Hotter Than Hell

As I write this, the Cubs are on TV against the Dodgers, pissing away another key game — but after going without power for the last 24 hours, I'm just happy to be able to watch baseball again. I'm also REALLY happy to have air-conditioning again, especially considering that this past weekend was just about the hottest of the year; some neighborhoods and communities in Southern California were without power for up to three days, which means that we got off relatively easy.

The Department of Water and Power repeatedly warned Angelenos that this Labor Day weekend would break records for local energy consumption — so why the fuck was the DWP caught so flat-footed by the blackouts that resulted? Does EVERY government agency in the Age of Bush have to act with utter ineptitude in the face of an impending crisis? More than anyone, the DWP should know that Southern California's electrical system is outmoded and overwhelmed, and they should also be well aware of what happens to it when temps rise above 90. So how about having more repair crews on call when hot weather is on the way? Oh, right, it's Labor Day weekend, which would mean paying the crews overtime... Ah, fuck it; just let people sweat (and in some cases, die) until Tuesday.

After calling the DWP yesterday about the blown transformer on our block, and ascertaining that I was more likely to grow a second head than see a repair crew show up before Tuesday morning, Carole and I took cover from the heat at the Beverly Center theaters, where we finally got around to seeing The Simpsons Movie. Though most of the reviews I'd read had already diminished my expectations, it was still a pretty disappointing viewing experience — like all of my least favorite Simpsons episodes mashed together, without nearly enough of the show's incidental weirdness to keep it interesting. The whole thing smacked of creative burnout; all of the basic Simpson family characteristics (Homer's thoughtlessness, Marge's loyalty, Bart's delinquency, Lisa's social consciousness) have already been milked time and time again with diminishing returns — but here they were again, rehydrated to pad out a 90-minute feature that was short on appearances by supporting characters (Three lines for Krusty in the entire film? No Sideshow Bob or Ralph Wiggum?) and even shorter on fresh laughs. Sure, I got to see Bart's dick, but I would have much rather seen them do something really bizarre and free-associative with the film, a la the "22 Short Films About Springfield" episode.

That said, when it's 100 degrees in your apartment, paying $9.50 to watch a missed opportunity is hardly the worst thing in the world. And we did manage to prolong the evening out with a wonderful dinner at the always-excellent Amalfi Ristorante on La Brea; Carole had a pizza, I had an absolutely delicious plate of pumpkin-stuffed ravioli and braised short-rib (a fantastic combination of textures and flavors), and we killed at least a bottle of Pinot Grigio between us. By the time we returned, the apartment had cooled off to about the low 90s, which was still pretty miserable; thankfully, we were too stuffed and inebriated to care, and we managed to get at least a few hours of sleep between us. Sure lookin' forward to a full eight hours in air-conditioned splendor tonight, though...

Comments

[moondog]

Dan, you blame the "Age of Bush" for "Mayor" Villalaraza's total eff up?

Phuleeeeeze dude.

[Dan E]

Dude, puhleeeeze read it again. I'm not "blaming the 'Age of Bush'", I'm deriding what seems to be the endemic incompetence of our government leaders and agencies (local and national) when it comes to dealing with domestic crises — a problem that has certainly gotten considerably worse during Bush's tenure in office.

Do I blame Bush & Co for the failings of LA's Mayor and DWP? Not at all. But is it safe to say that the DWP's incompetence and Villaraigosa's lack of leadership is reminiscent (if far less catastrophic) than the Bush/FEMA Katrina show? I think it is.

[moondog]

Thanks for the clarification!