D&F 3/7/22
Well, this late newsletter thing is getting to be an unfortunate habit. Due to the deaths of two cat friends this week (River and Atlas), I went out to have a whiskey wake on Friday and didn’t get home till three.
Reader, I was hungover. Don’t drink heavily after 24, IMO. I rested, and recovered, and today went on a very long, hilly ride with almost 3000’ of climbing. I think my desire to keep pushing myself on the bike means I might need to cut way down on drinking just to make sure I can recover better. Two COVID coping mechanisms in opposition.
The unfortunate thing is that having a beer or three is a very social activity, but as an afternoon cyclist it’s almost always a solo one. At least I’ve got Elden Ring.
A silly game I found this week was “name that white man.” I didn’t realize until I got to the end that these were internet-famous fellows, so I guessed “Tim” or “Dave” for most because I quickly ran out of name ideas. I thought you were supposed to actually name them, and not try to remember their actual names.
I didn’t guess “Trevor” but I did read a fascinating and strange article on a “post-left” artist named Trevor Bazile. In my opinion, the “black-pilled” nihilistic views of “post-left” politic are often tied together with otherwise affluent white kids who find the posturing of the older white people in power to be so upsetting that they give up on any actual change or meaning. It’s a bummer, because there’s always a chance and a way to fight for real legal changes and differences in folks’ lives, but the work takes a long time. Everyone I know who works in rights advocacy sees many two steps forward, one step back progressions, and has had to make compromises that are so painful. In the face of this complexity, I see a lot of younger folks just saying “fuck it, I’m doing coke and complaining about ‘identity politics’” while still ignoring the material realities of so many lives in our country and elsewhere. There’s a middle-ground between nihilism and the democratic party’s gutless cowardice though. Or, at least I hope.
Links
- The only way to play Elden Ring
Closing
Ok, I’m still a bit wiped, so I’ll make this one short. I’m reading a lot this week that should mean a more interesting letter next weekend, so I’ll hope that comes together. Enjoy your March, and toast the pets we’ve lost this week, space cowgirls~n