💥 Why being shot five times in ten days is NBD
Ep 59: Turning off your video at work for a change of pace, pressing issues related to a fall favorite, and the power of a solitary tree.
The leaves are falling fast and furious here, which means it’s almost time to get out the rake and do a little outdoor work. Almost. Hope you’re doing well where you are!
A Tip for the Modern Worker
Trade video calls for audio calls. Video calls can take a lot of energy from you. Try trading video for audio-only, especially if nobody is sharing their screen. Either turn off your camera or use the audio-only dial-in number if your meeting supports it. You can have more flexibility with an audio call and walk around, stretch, or do a light chore. You may find you’re able to pay closer attention and have a more free-flowing conversation when you’re not sitting at your desk, too.
This tip is one of 365 in my Handbook for the Modern Worker, and honestly, walking 1:1 meetings were one of my favorite pandemic-induced behavior changes. Audio-only really focuses you on the conversation, provided there aren’t any other distractions around.
#365DayDraw
I drew this and wrote the accompanying annotation as part of my #365DayDraw project 7 years ago today.
The apple, feeling bruised by his premature fall from the tree, headed to the nearest bar stool and proceeded to get sauced
I guess we were making applesauce seven years ago. Makes perfect sense: apple season is in full swing, though this spring’s late frost crippled this fall’s apple crop. So much so that Black Diamond Farm, our apple CSA, had to limit their normal 14-week distribution to 5. We’ll take what we can get, though, because nature can be cruel and you kind of have to roll with it. The apples we did get were downright delicious, and we just picked up our last distribution on Friday.
Commentary
I’ve had an aversion to needles that pierce my skin for as long as I can remember. It started in childhood with routine finger pokes, immunizations, and random bee stings. It culminated with an osteomyelitis infection that introduced me to the trauma of IV needles.
Fast forward to adulthood, where flu shots, communications, and annual blood tests are a routine occurrence – and that was before COVID-19 vaccines came on the scene! Early in our marriage, Amy and I got our flu shots together. She’ll never forget having the nurse come and tell her that her husband was “resting comfortably” and would be out soon. The mere thought of a shot at the time made me woozy. I’ve had to retrain my brain to deal with this eventuality. Otherwise, it’s simply too much drama.
I’ve come to truly appreciate (adore?) talented phlebotomists and nurses who ply their injection trade with practiced skill. The relatively painless jab from the well-trained no longer induces an acute emotional assault on my psyche. See, once I realized the key problem lay between my ears, I was able to overcome the anxiety that came with the procedure.
I credit acupuncture for part of this: this monthly practice has conditioned me to have a no-big-deal approach to jabs. Honestly, it doesn’t feel like anything and you get a really good nap out of the treatment. The other practice I have is to think of my happy place. I have many happy places, but the happiest is a tree I encountered on a hike in the hills above Zürich, Switzerland. We visited it during our family trip to the region in 2019, twenty years after I’d found it working as a young man in that fantastic city. It was just as I remembered it: a sentinel in a field, standing tall and proud, unfazed by the world around it.
Thanks to the magic of Google Maps, you can see the exact location and a picture captured during someone’s hike with what was probably a heavy set of cameras. It’s the background photo on my phone, so I’m reminded of it daily. But I digress.
Why am I writing about this today? Well, the past few weeks would have thrown my prior self into a tizzy, but due to this conditioning, it was a chain of five relative non-events. I had my flu shot, COVID-19 booster, a tetanus shot, the first of two shingles immunizations, and routine bloodwork. That’s almost a jab every other day for 10 days! Ah, the pleasures of having a milestone birthday.
Miscellanea
🖲 Tim Ferriss wrote about an AI trained on his popular blog and podcast. I think this is a really great use of the technology. When a simple search can turn up a ton of links to pore over, this can likely get you the answer, or close to it, within a split second.
🥖 I came across this recipe for a 5-Minute Baguette. I’m eager to give it a try since I’ve become an adept maker of pizza dough thanks to this New York Times Cooking pizza dough recipe.
☕️ And lastly, only because I worked there for 17 years, check out this story about a Citibank employee who was fired after lying about their T&E report. It’s a bit egregious, don’t you think? Unless they just ran an ultra, then it’s all super explainable.