D&F 2/4/23

Last night I left my house for the first extended time since I tested positive for COVID, and it was for friend of the newsletter Drew’s wedding reception. It took place in a neat weird place called Box SF, that had a hidden speakeasy in the basement and a blast storage area. I’m exhausted while I write this after such a big night out, but it’s nice to know I have enough energy to do stuff again. Now it’s time to get back to the errands I’ve not done for two weeks.

February is here, which means the winter is nearly over! We’ve had so much rain in the bay area that I think this spring could be gorgeous. Bike camping in some verdant hills is very much in store for me this year, and this week I also booked a slot in a bike race with some Oregon buddies. I’ll have to rebuild my fitness after a month off my bike, but I think I should be more than ready to explore soon.

In the meantime, let’s get to the

Links

• This week I started watching seasons of Survivor I haven’t seen, partially inspired by my rewatch of Lost. In season 2 (Australia) they’re constantly opening figs that are filled with bugs. I don’t eat fresh figs or dates really, so I had no idea this is common. Nature is weird.
• I deal with depression, and have for my entire life, but it looks like the old hypothesis about what causes it might not be right. I started taking Prozac the year before the pandemic, and I feel like my tendency towards anhedonia is almost gone, which means I can do the other things that help: cycling, and sleeping well. It’ll be fun to see how research around mental states and microbiome advance as I get older.
• In the US, the idea of democracy is the most enduring bit of myth from the founding fathers. We’re at best a republic, but in 2023 an oligarchy or kleptocracy is a more applicable label. If we want to embrace democracy, we should apply a lottery election, which isn’t something I’d considered until I read this article. I don’t think the chances are high we’ll be able to radically upend the US election rules, but it would mean a much more representative group of part-time leaders. Maybe in the post-collapse communities we can actually test it out.
• Finally, I learned about the Sami religion Laestadianism from recently married Drew’s Mom, Janice (congrats again Drew!). She shared a link to an NPR story about a book on the Sami, and in it I also learned of the ecological choice those reindeer herders make to “let the reindeer decide”. As someone who grew up in strange Christian sects, I found it funny to see that Laestadianisms love to limit which sects of their own religion are going to heaven.

Closing

I wish this was a long weekend because I’ve missed doing fun stuff while ill, but fortunately work is pretty chill this month, and I get to do fun planning with an old friend. When I get to next weekend, I’m gonna be stoked though. I hope your week is equally easy and the weekend returns to you faster than you expect, space cowgirls~