Grab Bag vol. 6
Things I found interesting lately, what I’ve been up to, and whatever else comes to mind.
I spent 10 days in the LA area in March - for a work trip, a wedding, and visiting an old friend (sometimes it all just comes together!). I had spent very little time in this area previously and it felt very good to explore somewhere novel. I’m always warmed by new light in new places. I was mostly staying with my friend who lives in an old tiny neighborhood wedged between two steep hills, which made running from his house “fun”. My favorite route connected to some dirt roads and eventually a park, which gave fantastic views of the city. The only downside was the 22% grade hill right at the beginning. It was satisfying, though.
Another thing I did in LA: we went to a Groundling show, which is the Upright Citizen’s Brigade of LA, which is the Second City of New York, which is…. well hopefully you know what one of those comedy groups are. Some of my favorite comedians came from Groundlings, so it was very fun to go to a show to see the up and coming folks perform. Three cheers for comedy making everything better.
Speaking of people who came from Groundlings, I have grown to really enjoy Conan O’Brien’s “Conan Needs a Friend” podcast. I like the brand of comedy and the heartfelt but funny conversations he has with various celebrities. I’m not much of a celebrity follower, but it’s comforting to hear others express the same insecurities and struggles. I was very surprised to enjoy the episode with John Mayer recently (Kristen Wiig and Kaley Cuoco were also fantastic).
And speaking of traveling - I took more risks consuming food that I was not totally confident was completely gluten free, which gave me significant anxiety. If anything, this has just deepened my complicated relationship with celiac disease. On one hand, I want to be able to travel and try new foods without being filled with fear. The fear is the worst part, worse than the symptoms. For me, it might be worth getting occasionally “glutened” to be able to enjoy life a little more. On the other hand, I spent a lot of March in an anxious, fatigued fog that, well, confirmed that I do, in fact, have an autoimmune disease. I don’t know what to take away from this, but I’d like to move beyond the fear.
May I suggest this 35 minute video on Knot Theory? Apparently I spend my time watching videos like this instead of working on blog posts :|