Hitting the road
Issue #46 - an unexpected newsletter return with the usual deluge of culture, introspection, rambling and personal updates.
Bet you forgot about this newsletter huh? To be quite honest I forgot about it too, or rather, I ran out of inspiration. I basically started Lo-fi weekend reads as a much needed outlet when I felt stifled and in need of some manner of self-expression. It was great for a while and then I got a bit self-conscious about what I was writing, because I was treated it like a journal sometimes but actually it’s a newsletter I’m sending to people.
Then the other day I came across this post by the IG account “shityoushouldcareabout” which I actually don’t follow because I can’t stand the idea that some one person gets to decide what “I” should care about. I’m quite frankly well aware of my own life and intuitively know what should concern me, but of course it’s a marketing ploy to act as if you’re some divine voice to herald a holier point of view.
So you know what? Screw it, we’re so back. And I’m afraid some of the below content is a bit generic and has been sitting around my drafts but the time has come to throw caution to the wind, which I’ve been doing a fair bit in my life of late.
I’m writing this in Koh Samui, Thailand on a little stopover holiday en route to my new life in the United Kingdom. My future is currently very uncertain as I don’t have a job or a place to live, but I’m somehow at peace with it. I’ve lived a very steady and content life the last six years and it just began to feel very stagnant, like I wasn’t progressing or going anywhere. Of course that’s not actually true as I had a good job and bought my first home. It’s not really a feeling to do with material progress, it’s to do with my personal progress. Am I learning the things I want to? Am I improving? Am I surrounded by the right people? Am I growing? I definitely couldn’t have said yes to all of those in the last few years.
I have had to (temporarily) say goodbye to some tremendous friends of mine who I may not see for some time, which has been particularly sad. As a single person my friendships are especially dear to me as they truly are my proxy “relationships” so I’m grateful for all of them, and without my friends I’d have fled Wellington long ago. However, it’s time for a little break for now and to see what else is going on in the world.
6 wellbeing no-nos from an ER doctor
Apparently, there’s some stupid and/or dangerous things people just can’t stop repeating causing them harm, and Abdullah Pratt, an emergency medicine physician at the University of Chicago Medicine, has given an update on the top 6 things to be wary of:
Don’t wear crocs on a snowy or icy day. Dr. Pratt advised that, during winter, he sees “Croc-specific injuries” every week and notes how little ankle support or traction they provide. I know they’ve become very trendy in recent years so I’m truly “old man yelling at cloud” for saying this, but they’re ugly. Buy some cute Tevas or Birkenstocks seriously.
Be careful slicing avocado - I get this I really do, it’s always a little precarious but I think the key is to cut avocadoes slowly. The minute you’re in a rush is the minute you viciously slice your hand open.
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash Avoid trampolines - I mean I definitely didn’t do this as a child and survived but for sure they’re super accident prone. You could so easily smash your head on the steel railing or rip your leg up and down landing on the springs. No wonder they’re all caged in and safety buzzkilled now.
Don’t pet strange dogs - hate this one because I love dogs but I already don’t pet strange docs. Having been brought up with a rather feisty and unfriendly dog (to strangers) I knew this too well, everyone wanted to pat the cute fox terrier but they didn’t want their hand bitten off, which regrettably was her usual response.
Don’t ignore sudden symptoms - this one is hard cause bodies are always doing weird things. As a gym goer and occassional runner there’s always some sort of ache or pain, you just gotta figure out what’s up. I am fairly cautious with my health though and have definitely gone to the doctor at times I know many others wouldn’t, I just like to be sure. It’s also a money issue of course, my last doctor visit cost like $70 and then I had to pay $30 for a referral fee, $350 to see a dermatologist and then $60 for some damn unfunded gel that, upon reading the product details, said something like “it’s unclear exactly how the medicine works.” You’d hope for better for a $60 cream. Anyway, use your own discretion.
Don’t ride without a helmet. Dr Sugalski (just realized this article quotes multiple doctors) advises, “We see folks come in with helmets and without helmets, and it’s night and day.” As a keen commuter cyclist I have yet to have a crash where my helmet has been essential, but I did crash into a car pulling out of a drive in a moment of absent-mindedness and it was a good thwump of me splayed upon this quite handsome man’s dashboard. He was kind about it and no real damage was done except to my pride and dignity, but still, it was a little wake-up call that things can happen. Anyway I already religiously wear helmets except for a few foolish youthful discretions atop a motorbike in Bali that shan’t be repeated.
On trialing intermittent fasting
As a consistent food grazer who peers with wide adoring eyes at Men’s Health magazine covers observing the body I want, and then with a cookie in my hand ensuring I won’t get there, I recently decided to embark on a lifestyle change. Namely, switching up my diet.
Perhaps one of the earliest self-soothing rituals I can recall as a kid was to pop on an episode of The O.C. or Gilmore Girls and prepare a little late-night snack like toast, cereal or some biscuits. That’s continued into my adulthood I’m sorry to say, while the snacks might have changed, and they are often more nutritious, they’re nonetheless habitual and not usually very necessary.
To put an end to my particularly troublesome habit, late-night snacking, I’ve decided to adopt the intermittent fasting method as below:
The 16/8 method: Also called the Leangains protocol, this involves an 8-hour eating period and a 16-hour fasting period. Some people do this by skipping breakfast, but you can also do the reverse and skip dinner or eat early. (Healthline)
Unfortunately I can be prone to social media influencers and a particularly mega-athletic guy/god I follow does often claim to be doing 72 hour fasts while somehow undertaking intense workouts and maintaining an incredibly muscular body. He may have inspired the idea… I remember in my university media studies class learning about the (disproven) hypodermic needle theory, and sometimes it feels like maybe it wasn’t wrong? I do just dumbly encounter media sometimes and absorb it straight into my brain as god’s truth.
The Hypodermic Needle Theory, also known as the Magic Bullet Theory, is a concept in mass communication that suggests media messages are powerful tools that can directly influence and manipulate audiences. (EBSCO)
I do think we all do that. I imagine it’s what has happened to a lot of Trump fans, for example. An extremely wealthy and powerful man who says he cares about the middle-class, who just lap it up and chuck their vote his way? Sad.
So far intermittent fasting has been fairly smooth but the truth of the diet is that it’s primarily just trying to get you to cut out a meal, namely breakfast, and I can’t help but think that my morning coffee and bowl of homemade muesli was hardly the barrier between achieving the Captain America body of my dreams and being a complete and utter slob. It’s ultimately a way to assist you to be in a caloric deficit in order to loose fat, which is fine, but having sifted through a lot of rubbish on claims that intermittent fasting boosts your metabolism etc. It doesn’t seem like the evidence is there to prove it. If you want to lose weight, you’ll always have to burn fewer calories than you consume and there’s no better way to ensure this happens than simply consuming fewer in the first place. Well, that and ozempic which kills off your appetite - which god knows would be a godsend when those 9pm cookie cravings hit.
Update: I gave up on this as I am a huge lover of breakfast and have always woken up hungry and ready to eat. Each day just felt like I was waiting waiting waiting for my meal and almost certainly indulging more than I’d have normally to “make up for” the meal I missed (not on purpose but I was definitely hungrier come meal time than usual, for obvious reasons). I haven’t quite found the nutrition lifestyle that works best for me yet but I will continue to peruse. My tendency to be lazy and to dine out is probably the thorn in my side, so will be experimenting with smaller portions of more nutritious foods.
Film review: Her
Not sure why it took me 12 years to get around to watching this film but finally, trapped on an unbearably long flight the other day, I got around to watching this.
In the near future, a lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with an operating system designed to meet his every need.
Given the ever-increasing use of A.I. these days and constant chatter about it, this film is eerily more relevant than ever. A man, whose marriage has fallen apart and who has become emotionally distant, finds “love” in a highly intelligent operating system who, through cameras, ear pieces and microphones, can sophisticatedly observe his world and integrate itself into it, without a body that is of course.
A.I. is consistently creeping in everywhere and I find myself using it more frequently. “Make a meal plan based on…” “Design me a workout in F45 style I can do in a hotel room…” “Make me a travel itinerary including these locations…” It’s a handy tool that I suspect I’m only slightly getting a grasp on. My own (former) workplace shifted so fast from “Use of A.I. is strictly forbidden” to “we expect you to use this in your work” I got whiplash.
The film is of course specifically about the use of A.I. as a replacement for human relationships. The idea that lonely people could alleviate their woes with an operating system. I’ve already seen articles pointing to the fact that many are using the likes of ChatGPT as their therapist which is concerning, but who knows, perhaps it’s better than nothing? I had my own first forays into counselling late last year and the need for a human element, someone who was picking up on my tone of voice, facial expressions, and reactions to things she said, were all quite an integral part of the process. I couldn’t say if ChatGPT is thoughtfully challenging and questioning the assumptive input many would likely be entering, or if it’s just being agreeable and telling people what they want to hear?
Ultimately I definitely don’t think there’s anything to be gained from relationships with computers, but then when I really think about it, we all use our phones and talk so much to our friends through messenger apps. I feel parasocially connected to some YouTubers, podcasters, game characters and even musicians I follow, so perhaps is it so different when it’s an A.I. that talks back to you? Who knows. Either way I think we’re only going to be seeing more and more “A.I. relationships” pop up.
Obsessing over Lorde’s new music
Since her debut Lorde has been an artist I’ve kept a very close eye on. Her penmanship and lyricism is truly unmatched and to me, lyrics are the most important part of a song. Sometimes I watch YouTubers or reviewers and they focus so squarely on the production which just couldn’t be me. I suppose it makes sense that I write a newsletter because I’m all about the words. I don’t have any poetic skill but I can reliably brain dump and hopefully make the odd interesting reflection. For truly excellent poetic song writing, Lorde has gotta be my #1.
I know artists like Taylor Swift get a lot of praise for their songwriting too, but to me she doesn’t come close to the level Lorde is at. Lorde also takes four years between releases too though so she does have time up her sleeve. I’d like to think I could cook up 10 fabulous songs if that’s all I needed to do for 4 years. (Delusional thinking probably)
Virgin took a hot little minute to grow on me, it wasn’t the heavy dark synth gut-punch that Melodrama was but I’ve come to appreciate it for what it is, and it is an excellent album. The thing about Lorde is that she’s never gonna deliver what she thinks the audience wants or needs. She focuses solely on her own creative output and should that land with people or not, so be it.
When will we next meet? Soon I hope
I have a pretty turbulent few months ahead of me. Job hunting, flat hunting, forming connections, networking - and a life in a brand new country I’ve never visited before. So Lo-fi weekend reads may be placed upon the back burner once more. But sit tight, I do enjoy writing and given I’ll be living far from those I know and care about, perhaps a little blog-style update here and there mightn’t be the end of the world. And hey, if it is cringe - just don’t read it. Be in touch.
