Emchap's Shit from the Internet 10/28/20 đ
I was, for a little while during my time in New York, a member of a unicorn-themed HIIT gym. (They have quarantine offerings, I recommend them entirely.) Their whole Deal was to get people who are uncomfortable or embarrassed in gyms back into them by making things fun, queer, and non-judgemental. (And effective. It was set dressing on compound movements with kettle bells and it made me stronger than I have ever been before or since.)
I remember finishing my first workout there and being worried my legs were going to give out on the stairs down to the subway. It wasnât entirely unwarrantedâI had to grasp the stair rail with a degree of intensity that one normally does not wish to bring to any interaction with a NYC subway station.
I never joined back up at a gym when I moved, for a bunch of boring logistical reasons, and since quarantine started thatâs meant that my activity level has been veal-calfy unless I need to scrub my houseâs floors. The normal activity of my every day life (walking to and from buses, carrying things) has gone more or less away, and no one for love or a reasonable money seems to be selling weights right now. Most of the heavy objects in my house are also the breakable objects in my house, making me less interested in doing goblet squats with them. Plus, itâs been approximately assmillion degrees here, and my house doesnât have AC, and the thought of moving has been nauseating. But, the temperature has finally fallen and my rising anxiety level has gotten to the point that I am having trouble sleeping again.
All of that is to say that today I was seized with a weird, intense desire to do some sort of Zumba workout after work, and I did one. I was terrible at it, and have no remaining strength or endurance, which makes me sad, and will no doubt make me sore tomorrow. I have no idea if Iâll feel the urge again, but it was for one small stretch nice to think about something other than the profound existential dread that Iâve been swimming in for so long at this point.
So, weâll see where it takes me. It was, if nothing else, a nice break before sitting down to this zero-proof tea that tastes profoundly like bourbon and getting yelled at by that horrible little language owl. All bets off for next week, of course.
(I will probably be doing this depression yoga routine.)
Shit to read
As someone who quit therapy at the start of the pandemic, I identified so very heavily with this. CBT is most effective when your cognitive distortions are distorted, and itâs much less effective when theyâre gigantic fears about thea ctual world as it is.
This Josh Gondelman piece about walking his dog at 3 am was a grim reminder of the small moments in which things feel less weird.
An interview with the guy who owns that fucked-up house.
I donât know that anyone my age ever really used the baseball metaphor but I do think it was good coverage of what was sort of assumed as the basic sexual menu, and it looks like Gen Z has cheerfully mostly abandoned it. Good job, champs.
I thought this Amanda Mull piece on safety practices that we actually know help vs. safety practices that make us feel safe was really good, and I think there is a conversation to be had about some of the safety theater stuff I see some folks doing (and do myself, of course) like the germs are magic.
This made me sad about email. Iâve had the same email address since I was 9, and I have all sorts of fun things in there from the first decade or so, and now nothing I enjoy comes through email.
Who knows what the full story is but I wanted to give this letter writer a hug.
I do think this piece plays down some Harold, Theyâre Lesbians shit in its historical analysis, but I do think some of whatâs in here is interesting. Weâre all trying to recreate the band-level group.
Shit to eat
Gather all the red produce in your fridge. In my case, that was some feeble cherry tomatoes and some red bell peppers Iâd roasted and stored in oil.
Put a pot on over medium, and add some oil or butter or bacon fat. If you have red bell pepper oil, itâs very good.
Chop up an onion and some garlic and cook until soft.
Add in your produce, plus a small can of tomatoes (or a big can, if you have more people than âyourself, repeatedlyâ to feed).
Add some stock in. If youâre me, that will involve peeling the wrapping off a frozen bag of it you stored last time you bought a chicken, but you can also just use bouillon or a box of stock like a normal person.
Bring it to a boil. It will take longer if your stock is a weird stockcicle.
Simmer for another ten minutes.
Take off the heat and immersion blend until itâs all soup texture. Try not to hit yourself with burning soup.
At that point add your salt (taste until itâs good) and, ideally, lemon or lemon extract and pepper. Or herbs. Whatever. You know yourself.
Eat with a grilled cheese, and enjoy.
Shit to watch
This very funny video about racist living history sites. âYour guess is as good as mine!â
Shit to buy
I just bought vegan floss with no plastic and nut milk bags, so Iâm ready to ascend to my final form.