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July 23, 2006

Genre Gyms & Costume Party Restaurants

Ugh! It's been ultra plus hot around here -- 100+ yesterday. 100+ today. This inspired me to do several things:

1) Buy a new fridge*

2) Start going to the gym again (there's nothing like 100+ degree weather to make you unpleasantly aware of your body)

3) Re-watch the "Lord of the Rings" from the relative comfort of my semi-air conditioned living room (Chris was right: it's too hot for outdoor movies).

Which made me think: Wouldn't it be great if you could combine some of these activities? I mean, I assume there are gyms where you can shop online from the virtuous stirrups of your elliptical machine, and ones where you can watch videos, but what I'd really like is Genre Gyms, where you could immerse yourself in the cooling, soothing worlds of sci-fi fantasy, high seas adventures, or even westerns. For one thing, it would make the outfits a lot more interesting. Most gyms seem to the aesthetics of action/adventure, which is dull and unflattering for many of us. I'd like to see more people lifting weights in period costumes. And I think it would be adapted quickly, since the gym already requires a serious suspension of inhibitions (and I already feel like I'm playing a part when I go to the gym -- that of someone who works out.). If they can make gyms especially for women, why not gyms just for Trekkies?

I think there needs to be more role playing and costuming in real life in general, and Justin agreed, and added the following idea, which is:

Costume party restaurants. I gather from Justin that there are places in Japan where you can rent costumes and dress up and take your picture (maybe like boudouir photography? or when you go to the carnival and they take your picture in a wild west outfit?), and his innovation is that you could do that and have dinner. It sounds kind of like a more paticipatory form of Medieval Times -- in other words, awesome!!

*My path to a new fridge actually went like this:

1) Watch "An Inconvenient Truth",
2) Feel guilty and want to do the easiest thing I can think of to assuage that guilt: buy things (in particular, to replace my 20+ year old refrigerator and car),
3) Realize there's no way I can afford to buy a new car, mull over the possibilities for several weeks, obsess over Sears website, and finally, in the middle of a big heat wave, go to air conditioned mall, and buy a new fridge.

Actually, first we went to Standard, since I kind of like getting a little worked over by sales people before I make a big purchase -- like a consumer's rolfing.

(BTW, I couldn't believe that I was the only one at Cheese Club the other night to have seen "An Inconvenient Truth." Democratic politics + Apple software + Doomsday scenarios = What's not to rush to the theaters to see?? I assume everyone's seen the Spike Jonze video by now and can't wait to cast their vote for Gore, but it's no substitute for the power Keynote show Gore puts on -- really! I enjoyed it!).

Anyway, back to the refrigerator: I'm very happy with my purchase, and give great thanks Sandra, Chris and Terry for helping me through the process. Not to mention Joseph, the kid at Sears who was endlessly patient and actually understood how the Oregon Energy Tax Credit works.

(I've decided I want to do all my shopping -- especially clothes -- at Sears and The Vermont Country Store from here on out .)

So, the fridge: I got a 19 cubic foot fridge that uses 387 KwH a year, which is the lowest KwH fridge eligible for the Oregon Department of Energy $50 tax credit with the exception of the survivalist - armageddon's - coming - power - it - with - your - own - human - propane Sunfrost, which gets 250 KwH, and that's for a smaller fridge (14.31 cubic feet). And the one I got was on sale. And it was 10% off the sale price on Saturday only for some reason. And delivery was free. So it was quite a bit less than the online price. So congratulate me on successfully gaming the system. The new fridge will arrive on Tuesday. It comes complete with several features that I don't plan on using (ice maker, water dispenser) and "Ultra Fresh® system w/Surround Cool™ technolo[gy]" W00T!

My other energy-saving efforts have included line-drying my clothes (I haven't used the dryer for quite some time! the clothes line is awesome!!) and turning off the TiVo since I cancelled the cable and so what's the point. Baby steps, baby, baby steps. Oh, also, I've been riding my bike into St. Johns and to the gym, but not the office yet because I'm scared of the I-5 bridge on a one speed. And washing certain things in cold water.

Finally: It's too hot for a chinchila in my house, but I do wish I could have one as a pet. I saw one at PetCo today. They are flat out adorable.

Update
Here's more exciting refrigerator energy information -- very comprehensive! And Grist weighs in on the top freezer versus bottom freezer controversy. I understand why, on scientific principal, bottom freezers should be more effecient than top freezer, but I have yet to see a bottom freezer fridge with better KwH ratings than the equivalent top freezer -- not sure why that is. (This article doesn't explain it, either.)

Posted by mary at July 23, 2006 9:18 PM

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