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.
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 belated writing birthday!
And if I never had to go into ANY store again, other than Best Buy and PetSmart, I'd be a happy man.
Congrats on 1 year of writing!
These questions are great. I hope I never have to shop at a Forever 21 again. It’s the epitome of my high school fashion choices lol
And I’ve successfully avoided dining at Applebee’s for the last 15ish years. I intend to keep it that way