I've been listening to a lot of Roy Orbison lately, and I'm really excited about his version of I Drove All Night (recorded before but released after Cyndi Lauper's version, apparently). The video is a perfect 90s artifact, featuring motorcycles, the desert and, yes, Jason Priestly.We had an unseasonable piece of Toronto summer yesterday, with temperatures in the mid-twenties and a fast-moving thunderstorm . Smell that ozone!

When I talk about the literature and art that I like, I use the phrase, "good natured" a lot. Because what's better than being reminded of the good things in life? Watching the Muppet Show, and being reminded how great it is that friendship exists. Or reading Kurt Vonnegut and stumbling across, "I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.'" I don't think that all art should be life-affirming or upbeat or anything like that, but man, you can't deny the pleasure of realizing how great it is to be alive and loved, once in a while.