It’s October in Minnesota and I have the air conditioner running. This just feels…wrong. We Midwesterners are not immediately threatened by the consequences of global warming (unless you’re the owner of a ski resort), but the developing world has much more at stake. UN officials are already declaring that much of humanity is already confronting a “mega disaster” brought on by a record number of floods, droughts, and storms. But as long as the fallout of climate change remains largely confined to Asia and Africa, the chief emitters of CO2 will be slow to change their behavior. It is probably already too late to reverse the effects of our dependence on fossil fuels; all we can do is hope that we can mitigate the damage.

Congratulations, recording industry executives. You just scored a $220,000 court judgment against a single mother who illegally downloaded some of your songs. You must be feeling pretty stoked right about now. Now everybody knows that they can’t mess with you. People are going to think twice the next time they’re tempted to grab the latest Kanye West single off of LimeWire. Maybe you should go out and celebrate by knocking down a couple old ladies as they’re crossing the street. Better yet, there are probably some stray puppies out there that could use a serious ass-kicking.

You should sleep soundly tonight, secure in the knowledge that the American legal system is there to watch your back.

If you’re of a certain age group, you probably remember seeing the animated version of Watership Down. If you haven’t seen it, you’re missing out. It’s one of the most disturbing, whacked-out, out-and-out horrifying movies you’ll ever see about bunny rabbits. After seeing this movie, I became deeply suspicious of my sister’s pet rabbit and I gave it a wide berth whenever we crossed paths. The good folks at Cracked must’ve experienced similar psychic damage because they listed at #2 on their list of the 10 Best Animated Movies for (Traumatizing) Kids. After seeing those stills from the movie, I have the strange compulsion to add it my Netflix queue and relive the nightmare all over again.

Radiohead has a new album coming out. The rational side of my brain knows that it will be another cryptic, atonal, self-indulgent disappointment. But the other side of my brain–the side of my brain that wants to believe in fairies and time travel and nurses who are former porn stars–keeps hoping for another OK Computer.

My parents are visiting and my dad and I watched the Brewers lose to Padres. I hardly ever watch sports unless it’s with my father, but it was still disheartening to see the playoff dreams of Milwaukee fans go up in smoke. Unless I’m mistaken, the Brewers haven’t made it to the postseason since 1982. I was nine and I remember watching the games with a fervor that seems comical to me now. They lost to the Cardinals and I’m pretty sure that’s when I stopped caring about baseball.