocked the sun completely. Those with air conditioning would hardly have to use it and the rest of us poor AC-less folk wouldn't have to share the basement floor with the spiders.