• I finally watched Children of Men. Wow, what a depressing film. And yet, it was gorgeous. Alfonso Cuarón has a remarkable talent for making abject despair and urban decay seem achingly, surreally beautiful. I had initially expressed concern that the film would be a reactionary piece about underpopulation (based on today’s popular anti-immigrant fervor), but I’m happy to report that it’s actually much more complicated than that. Amanda Marcotte wrote an interesting post about the movie back in February. Check it out; she makes some great points about the movie’s pro-feminist positions that I’m too lazy to even try and make myself, because it’s 80 degrees in my apartment and I have to go to work in an hour or two and I’ve still not had lunch or showered.
• Did I mention it’s 80 degrees in my apartment, according to my three thermometers? I have done my best to not use the AC (I’ve lapsed a couple of times at night, so I wouldn’t have to sleep in a pool of my own salty secretions). But it kinda sucks to get out of the shower to begin your day and immediately start sweating.
• I guess this means I’m becoming my parents. They always hold off on turning on the air conditioning until the middle of May or so. This used to drive me nuts when I lived with them. I remember always feeling like summer had officially started when my dad finally caved and said okay to the AC. It was a grand affair at that moment: We got to run around the house, making sure all the windows had been closed before we could switch the thermostat on. And then we got to sit in the unventilated heat for two hours while the AC played catch-up.
• This weekend I’m having lots and lots of company. My sister and nephews are coming up Friday and staying through Sunday, and then my mom and possibly my dad are coming in Sunday night to stay with me through Monday night. I need to clean up and family-proof the apartment. That, of course, means hiding the coke mirrors and dismantling the Satanic shrine in the living room. And taking down my posters of John Kerry, I guess.
• When you get a sec, read this, please.