Back in the day (man, I feel old saying that), I used this blog as a way to motivate myself and hold myself accountable as I sought to be healthier, lose weight, and so on. As the last couple years have continued to be a struggle in that regard, I thought perhaps that I should revisit that strategy. Weekly updates or reviews of how the past week went for me (what's a personal blog good for if not for a bit of navel-gazing, right?); opportunities to hold myself accountable for exercising, and opportunities to share what I've been reading and anything else that's happening. Seems like a start to get back into some regularly weekly writing in this space, to something that will feel a bit more authentic and substantial.
So, just starting to get things going this week with my goals, but I did hop on the treadmill two nights this week. I'm not in a place to push myself in any way, just slow walking (approximately 2.8 mph per the treadmill). Each night I walked for approximately 45 minutes, and I did have the incline set at 2.0, which meant I made about 250 vertical feet along with just over 2 miles of walking. I think those numbers will be my sweet spot for awhile, but hopefully I will be able to get on more than 2 times in the week ahead.
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Some articles that caught my attention this week and kept me thinking...
The Most American COVID-19 Failure Yet - from The Atlantic. A searing piece in many ways, looking at how America's inability to effectively contact trace, for a variety of systemic issues (distrust of government, slashing of local health departments funding, among others), have contributed to making the pandemic worse in the United States.
Can anything change Americans' minds about Donald Trump - from Vox. The piece examines the "eerie stability" of Trump's approval rating. The too long, didn't read version is that we have all made up our mind already about Trump and no new information (such as the bungling of a pandemic response) will change our minds. But as explored in the article, such does not bode well for democratic institutions.
From Michael Jordan to LeBron James, how the NBA became a powerful political organization - from Dan Le Batard as ESPN, the article traces how the NBA and its players have embraced being outspoken politically about social injustices, particularly systemic racism, and has come to be a forceful (and necessary) speaker for Black rights in the country.
American Christianity's White Supremacy Problem - from The New Yorker, a long read looking at some of the real problems and perceived problems American Christianity is experiencing during the Age of Trump, particularly with White Evangelicals' continued support for a racist man and his racist rhetoric and policies. The writer does suggest that some of these issues within the "pure" religiosity, but within the culture of American Christianity; but either way it is a problem that, for me, reinforces why the idea of "separation of church and state" is much more for the benefit of the church than many realize.
Going Postal: A psychoanalytic reading of social media and the death drive - from Bookforum, a look at our relationship with social media through reviewing "The Twittering Machine," a new book by Richard Seymour. As the writer notes, much of the social media discussion is to blame the tech giants for their algorithms that hijack our attention; this article does not necessarily deny that reality, but looks at the issue from the perspective of our will and choices and what that may reveal about what we are truly okay with, deep down. An article that gives you food for thought, as they say, about continued social media use.
Special Report: Dementia - a special look in last week's The Economist about dementia. I frequently work with families where a parent or spouse has been diagnosed with dementia that is worsening, and I see first hand the stress, worries, and changes to relationships it causes. Knowing that it is likely to become more prevalent is not a comforting thought, but this is good work from The Economist here, as usual.
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Besides these pieces, I continue my book reading. Finished books No. 65 (How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi), No. 66 (Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk), and No. 67 (Pax by Sara Pennypacker) this past week. I started Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann, which has been really good so far. I have one more middle-grade fiction work from a few I bought back earlier this year - The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill - that I will be picking up this week to read as well.
And life rolls on.
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