On the heat

If you read my post from yesterday, you've no doubt gleaned that it's hot in Los Angeles right now. Of course, being a beach dweller I have the advantage of experiencing temperatures that are a good ten degrees lower than those living in L.A. proper; however, I also live in an apartment with high, uncovered windows, direct exposure to sunlight for extended periods of the day, and no central air. We do have an R2D2-sized AC unit, but it is most efficent when you crounch in front of it - we're asking a lot if we want our entire living room cooled.

As I lay in bed this morning, sweating from the heat I had slept through, I found myself wondering: would I rather be too cold or too warm?

First, let me establish that I have experience with both extremes. I've traveled to Israel in the summer, driven through Arizona and Texas with temperatures well into the 100s and lived through my share of heat waves back east. I also attended Syracuse University, whose climate resembles the ice planet Hoth for 7 months of the year. Having compared both situations, I came up with this list of pros and cons for each:

HEAT/SUMMER

Pros:
- Don't have to put on so much damn clothing
- Can swim in an outdoor pool without risk of hypothermia
- Ice Cream now an acceptible substitute for a nutritious lunch
- 4th of July provides a great opportunity to overeat, get drunk AND play with dangerous, flammable objects

Cons:
- Constant sweating causes body odor issues, makes you stick to all leather furniture.
- That one dance song you hate will become a teen anthem, and you will hear it everywhere, since school's out.
- 4 words: Fat People in Swimsuits.
- Disneyland now crowded EVERYDAY.

COLD/WINTER

Pros:
- The ethereal glow of moonlight on fresh fallen snow
- You're SUPPOSED to be fat right now - it's how the body insulates against the cold
- It's ok for adults to wear pajamas - even footies
- Disneyland less crowded during schooldays

Cons:
- The unbearable walk to and from your car when you must park outside
- Shrinkage
- The patch of black ice that YOUR dumb ass will slip on
- It's fucking FREEZING out there!

In the end, I find it really hard to pick one: when it's hot, I wish it were cold; when it's chilly, I long for the heat of summer. I do know this: living in Southern California seriously warps your sense of temperature.

Man...

It's killer hot this morning. I thought I could run for longer than I could, but I haven't been training enough in between the big Sunday runs to be in proper shape, and I'm forcing myself to get on the ball here. Still, it feels good to have worked hard, and as an added bonus Jenn and I found a beautiful path that runs along a cliffside and gives us an unobstructed view of the whole city.

Tonight: up to Valencia to hang with Damian and see The Incredible Hulk. Again.

If you haven't seen Hulk yet, I highly recommend it - this film is far superior to Ang Lee's adaptation a few years back, which completely missed the entire point of the Hulk by giving the property to a director who is not suited to it.

They got it right. Again. I've been remarking to anyone who will listen that I think it's really cool to have two comic book films that are pitch perfect AND part of the same universe.

And for Hulk, you don't have to sit through the credits.