#so i didnt see a TON of crucial emails

[lieutenant-sarcastic]

This....semester is not.. going well so far

[unproduciblesmackdown]

hey, im having a presentation of the deh novel but im going to compare to the libretto + musical + playlsits & the bonus tracks/deleted songs, just wanted to say that the way u analysed jared inspired me A Lot to also create my own opinions on him, most of them of which im going to talk abt in my class. so yeah,, just wnsted to say thank u, since u insoired me to also look closely at this character who i didnt even care abt before, but that i absolutely love now

hey that is great!!! i love your Comprehensive / cross-media approach here already, there is definitely a lot of Interesting Comparisons available across the ~spectrum of canon~......the novel may have given jared’s character an Actual Ending and compared him to an ex-lover and such, but does it have “like a helpless heartbroken little kid”? does it have dirty computer applied to the character or the essential “jared can relate to [unrequited love]” commentary??? you’re already doing great work w/ a lot of wisdom by going above and beyond the novel

really i’m glad if any of my Text Posts do provide useful insight for ppl who Don’t already love jared, or also alana, since she’s p much in the same boat in terms of the fact that yeah, canon makes it really easy to overlook these characters / not pay them very much attention. which is a Shame for a lot of reasons lol including that jared’s really interesting and you don’t find a lot of examples of characters like him, b/c he’s given enough focus to have the degree of nuance that he does, even though it’s not enough focus to make it clear to anyone who might not already want to devote Extra thought to the character. i mean, The Loser Best Friend isn’t too rare, and you can easily see jared as offering the Unconditional Support, but i feel like usually this character type is like, very nice to the point of too nice for their own good, kind of charmingly hapless -> Harmless, but jared of course is a little ~unpleasant~ and difficult and his Verbal support isn’t super sunny and like, goodnaturedly hyping up his friend, he’s obviously fine criticizing evan and deliberately downplays his own offers of support as like, i talk to you for car insurance, i’ll help with emails for $20.......but then also of course jared isn’t just The Big Meanie type either lol, he’s not just like the school bully even if people wanna interpret it that way just cuz that’s a simpler interpretation, jared is The Mean Guy / the bad friend...........the Material doesn’t try to have jared be Either the unimpeachably supportive bff Or the tormenting asshole, and the fact that jared’s just as concerned w/ putting up a front & just as concerned w/ how people respond to him as any of the other teenz is another crucial part of what makes jared this fairly Rare Character........it’s just not always obvious to see him as necessarily having more going on than “this disappointing friend who gets frustrated with evan” lol......evan’s character really is perceiving / judging jared and alana p much entirely on evan’s own terms, and deh is so rooted in evan’s perspective that the show itself also like, gives other characters these roles that are v much according to the terms of how it affects evan’s character........e.g. how jared and alana really never appear when they’re not interacting w/ evan, and how they tragically vanish from the story once evan’s plotline can continue w/o their involvement.......disrespectful

speaking of how constrained things are from evan’s perspective and how jared and alana are given Complexity and Humanity and yet disposed of when evan’s narrative has enough momentum?? fun to think of how this story could go if it was all the same but alana was the main character. or if alana was the main character And kinda switches places with evan, like, maybe they both arrive to the first day of school in the same way, evan’s broken his arm still, but somehow alana is the one who ends up mistaken as connor’s secret and best and only friend? and evan is the one who earnestly believes the story and embracing tcp as a way to connect and find Meaning or whatevs, while alana is getting pseudoadopted by the murphys, and maybe jared’s helping out still b/c of evan’s involvement.......i would want to see that story. but that’s an especial digression lol

anyways i’ve gotten offtrack this whole time lmao. i Love to just exhaustively and repeatedly talk about how like, jared and alana are struggling in v similar ways to evan and connor but just aren’t too often interpreted that way, even though like, if the audience wasn’t seeing almost Everything from evan’s pov and getting allll these very direct expressions of How Evan’s Feelings via song and introductory letters-to-selves, would it be ~obvious~ how evan’s struggling, either?? but we are out here glad to make up for how the material basically fails to do alana and jared justice lmao and just throw out Analysis and Discussion ourselves, and i’m even gladder to hear whenever this manages to introduce a different perspective on things. b/c it’s some great stuff sort of hidden away in canon here lol, and if nothing else, the fact that alana n jared don’t show up a ton / have much focus on Just Them / *do* end up disappear(tm)-ing means that there’s a lot of room to speculate about the characters’ pasts, presents (in the timeline of canon lol) and futures (which, thanks to their Disappearances, also is in the timeline of canon p much lol...) like there’s so much to endlessly talk about haha

tldr; i’m rly glad to hear If and Whenever the [appreciating jared kleinman] agenda is advanced at all lol. already you’re doing noble work just telling an entire class about ways to look closer at this character.......i fully invite any followup on this lol but already just thanks for the ask cuz it’s good 2 hear!!!

[themoneybuff-blog]

The death of Anthony Bourdain: Thoughts on productivity, pleasure, and depression

Shares 141 Warning: This is a rare GRS post that contains salty language. If you dont like salty language, dont read this article. Anthony Bourdain killed himself Friday morning. So what? you might be thinking. Hes just another fucking celebrity who didnt know how good he had it. Maybe youre right. But his death has weighed heavy on me all weekend. On Friday morning, as I wrote the weekly Get Rich Slowly email, I thought about Anthony Bourdain. On Friday afternoon, as Kim and I worked in the yard, I thought about Anthony Bourdain. On Friday evening, as we soaked in our new hot tub with a friend, I thought about Anthony Bourdain. Yesterday, I thought about Anthony Bourdain. Today, I thought about Anthony Bourdain. Now Im writing this article as an act of catharsis. Maybe itll help me to stop thinking about Anthony Bourdain. The Depression Trap I believe Anthony Bourdains death touched me deeply for a couple of reasons. I was a huge fan. Since listening him read the audio version of Kitchen Confidential a decade ago, Ive loved his work. Parts Unknown was probably my favorite travel show: raw and real and filled with food. Bourdain connected with everyone he met. His joy for life was contagious and his mind was sharp.Like Bourdain did, I struggle with depression. All my life, Ive experienced periodic descents into darkness. The first time this happened, I missed five weeks of sixth grade. In the nearly forty years since then, Ive developed a variety of coping mechanisms but they dont always work. In recent months since the middle of March the darkness has deepened and I dont know why. (And just as I missed five weeks of school back then, Ive been unable to get my work done in the present.) Let me make it clear that I am not suicidal. Right now, the biggest symptom of my depression is my inability to get shit done. But whereas suicide seems strange and senseless to most everyone else, depressives understand the appeal even if wed never consider it personally. One of the many stupid things about depression is that the condition doesnt care how awesome your life is. It doesnt care how successful you are. It doesnt care how much money you have. Depression is not rational. If it were, itd be easy to think your way out of it. Paula Froelich, one of Bourdains ex-girlfriends, put it like this:

Bourdains death didnt just make me introspective. It also led to a couple of interesting conversations about pleasure and productivity and about what really matters in life. The Productivity Trap Friday afternoon, I received email from a GRS reader well call Michael: Im sure you saw Anthony Bourdain killed himself. This to me was a telling quote: When asked during a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal whether he ever thought about stepping back from the breakneck pace of a job that kept him on the road 250 days a year, he replied, Too late for that. I think about it. I aspired to it. I feel guilty about it. I yearn for it. Balance? I fucking wish.' Obviously I didnt know Bourdain personally, or even know much about him as a public figure, but I think that mentality is common: Once youve become successful, the thought of ever ratcheting back seems unthinkable. Obviously, suicide is rare, but I think this mentality is common among successful people they stay in an unhappy status quo simply because they have so much invested in their self-image and public perception of themselves as successful people. I think Michael is onto something. Ive seen this in my own life, in the lives of friends and family, and the lives of colleagues. They fall into what you might call the productivity trap. (Heres an article I almost linked to the other day about the productivity trap: If youre so successful, why are you still working 70 hours a week?) I have one friend, for instance, with an enormously successful career. He has a popular blog, a popular podcast, best-selling books, and even an annual conference that attracts attendees from across the planet. Yet hes never satisfied not with himself nor with anybody else. Hes always looking for ways to make things bigger and better. He seems unhappy with who he is and what he has. Hes written publicly about his struggles with mental illness, but he hasnt revealed its full effects. Its not just my friend. Its me too. I see this pattern in my own life, and its something Ive deliberately decided to approach more mindfully. Why do I want to have a hot tub or travel to Ecuador? Why did I repurchase Get Rich Slowly and how often should I publish here? Why do I keep agreeing to public speaking gigs? Do I really want these things? Are they aligned with my personal mission statement? Will they really make me happy? (Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes the answer is no.) In his email, Michael continued: I think this is really the key to personal finance and early retirement actually stepping back and figure out what is important to you, and doing it, even if it seems like youre turning your back on a great career, or a nice house or whatever. That is the hardest part, which keeps most people in a life they dont want. They think I went to school X or work at company Y, so therefore I must live in this city or have that job or have that wardrobe and never ask themselves what, as individuals, makes them happy. The Pleasure Trap As our email conversation continued, Michael brought up another interesting point. He noted that our culture and this is especially true in the world of financial independence blogs is obsessed with experiences, such as travel. Yet in many ways, collecting experiences is no better (nor any different) than collecting things. Heres Michael again: [Bourdain] had the ne plus ultra of modern life: rich, famous, a job that 99% of the population would kill for, saw everything he wanted to see, ate everything he wanted to eat, Im sure slept with tons of women if that is what he wanted, took all the drugs he wanted. You name it, he had it. And, he hung himself in a hotel room in France, a twice-divorced man a continent away from his daughter and girlfriend. Im not bagging on him. I just think he illustrates something: A meaningful life doesnt consist of a series of cool experiences, or traveling or eating cool stuff. Bourdain did that stuff to an incredible degree, and it still didnt make him happy. I think that is what our society has forgotten. I feel like were always being told we should move a lot, travel a lot, be vaguely or overtly dismissive of the town or state we were born in, move for college and never move back homein short, basically be a free agent with fewer and fewer personal connections, or weaker connections. And, we get this [higher suicide rates]. [] I think this relates to personal finance. There is always this thought that thrift requires these huge sacrifices less travel, fewer new experiences, fewer new restaurants. But what if [these arent sacrifices]? What if irrespective of cost, that stuff isnt really a source of happiness? I mean, people accept that with respect to possessions nobody says a Cadillac or a 5000-square-foot home is the key to happiness but many, many people in our culture think new experiences are crucial to a happy life. It may be the opposite the continuity and free-time to invest in loving relationships may actually be the key to happiness. I told Kim about my conversation with Michael. Its the pleasure trap, she said. People fall for the lie that momentary pleasure equals happiness. But pleasure isnt the same as happiness. Shes right, of course. Happiness is like planting a garden, watching it grow, then enjoying the harvest. Pleasure is simply eating the fruit. Happiness is deeper and richer and longer lasting. Pleasure is fleeting; happiness is not. But happiness involves time and work and patience. Now, Ill admit: Im guilty as anyone else of falling into the pleasure trap, and in oh-so-many ways! I have to make a deliberate effort to look past immediate pleasure in order to consider long-term happiness. This often requires enduring unpleasant activities. Do I really want to go out in the cold and the rain to dig in the mud and plant my garden? No, not in this moment. Id rather sit in the hot tub. But if I dont plant the garden, Im sacrificing greater happiness in the future. Final Thoughts While I think that Kim and Michael are onto something the productivity trap and the pleasure trap are both real and both problematic I keep coming back to Anthony Bourdains battle with depression. During my recent road trip through the southeastern U.S., I talked with two friends who are fighting depression in their own lives. One friend has a spouse who cannot shake the condition despite counseling, despite exercise, despite a loving family. The other friend fights the condition himself and its led to weight gain and addictive tendencies. Therapy has helped some but its not a cure-all. As for myself, I havent yet returned to therapy although Im considering it. (Not so long ago, I spent a year working with a therapist to find ways to cope with anxiety and depression. It helped.) I want to stress again that I am not suicidal. But the depression has most definitely affected my daily existence, including my relationships, my health, and my work here at Get Rich Slowly. It sucks. It sucks. It sucks. But I know that itll get better someday. Shares 141 https://www.getrichslowly.org/death-of-anthony-bourdain/

[triathlol]

I'll Make a (Peasant)Man Out of You

You must be swift as a coursing river With all the force of a great typhoon With all the strength of a raging fire Mysterious as the dark side of the moon

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the 2017 Peasantman Race Report. This annual test of endurance pits newbie triathletes and veteran scrubs alike against the ferocious tides and epic cliffs of Lake Anna State Park in Northern Virginia. Known for its relaxed atmosphere and totally NSFW official race emails, this is truly a can’t miss race for anyone looking to get their season (or career) off on the right foot. If the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler’s trademark is “The Runners Rite of Spring”, Peasantman is the “Wannabe-Triathlete’s Gauntlet of Forever.” Come for the race, stay for the cupcake buffet.

My goal for the race was the elusive and arbitrary, 2 hours and 30 minutes mark. This would be a 13 minute improvement on the same race last year, and a rather epic PR, but hey, I didn’t wake up in the dark in January to lay-up in May. Let’s get to it.  

PREP WEEK

Gonna keep this part short because of how god damn embarrassing it is. 

If I told you that my week of prep not only violated the ice cream rule, but also involved copious amounts Mexican food, and 4 nights of boozing, you would probably be disappointed, but not surprised. The finishing touches of which were applied at renowned super-foods distributor, Taco Bell, the Saturday before the race.

Seriously, what the hell?

PRE-RACE

WAHOOOOOOOO-----OHHH MAN

Let me first introduce you to “The Monster” (the vanity plate’s literal translation from Al-Wa7sh). As you can tell, this thing does not play games. I mean look at it. Reaaaaaalllly look at it. We didn’t have to worry about leaving our bikes in the bed unattended because human beings aren’t tall enough to see what’s inside.

And then there was our lodging. This quaint horse farm was as romantic as The Monster was masculine. The night before the race, we ate a few metric tons of pasta, had a marine make us a fire, and tricked some horses into thinking we had food so that we could pet them. 

Normally, my editors would force me to omit trivial details of the race report like “mode of transportation” or “lodging,” but I insisted for obvious reasons. (Editors’ note, the fact that the above verbal flab made it into the final version of this report proves that I don’t exist)

Morning of, we hopped in our mini Grave Digger and didn’t stop pumping the tunes until last possible second. For the fellow race-goers who haven’t figured it out by now--we were the assholes blasting the Disney playlist in the parking lot while we changed. Thats right--Mulan, Little Mermaid, Aladdin, all of it was coming from the freaking monster truck. We received one positive comment, which only reinforced this ridiculous behavior. 

To everyone else who cursed to themselves as we disrupted their world record attempt preparation--sorry we’re not sorry.

SWIM:  0.9 MILES  // 32:29 // Strava file

One of the cool things about PMan is that cheating isn’t frowned upon, in fact it’s encouraged! This leaves plenty of room for debate when it comes to navigating the buoys on the swim course under normal circumstances, but the extra wrinkle on this day was one of the buoys getting unhooked and going completely rouge. That made navigation kind of hard, but also kind of hilarious. 

After surviving the standard washing machine melee in the first 100 meters, it was a lonely, choppy two-lap slog around Lake Anna. The current, wind, and the waves slowed everybody down, but the biggest hurdle for me was the wetsuit removal process.

After triumphantly completing my swim, I heard someone yell “USE THE WETSUIT STRIPPERS” (volunteers who take off your wetsuit for you) who, I thought, were the people standing right in front of me at the time. They weren’t, and when I stared at them like an idiot, they just stared right back. 

This lasted for probably about 20 seconds, and then I realized that I was in fact the idiot (most often the case, in any situation), and ran off the beach to the people who were actually assigned with this task. 

Dan -- “Ahem yes, I’d like to phone a friend”

BIKE: 22 Miles //  1:11:27  // Strava file

If you look closely, you can see the The Monster in the background, talking shit to other cars.

Once I got my wetsuit off, T1 was a wild success. I hadn’t put my cycling shoes on while riding the bike since last September, but I somehow managed to check this box without crashing the damn thing (expectations game folks, remember?). 

I took this momentum with me throughout the bike course. That, combined with a Spring of training with dudes who made a habit of leaving me in the dust, made for a five minute improvement on the leg from last year. The grand plan was to chill on the first loop, and hammer on the second. In the end, however, my laps ended up being within 30 seconds of each other. Whatever. My plan probably didn’t make sense anyway. 

Every time I passed Dan going the other way I yelled ARF, an obscenity, or a flywheel line. We keep each other grounded--that’s why it works. I had 3/4th of a gel at the halfway point of the ride, and my handlebars had the rest. Not sure if Double Stuffed (my bike’s birth name) benefited from the sodium and caffeine, but I didn’t have time to think about it. 

def getting a long look from the lady in blue

RUN: 6.2 MILES // 47:29 // Strava file

Hopping off the bike and starting to run in every triathlon usually goes something like....

“Heh, well, this feels awful.  This run is going to be awful.  Why do I even do this stupid shit?  What other hobbies should I be googling?”

BUT NOT TODAY. I think my eyes were wide open when, to my disbelief, I felt good as I gracefully tossed my bike back into transition. I grabbed a couple of shot blocks, donned my Picky Bars lid, and set off to rectify this good feeling.

That didn’t take long. The run course is two laps, the first half of each being basically all up hill--so I was back into “questioning-life-decisions” mode before I even ticked off a fucking mile. Smooth dude. Somewhere in that transition, I checked my total time and realized that I had no chance to break 2:30. The swim was way too slow, and I hadn’t really made up that time on the bike, either. Oh well. Let’s find another goal.

Coming back down the hill I caught up with another olympic distance competitor, Ben, who was trotting along at about the same pace. We ended up chatting for a while, until he left me in the dust on a downhill and I returned the favor during the second lap.

Triathlons, while on the one hand a masochistic undertaking that is littered with type A personalities, seem to promote quite the camaraderie among “competitors.” I never really get that feeling during a running race, but in a tri, it kind of feels like everyone is in it together. Who cares if you pass a few more people at the end of the race? “Triathlete” goes in your twitter bio no matter where you finish.

Laughing at my own jokes that I’ll use for this post later, probably.

The goal for the run was 47 minutes, which I ended up missing by about 30 seconds. This was still my best run in a tri by far, on a hilly course nonetheless. When I crossed the finish line I was hauling ass, and crucially, not dry heaving.

CONCLUSION

2016 TIMES

2017 TIMES

Things that got better:

T1 Bike T2 Run

Things that didnt:

Swim

Overall, about the best I could’ve done for my level of fitness going into the race. A PR by eons, driven by huge payoffs on the bike and the run. Take out the tsunami swim conditions, and this race would have been almost perfect. On top of that, I finished fifth(!) overall, and almost certainly first in the ice cream & beer division. 

Next up, a summer of hell in preparation for Luray in August, and a half ironman distance event in September. Until then, cheers folks. 🥂