“I want a girl with a…” nevermind. here’s some things I’m worried about, or learning about, or not worried about:

long covid

ok so currently we’re in the stage of covid where some people are saying “who cares”. Should I too? I don’t think so, and this post about “long covid” is a pretty good rundown of why not. (and of course there’s an ACT) Basically: yeah I won’t die, but I’d have a pretty decent chance of pretty bad chronic symptoms.

(it’s weird that, if this is accurate, this is not more widely known! like, I’d expect the CDC or something to release some appropriately-scary facts? also, it’s weird that, if this post is accurate, so many people are going “who cares”; I feel pretty strange as the only one counting microcovids and being like “going to a bar for 1hr today gives you a 2% chance of covid”)

gas stoves

gas is more fun to cook on! it is somewhat less green. (not sure how much, but electricity will greenify over time while gas will not. also, acknowledged, SF banning something doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing to do; see also “building apartments”; but I digress)

do gas stoves also cause noticeable air quality damage? apparently! this is not the first thread I’ve seen about it, but sadly, I can’t recall that one.

concentration

I’m not all doom and gloom today!

a friend is into Cal Newport’s latest book. when I used to read Cal, I got just this overwhelming sense that I’m clearly missing some huge chunk of my brain, due to cell phones and facebook and stuff.

this thread does not refute Cal’s book; it refutes another book that sounds like a straw man version of Cal’s book. so take that critique for what it’s worth! basically, I’m not convinced that “computers ruining my ability to concentrate” is a thing I should be more worried about than I am.

(that said, I wish I could jhana like, at all, and maybe my failures there are because of my smartphone after all! :P)

practicing magick

I don’t know if I’ve posted this risks of studying or practicing magick but I believe it (and it’s quite entertaining). magic(k) is 100% in your head, but also 100% real.

depression

going through a real patch of it right now! it’s not great! it’s especially hard because I kinda thought this sort of thing might be gone for good, as it was gone from Feb 2020 to about Sep 2021. one thing I wonder: is it better to name it as a thing, or not to name it? like, is it better to say “I’ve had a bunch of 2/10 or 3/10 days in a row, huh” or “I’ve got a depression this month”? does it pull me out of it quicker if I don’t name it, or does it pull me out quicker if I allow it to be what it is?

(probably not a huge effect either way, so I am currently not worrying about it.)