D&F 4-25-21
Last weekend was rough for a number of reasons, after starting with a nice bike ride that ended in losing a good amount of blood. I bruised a few ribs on the handlebars of my bike, but didn’t know it until Saturday, Sunday, and Monday led to increasing pain and worse breathing. My advice: dismount for train tracks! Don’t be a hero.
Unless… you’ve become invincible:
Luckily, the results of the x-ray showed that I hadn’t broken anything at least. Yay! I rode indoors a few days this week, and then did a small jaunt to see a friend outside on Saturday. I’m nervous on the bike right now, but the only cure for that is more exposure, I think.
It’s sunny in Oakland, and even when I can’t go out, I can sit by the window and sun myself with Snorri. I got a pair of shorts in anticipation of the summer. At this point during the pandemic, friends are thinking about their futures, and potential moves, and I’m wondering if the Bay Area will be my home for the next few years. I hope we’re able to travel again and even explore our neighborhoods, because I can decidedly say I’m ready to see more than my own four walls.
And look, these days all this time alone is likely to make anyone outraged:
It’s a good time to pick up a new hobby though. Perhaps guitar?
For many Americans, this pandemic was a rude awakening to all the horrific labor and capitalism shit of the past few decades. I hope we don’t go back to how it’s been. Rest, family, and other ways of finding a purpose and joy in our lives is likely the way forward, though in many cases we don’t have a choice. Even “remote work” doesn’t need to be as brutal and grim as many have experienced it this past year.
I hope everyone would radicalize when they saw how unevenly the pandemic effected the world; punishing the poor and benefitting the rich. Instead, I think we run the risk of rich folks gallivanting around with annual viral boosters on destructive planes, while everyone else slowly decides to turn on them. At least, part of that is the plot of The Ministry for the Future… much like this. One thing that won’t change is that “climate anxiety” will continue to be an affluent white person thing.
As more friends get vaccinated, I keep wondering if we can wear masks after the pandemic subsides. In Japan it’s been the social norm for years, and even on planes it’s a great plan for preventing dryness. I miss seeing faces, but I love being less exposed to colds and other random illnesses. Imagine a world where folks can stay home when they’re ill, and see the doctor when they need, without incurring debt. That’s a world I want to see one day regardless of nation.
Links
- I’m lucky Snorri isn’t this agile:
- If you made bees watch Bee Movie, even they would know it’s too long:
- I watched 6/8 episodes of Shadow and Bone this weekend, after reading the first book a year or two ago, and it’s one of the more compelling YA fantasy series in a while. Recommended.
Closing
I was briefly worried today while looking for a movie to watch that something had happened to Denzel Washington. Apple’s TV app showed that many of his films were trending, which might just be because they’re good. I guess I’ll have to watch Man on Fire to celebrate.
Are you watching anything or reading anything you love lately? Let me know. Today is the LiΓ©ge-Bastogne-LiΓ©ge race for female and male cyclists, and I can’t wait to see them meander through Belgium. My subpar bike-handling skills prove I’ll never be in the pro peloton, but weirdly, my age wouldn’t be an issue.
I leave you on that thought: you’re never too old to do the things you love and get stoked on a new hobbies. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and week, and I’ll see you next time, space cowgirls~