Picture yourself alone in a house on a river with tangerine children making marshmallows out of your mind. Somebody calls you too early and you mumble quite slowly through pincushion lips and kaleidoscope eyes. Cellophane wrappers of yellow and green literally cover the floor. Looking outside, you get the sun in your eyes- you wish you were gone.

Ohhh, yes. It’s a hot town, the summer in the city. The air’s full of heat and humidity. In your yard, your kids’re looking half-dead, stumbling on the sidewalk, hotter than a….

All right! Before this goes any further- go to the movies! They’re free! They’re air-conditioned! It could be bliss! It’s like Reel Paradise without Fiji and angst!

During the summer, Regal Cinemas across the nation show free G/PG movies at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (such as Curious George, Zathura, and Wallace and Gromit). The schedule varies from week to week and cinema to cinema, but it can be checked. Local Regal Cinemas include the Henrietta 18, Greece Ridge 12, and the Eastview 13. The Pittsford Cinema 9 is also doing the family flicks, but you’ll need to call (383-1310) or stop by for the schedule. All the venues offer various specials to encourage you to increase your pre-noon popcorn consumption. Past experience indicates that the gate keepers are fairly understanding about that adult need to bring coffee on the premises. Arrive early because the seating does disappear.

July, 2006