Squirmy Little Beasts
Current location:
SeaTac Airport, WA, USA
Reading:
Future Shock
by Alvin Toffler
Listening:
Music for Animals
by Nils Frahm
(if you have a moment, reply with your own 3-item status)
Squirmy Little Beasts
I've just finished my second week here in Seattle.
I was called in to guard my little sister and brother-in-law's house while they were away on a cruise (with my parents), and to maintain the trio of squirmy little beasts (two cats and a blind, deaf, anosmic dog) who are charming and friendly, but who also seem to find no greater pleasure in life than holding swatting/growling/hissing-heavy melees at all hours of the day (and night).
I'm not, as far as I know, allergic to animals. But my nasal passages are packed tight with enough fur to build several more pets.
I thought I was having a cold-or-flu-or-maybe-covid relapse following the week of actual sickness I experienced when I first debarked the plane here in Washington, but it turned out I was just super-congested from the volume of pet-pieces I've inhaled since arriving.
I did not achieve many of the things I wanted to achieve on this trip.
I wasn't able to hang out with friends—I didn't go out and do much of anything, actually—and I've been too exhausted essentially the entire time I've been here to throw myself at any of the little projects I imagined enjoying while solo-with-animals-in-another-person's-home (before the reality of a home-full-of-pets-and-also-sickness took hold).
I was, fortunately, able to spend a substantial amount of time with family members I hadn't seen in person in ages.
I met my little nephew (a pandemic baby) for the first time, and was able to reconnected with my fur-niece and fur-nephews (taking care of the gaggle of pets-plus-kiddo, by the way, is why my family and I were too exhausted to attempt much beyond subsistence levels of activity during my visit).
I got over some kind of disease without infecting anyone else, and bumbled my way through my normal, weekly work responsibilities despite how horrible I felt (I'm strangely proud of this).
I also learned that a potential next-step project I've been hoping to invest myself in will be happening; more on this in the near-future, but I'm super-excited about it!
I'm looking forward to settling into a more solitudinous routine for a spell, now that I've enjoyed upending all my norms and habits for about a month and a half (a few weeks on the road, a week at home, then these weeks in Seattle).
I'm exhausted! But happy to have had this experience—and just as happy to be returning to Milwaukee for a bit.
——
——
Things I've Made This Week
Select, recent works from across my project portfolio.
Aspiring Generalist: Kindness
Brain Lenses: Anomie (podcast)
Climate Happenings: Lignin-Based Jet Fuel
I Will Read To You: When You Are Old (podcast)
Let’s Know Things: Russia's Invasion (podcast)
Curiosity Weekly / Daily: September 27 / September 27
One Sentence News: September 28 (podcast)
——
Interesting & Useful
Machiavellianism and (A Whole Lot) More — www.merriam-webster.com Top 10 Unusually Long and Interesting Words, Vol. 1
People’s Graphic Design Archive — peoplesgdarchive.org A virtual design archive built by everyone about everyone for everyone.
Countries Mapped onto Solar System Bodies — engaging-data.com
We can compare the sizes of countries and continents to planets and moons by projecting a map of a specific country onto another planet.
——
——
Outro
I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed, eating some nice, healthy meals I've prepared for myself, and settling back into a calm, creative, productive routine for at least a few weeks.
Those are not things I ever thought I'd value as much as traveling to new places, seeing new things, visiting folks I don't usually see, etc—but here we are.
Now I just need to avoid catching another knock-me-flat illness on the plane ride back home; wish me luck!
What're you up to this final week of September? Working on any new ambitions? Looking forward to any near-future plans?
I respond to every email I receive and would love to hear from you :) You can reach me by replying to this newsletter or by writing to colin@exilelifestyle.com.
You can also communicate via the usual methods: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or AI-generated Bible art.
If you’re finding some value in what I’m doing here, consider supporting my work: Become an Understandary member / Become a Patron / Buy me a coffee