ABOVE: Why? I was on the treadmill recently at my local YMCA, trying to get some peace, trying to have a little “Me Time” (and trying to shed a few unsightly pounds!) when I opened my eyes to check my calorie count, only to discover Anderson Cooper standing in front of me.
Two days ago, the day Alexei Navalny died, I decided that I wouldn’t watch the news. I usually watch a French news channel while cooking dinner.
Now I have my trick. I switch to Arte, a French-German subsidized channel known for being into “culture” and free from any economic pressure.
There, in the middle of any storm of bad horrible news of war and atrocities you can find deliciously random documentaries.
The evening of Navalny’s death, between 7 and 8pm, I drowned into a story about how some French and German biologists are trying to reintroduce a nearly extinct turtle species into some part of the Rhine basin.
I might become addicted to this completely surreal experience. Although of course it doesn’t help with your calorie count as a good throw of a news anchor middle age guy…
I only burned 500 calories with your workout but the Tucker Carlson Slam was worth a lot more than calories--to my mental health. Please add Laura Ingraham to the regimen.
I usually try to make intelligent sounding comments about writing, but this time I can only say what came to my mind immediately after reading this: holy motherfucking shitballs!!
Yep.It’s time for those VR goggles that suggest we are acting humanely towards our fellow humans. I fear we are so immersed in the horrors of global reality that death and destruction seems distant and unreal.This morning I decided to re-read “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” but play that soothing music that played in the ward while I do. I’ll let you know if it works. “All Along the Watchtower” didn’t. We’re a nation of bad decisions right now that needs hugs but are all afraid of getting squeezed.
I’m a reformed gym-rat. After all that work, cross-fit,lifting,swimming laps after running laps I STILL GOT CANCER. Survived the myriad treatments needed including a stem-cell rescue—and that gym body is gone. Kaput! Minus a breast and with a permanent radiation border tattoo,mind you, but I’m grateful that I could block out the music from Flashdance et al and not have the onslaught of talking heads on large screens. That was the ‘80s to the 90’s and we’re all suffering from the “Hollywood Squares” infotainment here in the new century. There is no relief for the grief.
I've given up on any physical health improvements, but cardio is good for my mind - that is unless someone's showing me Gaza footage while I'm trying to do it.
Have scheduled reading this piece once a week, saving myself 3 hours of gym time / week x 52 weeks. Imagine all the bad stuff I get get into now! Thanks, Shalom.
One of the speakers at church today talked about how every time we turn on the TV we see people who are feeling angry or hateful, but they are really feeling contempt. The definition of contempt according to a Google search is:
"the feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn."
The speaker gave the solution to this contempt to be "love thy neighber."
When Jesus was asked "Who is my neighber?"
Jesus responded with the parable of the good Samaritan.
Two days ago, the day Alexei Navalny died, I decided that I wouldn’t watch the news. I usually watch a French news channel while cooking dinner.
Now I have my trick. I switch to Arte, a French-German subsidized channel known for being into “culture” and free from any economic pressure.
There, in the middle of any storm of bad horrible news of war and atrocities you can find deliciously random documentaries.
The evening of Navalny’s death, between 7 and 8pm, I drowned into a story about how some French and German biologists are trying to reintroduce a nearly extinct turtle species into some part of the Rhine basin.
I might become addicted to this completely surreal experience. Although of course it doesn’t help with your calorie count as a good throw of a news anchor middle age guy…
I only burned 500 calories with your workout but the Tucker Carlson Slam was worth a lot more than calories--to my mental health. Please add Laura Ingraham to the regimen.
I usually try to make intelligent sounding comments about writing, but this time I can only say what came to my mind immediately after reading this: holy motherfucking shitballs!!
Nailed it.
I've always hated how they do that in gyms. Nothing gives me Big Big Energy like watching depressing fucking news.
Yep.It’s time for those VR goggles that suggest we are acting humanely towards our fellow humans. I fear we are so immersed in the horrors of global reality that death and destruction seems distant and unreal.This morning I decided to re-read “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” but play that soothing music that played in the ward while I do. I’ll let you know if it works. “All Along the Watchtower” didn’t. We’re a nation of bad decisions right now that needs hugs but are all afraid of getting squeezed.
I’m a reformed gym-rat. After all that work, cross-fit,lifting,swimming laps after running laps I STILL GOT CANCER. Survived the myriad treatments needed including a stem-cell rescue—and that gym body is gone. Kaput! Minus a breast and with a permanent radiation border tattoo,mind you, but I’m grateful that I could block out the music from Flashdance et al and not have the onslaught of talking heads on large screens. That was the ‘80s to the 90’s and we’re all suffering from the “Hollywood Squares” infotainment here in the new century. There is no relief for the grief.
I've given up on any physical health improvements, but cardio is good for my mind - that is unless someone's showing me Gaza footage while I'm trying to do it.
Started out funny but you lost me in the middle. Too much.
Finally! An exercise routine I'll actually stick with!
Alrighty then that helped! thank you
This generation of TV journalists isn't even fit to be interns compared to their predecessors.
Have scheduled reading this piece once a week, saving myself 3 hours of gym time / week x 52 weeks. Imagine all the bad stuff I get get into now! Thanks, Shalom.
Please 😭 this takes “traumatize them back” to another level
Nope
The best catharsis for today's depressive mania.
One of the speakers at church today talked about how every time we turn on the TV we see people who are feeling angry or hateful, but they are really feeling contempt. The definition of contempt according to a Google search is:
"the feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn."
The speaker gave the solution to this contempt to be "love thy neighber."
When Jesus was asked "Who is my neighber?"
Jesus responded with the parable of the good Samaritan.
That kind of love isn't always easy.
I don't watch mainstream TV anymore.
All the more reason to turn off the news. But then again, rage fitness is pretty awesome.