Chilling Out

Today yet another heat advisory has been issued here, bringing the total to six over the past ten days. (For those of you fortunate enough to be unacquainted with the phenomenon, this means that temperatures in the 90s actually have a heat index of 105-110 degrees, making being outdoors for any length of time unhealthy as well as unpleasant.) Given that my tolerance for the heat seems to be decreasing as my birthdays increase, and given that I generally walk everywhere, I’ve had to significantly adjust my routine. Which now looks like walking my companion as soon as the sun comes up and maybe getting out quickly when things open at nine o’clock, then scurrying home to my air-conditioned sanctuary and remaining firmly entrenched until at least sunset, if not the next morning.

There was a time when I would have complained bitterly about this, but these days I’m accepting the challenge. (There was also a time when I would have fantasized about decamping to New England for the summer, but alas, thanks to the climate change that us leftist pinkos have fabricated, it’s now the same story there.) Instead, I’m enjoying finding ways to stay engaged and occupied, as well as mobile, indoors.

I’m taking advantage of my yoga mat, resistance bands, Pilates magic circle and YouTube videos. I’m loving that the open floor plan of my house lets me walk miles at a good clip while talking on the phone or meditating on a creative problem. I’m finally back in the rhythm of daily writing sessions in my Creatorium and have added mini art explorations to jumpstart each sitting (stay tuned for thoughts on that). I’m listening to podcasts while completing long-abandoned craft projects. And I finally have time to spend poring over the reference books I always longed to get to “someday”.

This, too, shall pass (it has to, right?) In the meantime, I’ll do my damnedest to find the kernel of joy.

If you’re also experiencing this unprecedented heat, how are you keeping your cool these days?

Ways I Found Joy This Week

Choosing purple polish for my mani-pedi

Completing a jigsaw puzzle of Kristiansand, Norway (and adding it to my travel list)

Calling my favorite Pinhead on his 75^th birthday, and chatting and laughing as if no time had passed

Catching up with my nephew over dinner at a great Italian restaurant

Arranging a particularly gorgeous vase of fresh flowers for my dining room table

Laughing with the CWP until my stomach hurt and I couldn’t see through the tears

Things I Learned This Week

That the reason lizards are now hanging out for hours between my slider and its screen (lounge lizards?) is that they are also too hot

About www.goodnewsnetwork.org, which is now providing me a daily dose of much-needed positivity

Quotes That Resonated This Week

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children.

Native American Proverb

There is no question that climate change is happening; the only arguable point is what part humans are playing in it.

David Attenborough

What I Watched This Week

Hamnet (Netflix). A must-see adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel that imagines the tragedy of Shakespeare and his wife Agnes suddenly losing their young son to illness. Powerful performances by both Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley, and gorgeous cinematography.

Just one more week to go for both:

Ru Paul’s Drag Race All Stars (Paramount+).

The Vampire Lestat (Prime).

In the Mouth of Madness (Various). Interesting horror/fantasy movie starring Sam Neill (RIP) as an insurance investigator searching for a renowned author who has disappeared. Very trippy.

Harlan Coben’s Final Twist (CBS or Paramount+). Standalone episodes of true crime stories selected and narrated by Harlan Coben. While the “twists” at the end aren’t always as surprising as in his fiction, and he is more of a background presence, both the detective work and the psychology involved were compelling.

What I Read This Week

Gone Before Goodbye, by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben. A former military surgeon who has lost her medical license following a tragedy is offered an opportunity that’s hard to refuse, which leads to harrowing complications. There were the usual Harlan Coben twists, but the plot felt like it had a kitchen sink approach: in addition to subplots of grief and deception, there was the (uncontested) pervasiveness of AI, plastic surgery, corruption, military and government operations, black market organ transplants, and a snapshot of ex-pat life in Dubai. Didn’t love it, but it passed a couple of hours while my car was being serviced.

The Keeper, by Tana French. I’d forgotten how much I love her work. This third in the series (though you don’t need to have read the others) is a doorstopper, and she takes her time getting to the mystery at hand (a young woman ends up dead in the river on the eve of her engagement to the scion of a prominent family). So worth every second for this portrait of life in a small townland in Ireland. The description is poetry, the characters are unforgettable, and the dialogue is pure gold.

Advice No One Asked For, by Jenny Hagel. A smart, funny collection of essays from a writer/performer for Late Night with Seth Meyers. Both entertaining and wise.

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Thanks for reading!