Arman's Antics (#035)
The latest from hoarder Arman Khodadoost
Hey everyone!
Coming to you live from Austin, Texas. Here’s your weekly dose of Arman’s Antics. A list of what I’ve been exploring that will either make you laugh, think, cry (or a nasty combination of the three).
Welcome to the four new subscribers receiving this for the first time (270 total). I respect your inbox and don’t take your attention lightly.
Essay I wrote last week
My home used to be a makeshift animal shelter. I would adopt a new pet (project) and give it all of my love… For a few weeks. Rinse and repeat. Until I realized this was not fair to my little furry friends.
So I released them back into the wild. But one pet kept coming back. And when it looked me in the eyes, I couldn’t ignore it anymore.
How many pets do you have?
Are you a pet hoarder? (#053)
I used to have way too many pets in my apartment. I wasn’t a full-blown cat lady, but I was close. Each time I visited the local shelter, I’d lock eyes with a new pet and my heart would melt. I would think, “How can I say no to those eyes?” So I’d bring my new pet home to shower it with love. Every
“New” book I started reading (and am already loving)
Amusing Ourselves to Death. By Neil Postman.
Thank you to David Perell for this recommendation.
This “is a prophetic look at what happens when politics, journalism, education, and even religion become subject to the demands of entertainment.”
I’m only two chapters in, but I can already tell this will be one of those reads that has aged like fine wine. It’s relevance today may be even more than it was back in 1985 when it was published.
Our obsession with being endlessly entertained by our information diet may be our ultimate demise.
New show I couldn’t stop watching
Jury Duty.
Speaking of being entertained, this show did not disappoint.
“The series chronicles the inner workings of a jury trial in the US through the eyes of juror Ronald Gladden, a solar contractor from San Diego, who is unaware that his jury duty summons was not official, and that everyone in the courtroom aside from him is an actor.”
My friend Dallas recommended this show to Brooke and I. It was one of the most fascinating entertainment experiments I’ve seen. It’s like if Punk’d and The Real World had a baby.
It made us laugh uncontrollably and the last episode made us shed a tear. Two ingredients that I crave in my entertainment diet.
Here’s the trailer:
Oldie but goodie song I’m listening to
Fast car by Tracy Chapman:
This song reminds me of riding around town with my dad in the mid 90’s. Such a classic. I’m embarrassed to admit I didn’t know she was a female until watching this.
Random thought
The last great American past time is professional consumption.
That’s it for the 35th edition of Arman’s Antics. Thank you for your time — now back to your regularly scheduled nonstop scrolling!
Have a terrific Tuesday!
Cheers,
Arman
PS — I’m testing out a new writing cadence. You can still expect to receive your Arman’s Antics every Tuesday. But essays will now be arriving on Friday. I figured you could use a few days off between hearing from me.
I love seeing your face pop up on my likes and responding to your insightful comments below.
“Our obsession with being endlessly entertained by our information diet may be our ultimate demise.”
That’s a good reminder of how we have the power to choose where to place our attention - something that mindfulness and similar practices offer: a space away from endless entertainment
Amusing Ourselves to Death is one of my favorite books ever. Prophetic indeed. Your closing photo, however, is probably the most eyebrow raising thing in this issue. I thought maybe you had included it as one of those "caption this photo" contests. In which case my caption would have been, "Dog corners and holds burglar hostage at beach resort until police arrive." (Maybe I'm just amusing myself to death.)