links with a side of hormones and catholics
My feeds tell me today is Quitting Day, or the day when most people give up enforcing/practicing their New Year's resolutions. I guess that means the bars fill back up because people are bored doing Dry January?
Not me. Ten days with no alcohol has been great so far, aside from waking up at 4:30 or 5:00 every morning. Which may be a hormone thing.
Speaking of which: A few weeks ago my right shoulder started hurting. I thought maybe it was from tennis, so I took a break from that. Nope. A massage therapist told me she felt some "adhesion" and "stickiness" in my bicep and delt. A friend warned me about "frozen shoulder," something that apparently happens to tons of women in their 40s and 50s, and can last for a couple YEARS. Then, because TikTok is spying on me, I started seeing videos on my For You Page about frozen shoulder and how it's related to hormones. One woman said it's because post-menopausal women are low in TESTOSTERONE.
Which would explain why some middle-aged men I know have shoulder pain, but women? I thought all our problems were related to estrogen.
I still have full range of motion, so I'm not going to a doctor (yet) or letting myself get sucked into TikTok/WebMD panic. Instead, I'm gonna start using a foam roller on my arm and shoulder, at least once a day, for the rest of the month. I know it's going to hurt like hell, so send me links to your favorite comedy specials because I need the distraction.
Question for Catholics
Over the last couple weeks, at the place I volunteer, there have been some wild donations. Like a barely-worn Canada Goose jacket — the $1200 coat that's getting people mugged. And this, not from the same bag:
I unscrewed the top, expecting to smell some vintage Jean Naté, but there was no smell. Could this be... HOLY WATER?? Is that a thing people do for baptisms? I spent 10 years in Catholic school and never saw or heard about anything like this. I'm fascinated, and not sure what to do with it.
Links
Ketamine could be a vaccine for depression. (Big Think)
A piece that sort of explains all the hype around Stanley water bottles. I wish I could find the TikTok video of the man making fun of women who carry these things, getting into a car with his "Stanley water bottle," a rolling black garbage can with an equally large "straw" protruding from the top. (Vox)
Why do all websites look the same? Blame Google — and SEO. (The Verge)
Amanda Mull on the absurdity of restocking videos, and how those Home Edit people have made everyone think the only way their kitchens can be organized is if their cabinets have everything in fancy plastic containers. They are as wrong as Marie Kondo. You do not have to do everything at once, and there is nothing wrong with masking tape and a Sharpie to label things. I will die on this hill. (Atlantic)
In case you haven't seen Katt Williams on the Club Shay Shay podcast. It's a LOT. When someone that smart chooses his words that carefully... I would never want to be on the receiving end of it. (YouTube)
I love any story that takes me behind the scenes of a job I know nothing about, especially when it involves awful rich people. That includes Fixing Macs door to door. (Author's site)
A not-exactly-scientific autism spectrum test. Walking on the balls of your feet, really? And noise sensitivity? My family is starting to make a little more sense to me. (IDR Labs)
A gel injected into the scrotum could be the next male contraceptive. [Insert scissors emoji.] (Wired)
This video of stuff GenX kids did in the 1980s is hilarious because it's true. (Awesomer)
I had forgotten about Hoodmaps. They need to update the San Francisco one, because they still have "Warehouses that will soon be condos" for my old neighborhood, and that ship sailed a long time ago. (Hoodmaps)
180 songs that turn 40 this year and will make you feel old as hell. (YouTube)
As soon as I found out about the jokes phone, I drove over there with my niece. A+++. Highly recommend. (Boing Boing)
FYI that the band name Whoredrobe has been taken. Well done, ladies. (Instagram)
The image at the top is one of many brilliant twisted toys and action figures. (Spin)
For people who want to upgrade from plastic milk crates for their records: These wooden versions look pretty great. (Waam Industries)
There is a chain of convenience stores called Kum & Go. I am not making this up. And they just got bought out, so FYI if you wanna buy some merch for 2024 holiday gifts. (Kumandgo)
"That pelvic line is a perfect road map to [REDACTED]." This is for everyone who sent me links to Jeremy Allen White's Calvin Klein campaign. (McSweeney's)
Shut up and take my money: Situationship candy hearts for Valentine's Day. (Boing Boing)