LIFESTYLE Newsletter Vol. 5 No. 3
Nick’s LIFESTYLE Newsletter Vol. 5 No. 3
This is what my first vacation in 6 years and post 2 years of COVID looks like for me.
THIS IS AN INTRODUCTION
Hello again everyone. It's been a few weeks. I MADE IT. Holy crap. I made it. I hope everyone in my life gets to experience some time away from the day to day and gets to enjoy a well deserved vacation before COVID pt. 5 happens. You deserve it!
Keen readers may know that I love Japanese moving companies. The efficiency, process and care is amazing. In my dreams I am in 1985 Kamurocho (fictional) Japan working for a moving company. One of the Japanese vloggers I watch occasionally had a move and documented it (see the first 5 mins of this). Not going to lie, I look at this website every month, hoping they need a token white guy to use in advertising: https://www.the0123.com/. AND YES, they have an anime to advertise their company.
I hit rock bottom a few weeks ago and bought keto friendly cereal. Trying to cut those carbs out because MY BODY HATES ME. Tried the variety pack and it was...tolerable. The Fruity flavor is legit ok, tastes like sadness-infused Fruity Pebbles. I can't endorse them if you have a good relationship with your liver. However, if you don't, it is a thing that exists. Like, I'm glad it exists, but would prefer not to have issues with Lipoprotein(a).
If you are an old dork like me that reminisces over 2400 baud modems, 20 MB hard drives and important questions about if I really need to spend the extra $200 for the DX version of the chip, you will appreciate this: https://defrag.shiplift.dev/ You will need to make your own noises, however.
Something I never thought I would see in my life. Can't wait to see all the people denying this bit of progress. All those years of AIDS walks finally paid off. Moderna’s HIV Vaccine Has Officially Begun Human Trials
To wag my finger at you a bit, I'm giving you one more issue to participate in our project, NAME YOUR FEAR. I've gotten some great entries that I am excited to share. Remember, they will be anonymous and will go to the greater good of human unity in our small community. If you haven't sent anything over, you've got just a few more weeks.
THIS IS THE END OF THE INTRODUCTION.
2 THINGS THIS WEEK.
ITEM THE FIRST:
Ummm...YES PLEASE.
THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TRUCKAVISED: Watching the decay of civility over the past two years as left me with less hope for the future. I can attempt to overthrow the government for a 8 month prison sentence, right? Hot take, I know, but if your biggest problem in life is that you have to wear a mask when your grandparents had to go to die in a war, I just don't know what to say. This has led me to few acts of not giving a fuck.
1) I kept my heat on in my electric car ALL WINTER. I drove around with my inefficient blowers running, driving my cost up to $0.02 a mile.
2) A few places I would normally take my trash home with me so I could properly recycle it, I have thrown it away.
3) I stopped composting in the summer because it was gross.
I'm sorry if your kids grow up in an autocratic ruled environmentally devastated world because of me.
Two things reminded me of how amazing other countries are at things. Not that these countries are immune from similar idiocy or that America is all terrible, but these two articles highlighted some amazing things.
SUB-ITEM THE FIRST: As someone who lives in the winter hellscape of Minnesota, reading this article about how Quebec handles snow blew my mind: Déneigement Montreal. They spend $180 million a year and have an efficient process to remove snow. "Between roads, bike lanes, and sidewalks, the city clears over 10,000 km - roughly the distance between Montreal and Beijing." For the cost of 120 Tomahawk missiles we could attack a real enemy: SNOW. (Yes, this is an oversimplification of taxes, local aid, etc., but seriously we spend a lot of tax money on missiles).
SUB-ITEM THE SECOND: One of the things that never ceases to amaze me is the poor state of our healthcare system. A system that prevents people from seeking healthcare and/or bankrupts them for their health is immoral. Reading this article, Japan's National Healthcare Guide (From An American Perspective), was just a reminder of how broken things are. I believe that part of the reason COVID conspiracies spread so much in our country is because seeing and talking with a doctor is out of reach of a lot of people. During the pandemic, I opted to do my yearly physical over videoconference. Instead of being covered by insurance, my 15 minute conversation with my doctor for nothing more than conversation and refill on my prescription cost almost $300. My wife had a mammogram that was outside of the scheduling guidelines because her doctor recommended it and that cost $900. Keep in mind, we are insured through my work which costs almost $200 per month.
Thankfully we are in a place where we can afford that, but more than 50% of America cannot.
Reading the article just reminded me of how much I personally avoid going to the doctor, because every time I go, I have to expect it will cost $5500, because that is my yearly deductible. I have no idea how much things will cost, nor can they tell me. It is the most perverse form of capitalism.
"My most expensive trip to the doctor had me shelling out about 13,000 yen, but that was because I had some tests done using big fancy machines."
That is $130.
"How much you pay in premiums per month is made up of two parts: a base fee and an income-based fee. The base fee is about 10,000-40,000 yen per year. The income-based fee scales up or down depending on your previous year's salary. But good news — If you've just landed, your previous year's income in Japan is zero, so you'll only pay the minimum amount possible. That's approximately 10,000-15,000 yen annually for your first year in Japan. Congrats, patient!"
That is $100-$150.
That job with The0123 is looking like a win-win.
ITEM THE SECOND:
THE RETURN OF OLD MAN NICK AND THE CONCERT WHEELS OF STEEL: It finally happened, the RETURN OF LIVE MUSIC. While it was admittedly a bit risky, I could not pass up the chance to see one of my favorites of 2021, CLAUD, live at the Fine Line. It was proof of vax and mask required, so it was about as safe as it could be.
I performed my first pre-concert DEHYDRATION PROTOCOL in over 2 years, but since it was at the Fine Line, I only showed up 30 mins before doors. That was the right amount of time. While in line outside, I learned I was one of few people not in high school and older than some of the parents there with their children.
While I loathe the Fine Line since the speakers are past the front of the stage, I still need to be in the front. I took my place and it was a row of high school girls and myself. A few parents behind me. I had my hat and mask on so I'm sure I didn't look a year past 30. Is that more creepy?
Anyways, the venue filled up. It was not sold out, but full. Dad Bod opened. They are a local group that has been getting some buzz. They were pretty good. I'm looking forward to their album.
Claud fucking killed it tho, they are just as good live as on record. A real potential superstar. Perhaps my most surreal moment of the year is belting out the lyrics to "Wish You Were Gay" with a bunch of queer high schoolers.
If I can handle this, I think I could survive a Koo Koo Kangaroo show without resorting to renting children.
YOU ARE NEVER TOO OLD TO DO THINGS YOU ENJOY.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (please mark "ok to print"):
None
GRATITUDES:
TEAM JAMAICA 2020-2021-2022. Being away in a tropical paradise (suspiciously out of plantains, tho...) with some of THE BEST PEOPLE ON EARTH and to do that several times in my life is a gift that I'm not sure I deserve. Sharing joy with people you love is maybe the best part of being human and having friendships that last 20+ years enabling me to do this is a testament to your ability to endure me. Thank you.
*FAVORITE THING TO GO IN MY EYEHOLES THIS WEEK: *
One of my three beach reads using my SWEET Kobo Libra 2 was Bring That Beat Back: How Sampling Built Hip-Hop by Nate Patrin. Published by the good folks at University of Minnesota Press (legit good, I met them 10 years ago). It breaks hip-hop down into 4 major groupings based on how they used sampling (historical, west coast, east coast, modern crate digging). It does a full breakdown of the key players, their background, their key influences and sample sources and what was taken from them to form modern hip-hop. I learned a few new things, but found a ton of new music to try. UMP published a 700+ deep playlist on Spotify that I am working through and finding some new things and hearing some classic sample sources.
It is amazing how much hip-hop can be traced to a song, for example, Lyn Collins - Think (About It). Whosampled lists 3093 songs that sample from it. I first heard the "whoo...yeah" loop when it was the basis for a ton of early jungle/drum n bass songs, immediately followed by the hook to "It Takes Two" by Rob Bass & DJ EZ Rock. Sampling gets a bad name from some people (Puffy) that don't do anything creative with it. I love transformative art and there is nothing better at it for me than hip-hop.
One of my papers in library school was arguing for compulsory licensing for samples. Radio stations have compulsory licenses, for example. Radio doesn't need to ask permission to play songs, they just pay a flat, congressionally defined rate per play. I wish they had something like that for hip-hop. Pay per bar or something. Something like Danger Mouse's Gray Album is so creative and should be able to be made while ensuring money gets kicked back to the artists, even if they are already super rich.
I wouldn't know shit about funk music if it wasn't for Digital Underground and Dr. Dre. I wouldn't have started listening to jazz if it wasn't for A Tribe Called Quest. Sampling is not theft. It is a transformative use of culture that should be covered under fair use at best and compulsory license at worst.
Melonie will often see my eyes light up when we are listening to music and I figure out that something was used as a sample source.
(video, click to watch) If you have a few minutes, watch this incredible mix of A Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders being mixed with its sample sources.
THIS IS THE END OF THE NEWSLETTER
I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE INCREDIBLE PRIVILEGE I HAVE TO BE ABLE TO TRAVEL TO JAMAICA DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC.
I AM GRATEFUL TO HAVE AMAZING READERS TO SHARE WITH AND AMAZING FRIENDS TO TRAVEL WITH.
I AM GRATEFUL THE REGULATIONS IN JAMAICA CHANGED SO THE SOFT SERVE ICE CREAM MACHINE COULD BE SETUP FOR SELF SERVICE OUR FINAL TWO DAYS.