D&F 3-7-21
This weekend almost felt normal again! I definitely feel a great deal of fear and worry still about COVID-19, but luckily I got to see my friend Helen and my friend Drew outside with some tasty drinks. Between those visits, a thrilling Strada Bianche, and some solid workouts, I think this is one of the best weekends I’ve had in months.
At work, we were encouraged to take the first week of April off for vacation, and knowing that I only have three more full weeks of work before I get a nine day vacation is encouraging. I’m still not sure if we’re in the home stretch with regards to vaccinations, but there’s a little bit of hope in the air, and with some patience and work I’m hopeful that summer will be better.
I also ordered a new bike for the summer, and that is a fantastic thing to look forward to. My current bike weighs around 30lbs, and this new setup will be almost half of that, even with custom wheels to ensure I don’t blow out spokes with my weight. If you live in the Bay Area and want to ride, I’m hopeful by June or July I’ll have my new bike, and the fitness to ensure I can do some fun climbs with it.
Have you had French fries recently? I hadn’t for months until this weekend, when I enjoyed fries from Sideshow, and cheese tots from Malibus. Fried food may not be great for my heart, but they’re a miracle for my soul. My prescription: treat yourself to something crispy and crunchy this week.
Have you been to a tech conference in the past decade? You’ve probably heard a talk on “imposter syndrome”. While these were revelatory for many of us the first time, at this point, maybe we should just stop. If you’re constantly telling someone they’re not an imposter they might start to think they are an imposter. Wild, huh? On the topic of things we can leave behind is predatory listening. This is something I’ve done in the past, and I’m not proud of it. It’s easy to focus on scoring points or disagreeing with someone, but much harder to build and maintain empathy with our interlocutors. Plus, it’s pretty hard to be a predatory listener if your mouth is full of French fries.
Did you hear there’s a new kink book on the shelves this month? Maybe you’ve thought, “am I kinky?” Before, or been afraid to ask someone to spank you out of fear that you’re a total pervert that no one will love. Well, you’re not! You’re fine. Kink rules. The new kink book though? It doesn’t rule. I really enjoy Daemonumx’s newsletter because it tackles a lot of complex topics around leather and non-traditional queer relationships. Her archives are great, so definitely take some time to peruse them. Care warning, of course, for blood, rope, and delightful lesbian content.
Look, I’ll be honest, I’m still mad that something besides Jawbreaker or Sunny Day Real Estate is called “emo”. These days, the TikTok children are putting eyeliner and expensive Hot Topic clothes on again and making all the e-boys and e-girls cry. Your hair? Its everywhere, screaming for the gram, and taking its wear.
This is when emo died:
Way before we had crypto, we had paper and wax, and if you wanted to encrypt something you just had to fuckin’ fold it up and hope. Honestly? Candles seem a lot more environmentally-friendly than whatever the hell we do to encrypt our conversations about which CDs make the most powerful monsters. Obviously, it’s going to be Enya. And speaking of life-altering monsters generated from basically nothing, check out this salamander! Look, I know this is how life starts generally, but also it seems way too wild to believe. If your kid asks “where do babies come from?” just make them watch this video a few times, and say “any questions?”
Finally, I leave you with a fantastic podcast episode about the horrifically goofy “master cleanse”. Please, please, please don’t do a cleanse. Eat good food, drink water, and sleep at night. Starving yourself? No thanks! This podcast is generally excellent, and does a great job of dismantling the fatphobic myths that society loves to repeat. Plus? It’s very funny. A+ would listen again.
Links
- How many tvs is too many tvs? Three seems like a lot to me, but hey, live your truth.
- Do you write fiction? Do you want to write better fiction? Here’s a bunch of stuff to avoid, at least until you’re a fiction pro and can subtly subvert these rules.
- NFTs? Not even once:
Closing
One day, when I’m very old, I hope that I am the kind of cool old lady that has a lot of friends, a lot of wine, and an overgrown park or yard nearby that kids are afraid to lose a ball in. Do you think about yourself as an older person? Do you dream about the future? When you think of yourself in your 80s, do you think you’ll be on a space station, or hanging out in a suburban house?
I hope we all get the future we hope for, and find a way to keep the planet in good enough shape that the next many generations also get that future.
For now, my future involves more cycling, and a lot of laundry! Take care of yourself, and keep loving your neighbors, space cowgirls~