Blackberry of Simmer
Aug. 7th, 2021 10:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ismoThree nights of inadequate sleep in a row have sapped my vitality, to put it mildly. Dark thoughts besiege me. You'd think my body would just give in and fall asleep when I'm this tired, but it doesn't. Two crisis calls in one week from my friend in MN is kind of too many, given what they're about. I kept having a feeling that something was going on in my mind that I should be aware of. Finally the light dawned and I realized that the last few days have been the anniversary of our trip to Illinois to bury my mother. It was only two years ago, but it seems like forever. Maybe figuring this out will help. Or maybe nothing will.
Anyway, while involuntarily awake, I speed-read Burn by Herman Pontzer, a lively and engaging study of how we metabolize calories. It didn't really tell me much that I didn't already know. It spelled everything out in detail. I might read parts of it more carefully when I can focus better. Basically, our bodies are very clever at keeping everything in balance, and thus, it is almost impossible to lose weight. Unwelcome and counter-intuitive as this is to some, it seems to be accurate. It isn't TOTALLY impossible, but the odds are against you, and that is no one's fault but evolution's. On the bright side, exercise is still very good for you in many ways, so it's worth doing for the benefits--but not as a self-punitive weight loss strategy. All of this completely fits my own experience, so it's welcome news in a Puddleglum-ish sort of way. I think all doctors should have to read this book, but that's not very likely.
I also went through a lot of the files on my computer and put hundreds of things that are no longer wanted into the trash. I found some things that I wanted and was also perplexed by quite a few things that I not only didn't want, but had no idea what they were doing there. And I watched a lot of Olympic things in the wee hours. I have developed an unexpected love for rhythmic gymnastics. I always thought of it as a very silly kind of competition. Well, it still is sort of silly, I guess, but the skill level, the flexibility, grace, and precision with the various apparatus are astonishing. It's also remarkably pretty in a kind of hypnotic way, so good for a sleepless hermit. There's nothing like a lovely girl in a sparkly outfit whirling rings of red ribbon around herself in fluid, melting patterns to distract you from the vortex of despair. Tonight after watching Eliud Kipchoge win the marathon like Secretariat winning the Belmont, we tottered out for our teeny little walk. As the announcer watched the fifth or sixth place runner arrive at the finish, she had commented sententiously, "He just didn't have what it takes." Oh lady. The man just ran TWENTY-SIX MILES and you say he didn't have what it takes! Give him a break. I couldn't run for five minutes the way that guy ran at the end of twenty-six miles. I don't even have what it takes to sleep at night. I was going to say, "Fortunately, I don't have an announcer to broadcast my deficiencies," but sadly, I do have one inside my head. I hope that tonight she will put a sock in it.
Anyway, while involuntarily awake, I speed-read Burn by Herman Pontzer, a lively and engaging study of how we metabolize calories. It didn't really tell me much that I didn't already know. It spelled everything out in detail. I might read parts of it more carefully when I can focus better. Basically, our bodies are very clever at keeping everything in balance, and thus, it is almost impossible to lose weight. Unwelcome and counter-intuitive as this is to some, it seems to be accurate. It isn't TOTALLY impossible, but the odds are against you, and that is no one's fault but evolution's. On the bright side, exercise is still very good for you in many ways, so it's worth doing for the benefits--but not as a self-punitive weight loss strategy. All of this completely fits my own experience, so it's welcome news in a Puddleglum-ish sort of way. I think all doctors should have to read this book, but that's not very likely.
I also went through a lot of the files on my computer and put hundreds of things that are no longer wanted into the trash. I found some things that I wanted and was also perplexed by quite a few things that I not only didn't want, but had no idea what they were doing there. And I watched a lot of Olympic things in the wee hours. I have developed an unexpected love for rhythmic gymnastics. I always thought of it as a very silly kind of competition. Well, it still is sort of silly, I guess, but the skill level, the flexibility, grace, and precision with the various apparatus are astonishing. It's also remarkably pretty in a kind of hypnotic way, so good for a sleepless hermit. There's nothing like a lovely girl in a sparkly outfit whirling rings of red ribbon around herself in fluid, melting patterns to distract you from the vortex of despair. Tonight after watching Eliud Kipchoge win the marathon like Secretariat winning the Belmont, we tottered out for our teeny little walk. As the announcer watched the fifth or sixth place runner arrive at the finish, she had commented sententiously, "He just didn't have what it takes." Oh lady. The man just ran TWENTY-SIX MILES and you say he didn't have what it takes! Give him a break. I couldn't run for five minutes the way that guy ran at the end of twenty-six miles. I don't even have what it takes to sleep at night. I was going to say, "Fortunately, I don't have an announcer to broadcast my deficiencies," but sadly, I do have one inside my head. I hope that tonight she will put a sock in it.
