The Weather of the Future

Just 5 minutes of this Fresh Air interview was enough to make me stay up all night thinking about the water table in the SW United States. Anyone brave enough to read Heidi Cullen's book The Weather of the Future should report back to me. Am I exaggerating the coming apocalypse or am I not doing enough to sound the alarm?

Why you're not married, it's your fault men are angry

Recently, there have been a slew of published books and articles about how men don't know how to be men, and women are too terrible to date.

For example:

• Why You're Not Married
• Dear Single Women of NYC: It's Not Them, It's You.
• Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough
• Manning Up: How the Rise of Women Has Turned Men into Boys

I think that Manning Up has an interesting thesis; the roles of women in our society have changed dramatically over the past 50 years, and the roles of men haven't explicitly changed accordingly.

Other than that, I think there is a lot of #whitegirlproblems going on here.

Why You're Not Married has an unexpected comment gem, from a man explaining what he looks for in a woman:

"Can I have a woman who likes to keep 'it' clean? I'm talkin about her a** The last woman was 'tart' down there. I expect for a 30-somethi­ng to have her hygiene together, OKAY!"

OKAY!

Energy Drain

When I consider my energy consumption, I think about tangible use: turning on appliances, using two towels at Equinox every day, heating and cooling, etc. But, Internet use is one of the fastest growing energy drains in the world. A scientist quoted in this David Owen piece on the Jevons Paradox predicts that "by 2014, the U.S. computer network alone will each year require an amount of energy equivalent to the total electricity consumption of Australia."

Something to keep in mind as we all switch to the iPhone.

This letter to the magazine regarding Owen's article is tough for me to comprehend without referencing outside material, but I like that it is written by Amory B. Lovins. Yeah Amory, you be lovin'.

Where to?

New year, new thoughts about how climate change will irrevocable change my way of life, especially considering that I live in Southern California, "the first dying canary in the coalmine" due to increasing drought conditions.

So ... France? Vancouver? I bet Detroit will be ready for a renaissance in a few decades.

Chicken liver

"It's not 15.8" inches, the record set in 1889, "but it's not chicken liver either."

It has been raining a lot, indeed.

Dexter Filkins moves to the New Yorker

Wartime reporting stallion Dex has moved to the New Yorker. I have no idea why, or what this means for the future of journalism, but I do know that I will continue to refuse to read The Forever War. Too scary!

Related: Why can't I find the piece his ex-wife wrote for Vogue online anywhere? It strongly informs the plot of her new book.

www.secretregrets.com

I truly cannot go here.

The Big One

Maybe I should stop wasting so much time at the gym and quit my job already. The next major rupture is right around the corner!

Wrinkly Hands

I have paranoia about premature signs of aging. I often wonder if my hands will be saggy and weird before the rest of me, because I often forget to put sunscreen there, and my hands are always exposed. I have long been suspicious of those UV lamps at nail salons, and now I know I am not far off!

But hey at least I don't have a hobby with a high rate of MRSA.

Countdown to Zero

If you are feeling overly optimistic today, I suggest you check out Countdown to Zero, a documentary film about impending nuclear disaster due to terrorism or human error. There is also an interview with the film's writer and director, Lucy Walker, here.

I really need to stock up on water and canned goods

And put running shoes in my car

Quit your job, enjoy Earth while it lasts

According to a new study, developed nations need to halt economic growth to even try to stay within a liveable temperature range.

That's fine with me; I am dying to quit my job anyway! I will play my iPod via a bicycle-powered generator while snacking on some home-grown tree bark. See you there!

ANXIETY

I haven't read this yet, but when I do I have a few questions:

• Are women more anxious than men?
• Is anxiety passed on to us directly by our mothers?
• Why do I get panic attacks on the freeway?

That is all for now.