Summer in Florida

When we first got an HDTV a few years ago, Mrs. Graybeard and I naturally spent most of our TV time watching HD programming.  One of the first movies we watched was "The Chronicles of Riddick".  You have to understand this is not even really good scifi.  It's a fun movie, it's a visual treat, it's a fantastic display of special effects perfect for HD, but don't pay too much attention.  To quote a review I read, "Furyans, Necromongers, Elementals, The Underverse, the Threshold...it so clearly wants to be epic that it forgets to tie all of these disparate worlds, universes and civilizations into a coherent story. (Director) Twohy clearly makes the mistake of not realizing that there is a huge difference between being grand and being simply confusing and the more ideas that are introduced, the more lumbering it becomes…"  

A large portion of the movie, and one of the longest action sequences, takes place on the planet Crematoria (yes, all the names in the movie are that cheesy) .  Crematoria is a planet that has a tremendous temperature variation (probably an impossible amount) with daytime temperatures of 700C and night time temperatures far below zero.  When the sunrise terminator sweeps through, the force of the heat gales that come with it are literally enough to blow you apart, disintegrating flesh and blowing pieces off until you die.  There's a scene where a character (Purifier) destroys himself by walking into the sunrise terminator and self-immolating. 

The first time I saw that scene, I said, "We've been out bike riding on that day".  Mrs. Graybeard said, "I know I've been on the Causeway that day". 

And that's what life in Florida is like in the summer; here in Central Florida, it's August plus or minus a week or two.  Stay out of the sun.  Do your outdoor stuff near sunrise or sunset.  Don't expose bare skin to the sun for longer than necessary - and even then, use sunscreen (SPF 3 million is adequate) if you need to be out for any length of time.  And thank God everyday for air conditioning.