We Have an Issue: This Is Fine?
In this week’s issue, fun ways to grapple with the ongoing heat... and more sobering thoughts on the state we’re in
By Kimberley Jones, Fri., July 21, 2023
Riffing on the Summer Fun issues we used to run every May – bumped when we moved our giant Best of Austin issue to the same slot – this week we present a sort-of *mid*summer fun slate of stories about cold drinks, nighttime and pool-adjacent activities, the annual Hot Summer Nights free music fest, and more.
This has not been without consternation, mostly in conversation in my own head. The original tagline was meant to be "Lean Into the Heat" – a concept that certainly seemed more fun a couple months ago when it was first hatched. After all, isn't that what we've always done here in Central Texas – embraced the heat, even worn it as a badge of honor?
As I write this, we are in the middle of a prolonged, brutal heat wave stretching across the Southwest and South all the way to Florida. On Friday city leaders gathered for a press conference on heat safety efforts, which include the erecting of a cooling tent at Downtown's Republic Square Park to provide relief. On Sunday, Austin Symphony Orchestra had to cancel yet another free concert in the park due to the sweltering heat, its fourth cancellation in as many weeks. On Tuesday, protesters rallied at the Texas State Capitol for humane conditions in prisons, many of which are without air conditioning. As we were going to press, KXAN reported we were on track to break a new record of consecutive days of 105° and higher. "Lean into the heat" too far and you could end up dead.
Which, incidentally, is the name of a new book on climate change and extreme heat, The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet. Meticulously reported yet super-readable for even a science dolt like me, the book is also extremely relatable – author Jeff Goodell lives here in Austin, where, as he describes it, "the heat feels like a Sword of Damocles hanging above the city by an electric wire." That hit a nerve with me: An HVAC technician concluded last week's repair on my ailing 12-year-old unit with a gentle but foreboding, "I'll probably see you in a couple weeks."
The heat consumes me, as does its scary implications. When I got my hair cut on Sunday, my stylist and I moved past weather pleasantries and went straight to the topic of climate migration. I've been giving more serious and solemn thought to my own actions: Why am I still using plastic wrap when my cupboard is cluttered with reusable storage containers? How can I justify not being vegan when it's one of the most impactful individual contributions I can make? The questions turn outward as well: Namely, why are our elected leaders not acting with greater urgency? And how are we still discussing climate change like it's just another political football? Shouldn't we all be running around like our house is on fire, because, well, it kinda is?
Anyway, that's where my head's at. Enjoy the issue!
ONLINE THIS WEEK
Gone Fishing: Leo Vernor explores the best Central Texas spots for paddling, swimming, tubing, and more.
Take a Bow: Jonathan Fox, of rising indie-pop project Foxtales, returns to the stage after a van crashed into his bicycle in March, shattering his vertebrae.
Locarno Welcomes "Lousy Carter": Austin director Bob Byington will debut his latest at the Swiss film festival next month.
Big News in the World of Sequential Art: Two Austin-made comic books have been nominated for Ringo Awards – Drew Edwards of Halloween Man fame, and Gene Selassie for The Ghoul Agency.
Texas Writer Award Announced: Texas Book Festival will honor Austin author Elizabeth Crook (The Which Way Tree) at November's fest.
