There is a lot to be thankful for.

My moviegoing buddy

My friend is a man of extraordinary verbal intelligence.

When you combine this with the ridiculous amount of time he spends on political Twitter and movie fan websites, the result is that I drink in high-level analysis and opinion of the films we see. On our walks back from the theater he peels away layers and motifs I hardly noticed and offers trivia about the actors, directors, and consistent or changing themes of their productions. He draws out overarching styles in the director’s films, visual symbolism, and the vibe of the music. He ought to run a critic’s podcast, but this would take away from his insane amount of pot smoking and YouTube browsing.

A couple of recent favorites were The Menu (hilarious and satisfying) and M3GAN (I love seeing a robot dance and murder people).

The other day we saw Infinity Pool and snacked on a piroshky or two. I was drawn in after the fateful handjob scene and then absorbed in the gory, nihilistic playground depicted in the film. I laughed and laughed, especially during a climactic scene where the main character whimpers while suckling at a breast smeared with the blood of the clone of him that he had just pulverized with his fist. But although I found it hilarious, my subconscious was affected, judging by the strange dreams I have had since.

Mass Effect

I am engrossed in this trilogy of video games.

The story has links to biological evolution, AI, and a political system of alien races, all in a context of hard sci fi (with some exceptions to make it interesting). The emotional impact of choices in the game is greater than with Fallout, another favorite.

I keep finding other fans. One acquaintance has sunk 25 DAYS into the game. Each person loves a different aspect of the series and is eager to talk about it.

I lost two cherished squadmates in the game recently and I realized I will be regretting their loss and dealing with the consequences of their absence for the next 30 hours of playtime. I wondered what I had done wrong to see my trusted and effective ally Garrus get dragged off and killed by brainless insectoid aliens under the control of an even worse enemy. The dread of space, the biological horror, the mysterious looming threats, the tensions between unity and separateness pervade the games and change the way I see the world.

It seems like this game was expressly designed to appeal to me and draw me in. I keep finding more things to like. I’m very glad it was remastered to make it accessible to another legion of gamers.

The world of thought and ideas at my fingertips

My hunger for knowledge and understanding is insatiable and I live in a world where I can learn about anything. I seek out specific domains of knowledge and sometimes I let myself get drawn in without being deliberate. I have learned so much about psychology, the evolution of conscious brains, the beauty of Chopin’s Nocturnes, Polonaises and Preludes and Satie’s Gnossiennes; speculation on human competition with AI, the rebounding of global cooperation in the face of covid, political repression and war; and the process of mastering another language. How, I wonder, did it devolve small, simple me to contemplate big things like that?

Part-time work helps me devote time to learning. After I graduated from college, I worked only part-time for five years and consumed books and media constantly. When I moved into full-time work, a lot of this learning went away and people I knew even commented on how they saw me less and missed me. The weeks, months, and years went by in a blur because my job (and most jobs) are usually the same, day in and day out, unlike the rest of life, which is rich and marked by significant events and ever changing. I now work only 80% of full time and I don’t think I will ever go back. In fact, I will steadily reduce my work hours until I am at zero. I don’t have to wait for legislation or society-wide change. Full-time work (or more) has the potential to deaden you and displace some of the best things in life.

Biking and walking everywhere even during Seattle’s mild winter

I love my bike, a white 90s Trek frame with refitted components, cruiser handlebars, and 650b size tires.

Food and drink

Like ideas and knowledge, all the food is at my fingertips (Indian, French, American, Japanese, Russian) and all the cocktails and beer (but not wine, which is gross) including negronis, sours, and the occasional lovingly poured and settled Guinness.

I like to sip a wet martini with a twist and a dash of orange bitters at the top of Smith Tower and watch the vast Puget Sound at sunset. I also love picking up hot and spicy Mumbai street food or sitting with an extra-hot cappuccino and a library book.

Meeting interesting people in unexpected places

I relax my defenses and become alive to the inner world of others as revealed through conversation and shared experience, including their slight discontent, their reason-giving and explanations for what they see, their strange assumptions and their peculiar desires. Some of them become confederates, some request for things, some all but ask to be friends (belying the idea of a “Seattle freeze”), some want to know all about me, some are restrained, and some are a bit predictable or “of a type.”

About the photo

This woman was luxuriating in Olympic Sculpture Park last week with “Echo” by Jaume Plensa in the background, echoing the color of her hair.