such wisdom in these words. i’ve long speculated that our lived experience growing up in a capitalist system (at least the one we’re in) severely warps our concept of admiration in peripheral but profound ways. we don’t have heros, we have brands. tate is a brand, musk is a brand, theil is a brand, as is cena and rogan and so many other influencers. because being a brand makes the vibe/essence/aesthetic being projected feel both real and posessable. it has effectively replaced our social framework for developing an identity with algorithmically profitable assimilation. values? an eye for opportunity is all you really need to be successful.

the reality is we are all beautifully flawed, with gifts and deficits that all deserve to be acknowledged in equal measure.

No one is safe from the gods we create, they all turn on us.

100%. i’m rocking AuDHD, that perpetual struggle between need routine and must have novelty lol. interesting to hear that the ‘mid-show venue switch’ is helpful for someone else. feels like a hack somehow.

my sleep routine has become one of if not the most important routine. i dealt with insomnia for years, which always spirals into poor appetite, ever-decreasing functioning and bad decisions. i understand now that maintaining a routine is critical for me, and i have added tools for falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking well-rested.

• i picked up a good sleep mask, one that blocks absolutely all light and allows unobstructed blinking. even more so than the functional aspect of blocking light, the sensation of wearing the sleep mask has helped program my brain into quickly recognizing sleeptime on-demand.

• a minimally-intrusive sleep aid. i started with melatonin but eventually switched to D8/D9 gummies and never looked back. within 45m of taking a gummy i feel the heaviness in my limbs and easily succumb to sleep. this is likely not necessary for everyone but i consider the reliable effectiveness to be an effective insurance.

• ensuring proper sleep posture. i overlooked this one for a long time, thinking that stacking pillows under my head and around my body was as good as it could get. but i would wake up every morning with neck and back pain, grumpy and frustrated. after learning about traditional asian pillows it clicked together that the intent of a head rest is neck support. on a whim i picked up a buckwheat hull neck roll and it has absolutely changed my life. first time i used it, flat on my back with it under my neck, my legs tingled from the relief of tension in my body. the moral here is to assess for sources of discomfort in your sleeping posture and find ways to improve it so you are not wasting time and effort trying to get comfortable.

• consider breaking up your sleep hours. I started an unconventional routine last year and it has been very helpful for me in waking refreshed. i set my first alarm for 2.5-3 hours before i want to be fully awake. when that goes off i manage to drag myself out of bed, have a light breakfast and move myself to a recliner in the living room where i gently doze off for another hour/hour and a half, with a few extra minutes on both sides. initially it was not super easy to fall back asleep quickly, but now that it’s routine and with the help of the weighted sleep mask, it happens in minutes. by the time my second alarm goes off, if i’m not already beginning to stir, i open my eyes and am absolutely ready to go. knowing that i can doze off again makes getting up and relocating on that first alarm much much easier, and i have come to deeply enjoy the dedicated peace and quiet of that early morning nap; no expectations weighing on me first thing, just focusing on my breathing and relaxing my body. the downside is now that i’m used to this pattern, my body expects that morning nap and i absolutely have to be up early enough to allow time for it.

i’m certain that a persons ideal sleep routine is extremely subjective and unique to that individual, so these tips may not all be helpful for you, but hopefully they give you some ideas of new strategies to try.

but which would you say came first: The Dragon or elon being perceived by others as The Dragon?

i’m sure, as with any big personality, this relationship evolves concurrently and interdependently. I just wish more had seen through him sooner. it was not difficult to predict that he would ultimately undermine himself faster than he would naturally fall out. we will keep seeing more of his type unless we can get a bit faster on the uptake.

“is it true you guys implemented a cart-return system utilizing a quarter as collateral? i just want to say, big fan. brilliant.

i know the enchilada sauce is one of the cheapest items in this picture but i recently made some from scratch and can confirm that canned enchilada sauce is absolutely flavorless. alternatively, it is super simple, quick and inexpensive to make from scratch. broth, tomato paste and toasted spices (chili p., ground cumin, garlic p., onion p., pinch of oregano/cayanne/salt/pepper and optional dash of apple cider vinegar) made in a roux and simmered for 10m. that’s it! the difference is night and day. go forth in flavor.

1. FROM (got hooked during the second season. third season is being filmed now. feels reminiscent of LOST but with darker undertones. so far, a frustratingly few answers have been provided, but i’m really rooting for this mystery series. rich characters, great performances and a plot that leaves you trying to figure it all out for days after.)

2. The Killing (surprisingly intelligent cop drama with excellent character dev and great tension)

3. The Terror (first season - based off the 1845 arctic voyage in search of a viable northern passage shipping route and the ship’s subsequent abandonment after getting by stuck in the ice. the end jumps the shark a bit but the acting is excellent. the concept, environment and mood throughout is captivating.)

4. Nathan For You (loved The Rehearsal and The Curse too, but i don’t think he will ever top NFY. plus, he graduated with really good grades)

5. Mrs. Davis (a lucid acid trip down modernized mythology)

6. On Becoming a God in Central Florida (brilliant satire)

7. 12 Monkeys (2015 series. vibrant, gritty sci-fi)

8. The Bridge (original Danish version)

9. River (cerebral detective drama starring Stellan Skarsgard)

10. Waco / The Aftermath (absolutely love Michael Shannon in this respectful retelling of a highly controversial series of events that had a profound impact on american society)

11. The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (hard to watch but such an important story. feels like a love letter from past to future generations)

forgot to include:

• The Chosen One (2023. subpar reviews but unique, cinematic and worth the watch imo)
• Midnight Mass
• Midnight Gospel
• The Jinx (an unexpected season 2 is now in production)

“you may not like it, but this is what peak reason looks like”.

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100%. it seems to me that the broad scaling of community played a critical factor, being born out of the privilege of personal vehicle transportation. now we live in one place, work in another, play in another, eat in another, etc. in some cases sure, maybe that could theoretically give you 3+ different circles of orbit and thus 3 different communities of fellowship and support. from experience though it looks more like an incongruent/lacking distribution of the kind of important ties between others that would otherwise develop organically within in a given community. ultimately it seems to reinforce our isolation and undermines a sense of belonging.

thanks for the insight, which makes sense. stupid cars.

i’m not positive that would do it. i know nothing about the physics of an explosive detonating on the sea floor, but the very term “cable” is a bit misleading. these things are seriously thick and intended to last for over 25 years in the corrosive undersea environment.

i wonder what the association is between the size of a parking lot and the frequency of its stores buggies not being returned by shoppers. from the pictures of beautiful european cities and towns i’ve seen, walkability seems to be an important development concern. i’m sure not everywhere, but by contrast, many shopping areas in the us are concrete wastelands with stores wrapping around massive, massive parking lots. perhaps parking 1/4 mile away from the store you just left makes it easier for people to excuse themselves from doing the right thing. i guess we don’t have a great track record with doing the right thing in any context though.

I might reframe this pursuit (finding stuff to do merely because you find pleasure in the activity) as self care-in a very practical sense. I’ve tried before, especially during stretches of time without medication, to pick a specific time within a given week, say Tuesdays and Thursdays after dinner, to meaningfully allocate my focus towards an unspecified non-productive activity. Sketching, jigsaw puzzles, taking a walk, reading a book, etc. By keeping it unspecified I can easily swap out one activity for another when the time comes and by viewing it as block of recurring scheduled time that is tied to my existing schedule, it’s much easier to remember to incorporate it into my day. As contrast, if I planned “to take a walk next Thursday after dinner”, chances are I’ll end up forgetting beforehand or get caught up in something else.

I suppose if I squint I could say adhering to this schedule change could be considered exercising discipline, but to me it feels like an ambiguous and pressured oversimplification.

i’m so sorry you live under that pressure of others expectations. having the capacity to take a disciplined approach and self moderate your behaviors is an important skillset, no doubt. but that is not the same thing as feeling and nurturing intrinsic motivation.

from what i understand, dopamine plays a massive factor in contributing to motivation in most people.

made a todo list? here’s some dopamine. finish a task? have another drop of dopamine.

meanwhile, the dispensing system in an ADHD brain is faulty and thus does not deliver the same sense of accomplishment that would generally fuel an NT to continue their productivity.

warm take: while i agree finding strategies for “manual mode” are import, so is, imo, learning how to sit comfortably in that unproductive space. counter productive as it may seem, sometimes it’s the weight of that pressure to feel motivated that’s the stressor, not the lack of motivation in and of itself.

It is both wild and horrifying to watch the scale and expediency at which the narrative is shaped and so quickly agreed upon as fact.

“who dies of hunger? eat something you idiot”

armchair speculations: have you watched any videos of botflies? they are responsive to stimulation and will retreat inside when touched. if your puppers fleshy bit is inactive, i’d wager some kind of sebum growth.

regrettably.