Arman's Antics (#052)
One year of antics shared, many more to come
Hey everyone!
Coming to you live from Austin, Texas. Here is your weekly dose of Arman’s Antics.
Five things I’ve been pondering and exploring that will make you think, laugh, cry (or a nasty combination of the three).
Welcome to the five new subscribers receiving this for the first time (294 total). I respect your inbox and don’t take your attention for granted.
Essay I wrote last week
Is marriage the most selfless or selfish decision one can make?
Let’s find out:
Marriage: who is it really for?
Relationship experts claim a healthy marriage is a collection of selfless acts. Rubbish. There’s nothing more selfish than marriage. Since my wife and I started dating four years ago, I’ve made it a point to perform selfless acts of love daily (or so I thought).
Fiction author I’m enjoying (as a devout nonfiction purist)
Sci-fi and fantasy writer — Ted Chiang.
I’ll admit it, I used to (foolishy) think reading fiction was a waste of time. What’s the point in reading made up stories when I’m on the relentless pursuit of cold hard facts?
But then I heard a friend mention how they like to read fiction before going to bed because it gives their mind a break from the all-too-serious world of nonfiction.
So I finally gave in and tried out Ted’s first book: Stories of Your Life and Others. But I was only willing to commit to the first 10 pages.
Next thing I knew, I had devoured the entire book in less than a week and ordered his next one: Exhalation.
My reading diet still consists of 90%+ nonfiction, but now I get it. One great fiction book can contain more wisdom (and entertainment) than a hundred average nonfiction books. I’m still a fiction noob, but slightly less so.
My furry murderer
The sounds of summer here in Texas include the loud and seemingly constant song of cicadas. But as fall approaches, they’re being replaced with the chirping of crickets. I enjoy both. My dog Xena apparently does not.
Every time we go on a walk she immediately forgets the main purpose of why she’s out there (to pee and poop). And her focus shifts to murder. We probably come across at least 20 crickets who are just minding their own business while hopping around outside.
Little do they know, their lives are in danger the moment Xena steps outside.
The sight of one of these little guys seems to flip some ancient switch in her mind and consumes her. Not with the intent to eat, but to kill.
Perhaps she thinks they are friends begging her to play. Although I wonder the horror they must be experiencing as they attempt to hop to safety (which rarely happens).
She proceeds to paw and gnaw them to death. Losing all interest once they cease to move. Until she finds another live one.
This continues for the entirety of our walk. The neighbors can see the exact path we took thanks to the trail of dead crickets — it looks like the beaches of Normandy out here, thanks to my furry murderer:
The stressful existence of a sports fan
I’ve been obsessed with sports since childhood. This is both a blessing and a curse.
My favorite teams (in order) are:
University of Georgia football
Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Braves
Atlanta United
Can you guess where I grew up?
Fall is my favorite time of year because it’s the start of football season. But my top two teams had unnecessarily thrilling games this past weekend.
The range of emotions I experienced on Saturday and Sunday afternoon are taking a toll on my health.
In the span of three hours, I switched back and forth between being on cloud nine when they scored a touchdown, and being on suicide watch when they threw an interception.
My palms get clammy. I start furiously pacing around the living room after an unsuccessful play. I scream obscenities at the players and coaches after a dumb play (as if I could do any better). Can they actually hear me?
This can’t be conducive to a long life span.
I’ve tried giving up my fandom in exchange for something more relaxing like knitting but to no avail. I’m hooked.
Which is all fine and dandy when they win (which they both did — just barely). But I know these winning streaks won’t last forever. I’m dreading the inevitable weekend when they both lose.
My wife can confirm that you won’t want to be around me that following Monday. Being a sports fan can be quite a miserable existence, but I seem to have no say in the matter.
Random thought
Whatever Tim Ferriss is experimenting with on the weekends will eventually become mainstream.
That’s all for the 52nd edition (one year straight) of Arman’s Antics. Thank you for spending a few of your limited attention points with me today.
Forward this to a friend who has some attention to spare. Now back to your regularly scheduled nonstop scrolling.
Have a terrific Tuesday!
Cheers,
Arman
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