August was just as much of a whirlwind as I’d expected. We spent much of it traveling, which was great (the boyfriend and I loved Toronto and Montreal while my son enjoyed Vancouver). But the bits of August that were spent at home were miserable. The humidity was officially TOO MUCH. Record breaking heat indices and blah blah blah. Causing discomfort far worse than winter’s bite. Sure, winter can kill you too. But at least winter allows for the possibility of comfort. By bundling up to face the harsh elements, and layering indoors to stay warm along with baking and cooking, which are two of my favorite activities. But the heat has since broken and we’re miserable for other reasons. It’s BACK TO SCHOOL. And back to the 6am wake-up call. And back to too much to do, not enough time and not enough sleep.
How about five good (or at least interesting) things:
- The lovely Kurt Vile covering Nine Inch Nails. Amusing. Now for the frustrating. Nine Inch Nails played one of their own songs but the Associated Press reported it as NIN covering Johnny Cash’s “Hurt” (when it was the reverse). Groan.
- Next week we have tickets to see Patti Smith as part of the intriguing Station to Station project. Really looking forward to it. But I realized too late that it’s the same night as Saul Williams at Icehouse. Always too much of everything, all the time.
- So much love for this: A Show of Strength by Middle Eastern Women Photographers
- And I really need to see “In a World” - the trailer already sold me on it. And here’s a great follow up interview with Lake Bell on NPR.
- Oof. ‘Ask a Slave’ Makes Depressingly Stupid Tourist Questions Hilarious - Actress and comedian Azie Mira Dungey used to work as a historical re-enactor at Mount Vernon. And 1- because George Washington’s old stomping grounds are staffed with people acting out roles they might have had during the George Washington days and 2- Dungey is black, she played the role of a slave named Lizzy Mae. Now, she’s made her experiences fielding actual stupid questions from actual stupid tourists into a video series that not only invites laughter, it encourages people to think a little harder about how we lionize the Founding Fathers as paragons of morality.
It hasn’t been all bad since our vacations came to an end. I enjoyed my first ever Stiftungsfest, in the boyfriend’s small hometown. And I took the kid to the 2nd annual Internet CatVidFest, this time at the State Fair. But I’ve also been worrying about my nephew in Afghanistan - he sends me bittersweet updates when he can. And I stupidly dropped my iPhone, shattering the screen and incurring a $150 repair fee. And I’ve been debating whether to a) ditch my car altogether and solely use a combo of mass transit/HourCar/human power or b) obtain a loan to buy a new-to-me car or c) delay the decision by trying to keep my beater running a little while longer. The jury is still out.
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