Arman's Antics (#080)
Latest from the curious contrarian Arman Khodadoost
Hola partner,
Coming to you live from Austin, Texas.
Here’s your weekly dose of Arman’s Antics — five things I’ve been pondering or exploring that will give you a good think, laugh, cry (or a nasty combination of the three).
A warm welcome to the 13 new subscribers receiving this for the first time (563 total). I don’t take your attention lightly.
And I hope nobody reads this, but if you do, please keep it to yourself.
Essay I wrote this week
One of the marvels of modernity is the near infinite amount of entertainment we have at our fingertips. Or is it?
Entertainment has become synonymous with passive consumption. But what if we linked it to active creation?
*This was my 100th essay. And I’m just getting started.
Entertaining ourselves to death
I’ve been reading a lot of history lately. Which got me thinking — what would leave our great-great-great-great-great-grandparents completely baffled if they hopped in a time machine and visited us for a week? Electricity? Airplanes? iPhones? All-you-can-eat buffets? All good guesses, but no.
Unfinished books
The older I get the less time I have for decent books.
I just counted 50 partially read books on my Kindle. With at least another dozen on my bookshelf. Can you relate?
At first, this seemed like a problem that needed to be solved. But then I realized it’s a sign I’m developing better taste.
I used to slog all the way through OK books because it felt like my duty. But reading shouldn’t feel like a chore.
If you try out a new book, and it doesn’t captivate you after the first chapter, drop it. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of better books out there waiting for you.
Life’s too short for decent books.
Dead comedian I’m enjoying
Mitch Hedberg.
I used to miss Mitch. And I still do, but I used to, too.
He was the king of one liners.
Here’s one: “Y’know, you can’t please all the people all the time… and last night, all those people were at my show.”
Enjoy!
March habit tracker
Meditations: 25/31 - goal is 15 minutes every day.
Writing sessions: 27/31 - goal is one hour every day.
Cold plunges: 15/21 - goal is three minutes five times a week.
Workouts: 12/13 - goal is three times a week.
Hoop dreams: 5/4 - goal is once a week.
Conversations with parents: 3/4 - goal is once a week.
Tech fasts: 1/1 - goal is to go 24 hours with no screens once a month.
I missed a couple days when my mom came to visit. And that stupid daylight savings got me too.
Not my best performance, but not a complete dud either.
Random thought
I want everyone to do their best. I just want to do slightly better.
That’s it for the 80th edition of Arman’s Antics.
I hope you didn’t make it this far, but if you did, you’re my kind of person.
Try to be a little more curious than you normally are.
Now back to your regularly scheduled nonstop scrolling.
Cheers,
Arman
I like your little habit tracker report, and especially noted the insight of "Hoop dreams: 5/4 - goal is once a week." I need to do this, because I'd be interested to see which goals I actually outpace, as you did with basketball. That's a good piece of information to have. If there is something you naturally do it probably signals a resonance and love that ought to be paid attention to. You don't talk much about pick-up basketball. Given the obvious joy you get from it I'd be interested to hear about it.
Mitch Headburg was brilliant. Another interesting read, thanks Arman!