Got my first California tan yesterday. Not bad for a Wednesday.
The whole thing is gold, but:
Part of what adults need to learn about self-control is in those videos of 5-year-olds. The children who succeed turn their backs on the cookie, push it away, pretend it’s something nonedible like a piece of wood, or invent a song. Instead of staring down the cookie, they transform it into something with less of a throbbing pull on them.
Adults can use similar methods of distraction and distancing, he says. Don’t eye the basket of bread; just take it off the table. In moments of emotional distress, imagine that you’re viewing yourself from outside, or consider what someone else would do in your place. When a waiter offers chocolate mousse, imagine that a cockroach has just crawled across it.
“If you change how you think about it, its impact on what you feel and do changes,” Mr. Mischel writes.
Last week someone equated getting rid of stuff to “gaining freedom.” Timely wisdom as this week I’m packing for SF.
As much as I love living lean, I hate getting rid of things. Perhaps that’s why I don’t acquire much stuff. Avoiding it altogether is much easier than cutting ties later on.
An interesting note about menu design:
Jurafsky writes that “every increase of one letter in the average length of words describing a dish is associated with an increase of 69 cents in the price of that dish.”
Also good:
According to Jurafsky, very expensive restaurants “mention the origins of the food more than 15 times as often as inexpensive restaurants.”
In 1999, Quimby bought Shavitz out for about a hundred and thirty thousand dollars; eight years later, the company was sold to Clorox for $913 million.
Wow.
In perusing the wonderful Gemini and Scorpio newsletter, I found the following 3 events all happening on the same day.
What a beautiful world we live in.
PARTICIPATORY: The Return To Mau Mau Island
Gather your clans, construct your water crafts, sharpen your skills, hone your alcohol tolerance. There are no spectators; this is a participatory event. You must have a team of three or more people in matching or clearly themed outfits. Non tribe affiliates will be eaten. You must have a team flag attached firmly to a pole. Be well provisioned with water and supplies, there are no delis in the ocean. Take away with you everything that you bring. There will be very little investment in infrastructure. This means if you don’t bring a boat, arrange passage on someone’s boat, build a boat, bring floaties, tubes, barrels, bags of floating detritus, etc, you will sink. No use of motors while people are swimming. There is parking at the end of Gerritse Ave. Improvised watercraft can be carried to and assembled and launched from the beach, but must be polite and fast, then you must park your car elsewhere after unloading. Gerritsen Beach is directly across from Mau Mau Island. The flotilla will form between the beach and the island. Do not swim to the flotilla or island, there are swarming jet ski that will kill you. Seriously. Have a valid driving license if your boat has an engine. We value our most remote and secret location and don’t wish to draw attention, so leave no trace. (Gerritsen Beach, end of Gerritsen Ave, BK, 12pm-dark, FREE)
PERFORMANCE: Cock Fight – Drag Queen Mud Wrestling
Six Drag Queens will go head to head to show all of New York City who the biggest bitch is: Merrie Cherry VS. Misty Meaner, Cybil War VS. Madame Vivien V, and Lucy Balls VS. Scarlet Envy. Sexy round caller and shot boi will be Dylan Born Besides men in dress mud wrestling one another also enjoy the mexican food truck, frozen margaritas, and special prizes for the audience plus DJ Tyger James, DJ JX Cannon, and performances by Daphne Sumtimez, Merrie Cherry and more TBA. (One Last Shag, 348 Franklin Ave, BK, 3pm-4am, $5)
PARTICIPATORY: Lightsaber Battle NYC
Join us for a massive battle of Jedi vs. Sith in downtown New York City. Pick a side of the Force and use that venerable, ancient, glowing tool: the lightsaber, in the ultimate nocturnal showdown. In the past we have attracted up to 1000 warriors, and we can expect more this year. Receive one lightsaber for each contribution. Afterparty: Rosewood NYC, 5 E 19th St, 11pm-4am, $10. (Washington Square Park, MH, 9pm, $5)
History, roasting and brewing methods, equipment, caffeine withdrawal, and more. Great overview.
Tom Petty. I disagree with his analysis of 1999 – Present, though.
Hypnotic Eye is available for streaming via NPR right now, too.
Seeing Blues Traveler, Uncle Kracker, Sugar Ray, and Smash Mouth all in one night tonight in Oshkosh.
Only the gods united could bring together such a brain trust.