Observables #25

on my apocalyptic thinking, Frodo and THOSE jeans again

Sometimes I feel apocalyptic in my thinking. (It might be something to do with watching Don't Look Up over the weekend). Like there is too much to read and learn, delving into completely new arenas or just learning new details about things you already know. I for one haven’t read the classics (Homer, Aeschylus) since university and maybe I’ll never get back to them. It scares me. In fact, It’s fucking unbearable when I think too hard.

Even simple things like this: simmer the tofu in salted water briefly before stir-frying. I didn’t know that helpful hint until tonight. It’s just a small bit of knowledge, but when you add up all those olive-sized morsels about every possible thing, you can only come to one conclusion: we must be ignorant beasts. And…there’s no time!!

To save you a minute, here is something I think we should all know to help the environment. Less meat and no food waste at home. Even if I can’t absorb anymore, I can do these two things!

But yet. But yet. Given that there is so much to learn, and so little life left to do it in, we still spent nine hours as a family rewatching The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I tried to counter the endeavour (it was an endeavour) by flitting in and out of the TV area, accepting my status as “uncommitted to battle scenes.” At one point, I opened Richard Powers’ new book Bewilderment (shortlisted for the Booker about a father and his relationship with his neurodivergent son) and tried to read a few pages on the Fermi paradox (WHAT?) while the battles raged on within earshot. Those Uruk-hai! Sheesh.

I did make sure I was there when Frodo said his big line about wishing he didn’t have to bear this burden. Or some version of that statement that we have all felt about our lives at some point. The things we bear. It’s a theme in my life. Have you noticed? Something I reflect on—probably too much. But you know, five variants later, we have all lived.

Our New Year’s outfits. This is how exciting it gets now. If you’re paying attention, you’ll recognize THE JEANS. And yes, we are ringing in the new year with a make up demo. Happy 2022!

Episode 18 of Sister On! has dropped. All about our New Year’s Revolutions.