The Sunday Finds (7/23/23)
Sedaris, Bigamy, Scratching, Freediving, Untouchable, Rescue, Cereal.
I’m back from my hiatus!
I still have an idea for this newsletter that I’d like to explore (as I enthusiastically mentioned back in March), but for now I’ll simply be sharing favorite reads that I’ve come across throughout the week.
Excerpt
“The summer after I turned sixteen, I took driver’s ed from a coach at my high school and quickly realized that this was not for me. Turning invoked a great deal of anxiety, as did staying in my lane, and parking—oh, parking—that was the worst. I suppose I could have tried harder to overcome my fear and discomfort, but I didn’t, and as a result I have never gotten a ticket, made a car payment, or called anyone a fucking piece of shit asshole through an open or closed driver’s-side window. It’s not that I never get angry, just that I never get angry the way people behind a wheel do. My fury isn’t poetry, just greeting-card prose: “Go to hell, you.”
“What do you say when someone cuts you off in traffic?” I asked a woman in Copenhagen whose book I was signing.
“We’re not big on cursing,” she told me, “so the worst we’re likely to come out with—and it’s pretty common—is ‘Why don’t you run around in my ass?’”
Sedaris, David. Calypso (pp. 239-240). Little, Brown and Company.
Read
Anaïs Nin’s Decade-Long Adventure in Bicoastal Bigamy
“What human beings only dream, I acted out,” she wrote. “I obeyed the dream. But I was unable to free myself of guilt.” - Anaïs Nin. An interesting portrait of the diarist Anaïs Nin, who successfully lived a double-life spanning over a decade. In New York she was married to a wealthy banker and filmmaker who provided a fairly extravagant lifestyle; in California, she was married to a “handsome forrest ranger 20 years Nin’s junior.” Nowadays, this probably wouldn’t make headlines, but back in the 50’s, it was unheard of.
On Scratching
We often take certain things for granted. For instance, scratching yourself. A small study back from 2014 found out that the average person touches their face 23 times per hour. But what if you couldn’t scratch your own itches? Hanif Kureishi, the author, had a tragic accident, which left him unable to move his hands. “My injury has stimulated a different kind of love in people, and a desire in them to be useful in new ways. I can see what a pleasure it is for others to help me, and how much satisfaction it brings them.”
Rapture of the Deep
“Carried away by love—for risk and for each other—two of the worlds best freedivers went to the limits of their sport. Only one came back.” I’ve been scuba diving since I was fifteen years old - nearly half of my life. The max depth I’ve reached is around 120 feet, a fraction compared to what Audrey Mestre attempted on October 12, 2002: 561 feet without an oxygen tank. A tragic tale, but a life lived to the fullest. She did what she loved most, which is more than most of us can say.
Growing Up As An Untouchable
“When people in this country ask me what it means to be an untouchable, I explain that caste is like racism against blacks here. But then they ask, ‘How does anyone know what your caste is?’ They know caste isn’t visible, like skin color.” This is the moving story of a girl born an Untouchable - the lowest of India’s caste system. Determined to find out why her social status is different from others, she begins to interview friends and family in the hope of finding an identity.
Recalling The Deepest-Ever Submarine Rescue After The Loss Of The Titan
A remarkable story about the rescue of the submarine Pisces lll, which happened 50 years ago. It tells the tale of two men who survived for more than 80 hours at depth of over 1,500 feet - about 10% of the depth of the Titanic. Even more amazing, the two people onboard only had about 12 minutes of oxygen left at the time their hatch was finally opened when rescued. “At this point, Chapman and Mallinson were carefully rationing their available food, water, and oxygen. Between them, they had one cheese and chutney sandwich and a can of lemonade, which they were unwilling to consume.”
Human or AI?
In the colorful and crowded aisles of the grocery store, a brave soul named Alex faced an epic challenge – picking out cereal. It should have been a simple task, but with so many options, it turned into an adventure of complex proportions.
As Alex approached the cereal aisle, he was immediately overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices. There were cereals for kids, cereals for adults, healthy cereals, sugary cereals, and cereals with mysterious marshmallow shapes that defied description. It was like entering a maze of crunchy confusion.
Alex decided to start with the "healthy" section. He picked up a box promising whole grains and essential nutrients, only to read the ingredients and discover it was made of quinoa, kale, and other obscure grains that resembled bird food. "Who eats this stuff?" Alex wondered, putting it back on the shelf.
Next, they moved to the colorful and vibrant section of kids' cereals. Each box was adorned with cartoon characters and eye-popping colors. Alex couldn't help but feel like a kid in a candy store. They found themselves singing along with the catchy jingles from TV commercials, unable to resist the nostalgia.
Just as Alex was about to grab a classic favorite, he noticed the boxes in the "limited edition" section. Cereals with wacky flavors like cotton candy, bacon-maple, and unicorn sprinkles tempted them. "How can I pass up the chance to try these bizarre creations?" Alex pondered, adding a few novelty boxes to the cart.
But the real challenge came when he tried to make a decision between two equally enticing choices. Each time Alex thought he had made up his mind, a new doubt would creep in. "What if the one with the toucan mascot tastes better than the one with the leprechaun?" he mused, almost paralyzed by the breakfast dilemma.
Eventually, Alex found himself seeking advice from fellow shoppers. One recommended a chocolatey delight, while another insisted on a cinnamon-flavored cereal. Soon enough, a small crowd had gathered, passionately advocating for their favorite breakfast delights.
In the end, Alex decided to grab a random cereal box from the shelf, blindfolded. The act of picking his fate seemed more like a magic trick than a rational choice. Everyone held their breath as the blindfold came off to reveal...a cereal featuring alien-shaped marshmallows. The crowd erupted in laughter, and Alex joined in the hilarity, realizing that sometimes, picking a cereal was just a game of chance.
With the cosmic cereal in hand, Alex left the grocery store victorious. He may not have found the perfect cereal, but he had discovered something far more valuable – the joy of embracing the absurdity of cereal shopping. And so, they walked off into the sunrise, ready to face their next breakfast adventure with a smile and a spoon.
All the best,
Riv
Ooooooooo!
Funny, on point, witty.
Everything I designed you to be - before you were born. Except for th comments I didn't just mention.
I also like the title "Oddly Human". works well for me! People need to read more often for fun and intrigue and interests and discovery, including me! Your blogs inspire me to read more!