Arman's Antics (#034)
The latest from "let's see what happens-er" Arman Khodadoost
Hey everyone!
Coming to you live from Austin, Texas. Here’s your weekly dose of Arman’s Antics. A few things I’ve been up to that will either make you laugh 🤭, think 🧐, cry 🥲 (or a nasty combination of the three).
Welcome to the 26 new subscribers receiving this for the first time (267 total). I don’t take your attention lightly.
Essay I wrote last week
90% of what I learned in school was useless.
But one of the lessons that stuck with me came from tornado drills — life is not that serious. It’s just one little (fun) experiment after another.
So let’s grab a handful of spaghetti and throw it at the wall to see what happens.
Nothing but a test (#052)
In Georgia in the 1990’s, schools would test students on a regular basis. But not in math, science or history. This was a different kind of test. One that required us to crouch under our desks with our hands placed on our heads in order to pass. But why?
Celebrating my first birthday
Technically, I’ve been living for over 30 years. But I’ve only been alive for one of them.
I started writing publicly on 11 May 2022.
So please, no more birthday wishes on 31 July. If you really care about me, you’ll wish me a happy writing birthday on 11 May from now on.
This was “nothing but a test” with zero expectations. But it has turned into one of my greatest decisions.
Here’s what I’ve learned from writing so far:
Writing generates ideas more so than just communicating them.
Writing needs to surprise the reader to be memorable.
Writing publicly forces you to take a stand for what you believe to be true (or at least useful).
Writing like you would speak to your best friend makes people want to be your friend.
I have enjoyed every moment on this journey. But keep in mind, I’m just getting started.
Book I read that changed my perspective
The Paradox of Choice. By Barry Schwartz.
Every once in a while I read something that changes how I view the world around me. This was one of those books.
If I had to sum it up in one line — the abundance of choice leads to the tyranny of choice.
This was top of mind when I went to TJ Maxx with my fiancé. As soon we walked in, we were bombarded by so much stuff.
We found ourselves in the candle isle. The shelves were overflowing with so many options that we started to feel nauseous (or maybe that was the combination of smells — mango, lavender, vanilla, coffee, drift wood, passion fruit, oh my!).
We wanted to pick the best nontoxic candle we could find. But with an abundance of choices, we simply couldn’t decide so we left empty handed.
Netflix show I binged
I don’t care for TV, but when I do I want it to do what I hope my writing does for you — make me laugh, think, cry (or preferably all of the above).
That’s what happened when I watched the newest season of Queer Eye. These guys completely transform one lucky person’s life.
They redesign/improve their home, closet, hairstyle, cooking abilities, and limiting beliefs. All in a week!
If you’ve never watched the show then all I can ask is — what are you waiting for?
Random question
After leaving TJ Maxx disappointed and overwhelmed, my fiancé and I played a fun game this weekend.
What’s one store you hope you never have to step foot in again?
What’s one restaurant you hope you never have to eat at again?
We asked friends and family and got some hilarious responses and now I want to hear yours. Comment below to let me know!
That’s it for the 34th edition of Arman’s Antics. Thank you for reading this instead of doing something more useful with your time. It means more than you know. Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to reward myself with a cup of coffee ☕️ (or three).
Oh I almost forgot, Xena says hey:
Have a terrific Tuesday!
Cheers,
Arman
I love seeing your name and face pop up when you click like and leave an insightful comment. Likes and comments below.
Happy One Year writing dude! You would never be able to tell given how well you write.
I swear I had the same experience trying to look through a clearance rack at Macy's. It's chaotic and I feel they purposely make the bathrooms hard to find so you can see everything they have in the store. I'm never going there again unless there's a zombie apocalypse.
since I travel a lot for my speaking work, it’s not uncommon that I’ll be checking in to a hotel at midnight or even later having travelled all day and feeling very hungry. I have eaten at a lot of places I would much rather avoid over the years, but lately, I’d rather go hungry then visit an open McDonald’s, Jack-in-the-Box, Chick-fil-A, or the lake. There is one particular restaurant in the Seattle airport that served a chunk of broken glass in a Caesar salad that I had. Needless to say, that particular establishment is not one I’ll be revisiting.