Emchap's Shit from the Internet 11/17/21 š
I spent this last weekend in a pool in Palm Springs with my friends, and it was absolutely trippy to be back in 90 degree, sunny weather again. Not to be all āoh after my semester abroad in Par-eeā about it, but since itās been so dark and (relatively) cold up in Portland for the last six weeks or so, my lizard brain had just sort of decided that thatās what whether is, despite the fact that I know full well I spent my first Thanksgiving in LA on the balcony wearing shorts.
Travel still doesnāt feel normal, of course, but itās getting less scary over time. (Except for the actual plane part of it, which has forced me to realize that Iām now much more scared of turbulence than I used to be.) I have kept my deep fury at people who donāt follow the very clear goddamn instructions about how to put their roller bags in the goddamn bins (wheels first, flip them up on their sides so you can fit more in there, Jesus Christ) and who insist on putting their backpacks in there because they are beyond our mere mortal constraints. I have added to it an abiding fury towards middle-aged white guys who donāt know how to wear a fucking face mask in November 2021.
Because of how flights wound up, I spent something like 7 hours killing time in the Phoenix airport on Monday as I wended my way home. It was possibly the saddest place Iāve ever been, though I donāt think that was really the covid so much as its general vibes. The luggage carts I saw abandoned in various spots assured me that Phoenixās airport has apparently been voted the friendliest airport in the US, though by whom and at what point in time were unclear. I bought a novelty keychain and some overpriced cheetos because the possibly-interesting brewery in the terminal was too long a walk away and I was tired from my pool lounging, my muscles having atrophied by being too gently cradled by pool water.
Iām back now and can confidently say that I do prefer being on vacation in Palm Springs to being at work, though of course more research is needed. I did at least get the chance to comfort my āhaving to do things againā sorrows with a trip to a bar that does $5 20-oz pours for happy hour and a meander down to my first food cart experience since I moved to Portland. (I got pizza, as I was not feeling adventurous enough to try the peanut butter and jelly poutine.)
Having made my various trips I am (I think) locked in for the rest of the year out here, for which Iām thankful. Itās very champagne problems-y but traveling messes up my skin and worsens my heartburn and generally makes me tired, and my home has all of my favorite items in it and many, many candles. Iām excited to hunker down until the sun comes back.
Shit to read
People are debating what to do with the blighted mall near my house, and Iām much more excited by these ideas than what I assume will happen, which is āmore for-profit nursing schools.ā
We live in the dumbest time.
My hair has also fallen out, so this was a comforting read.
I saw this post about the friends you make online and thought that it had been written by the person I knew who shared it, and it felt so correct that I didnāt realize my mistake for many minutes. What Iām saying is it is accurate.
Amazing grift content.
I think a lot of attachment theory stuff is misapplied but I really like this interview about it.
Shit to eat
Arrive home from travel, having no food in your house.
Order Burger King breakfast delivery, again, because you are an animal.
Eat the bacon cheddar burrito the nice person brought you.
Freeze the remaining croissandwhiches.
Each day, microwave one, and enjoy your special morning treat.