Chapter 130

I woke up at 6, took a nasty shit, read the news, did yoga, walked the dog. I rode to work, listening to the Jocko Willink podcast, he was talking about the Rape Of Nanjing. Boy oh boy, what a terrifying exploration of pure evil.

Another leisurely day, reading and writing and occasionally answering questions from students. I wrote this diary, and a travel story about my visit to Armenia in 2012 that I’ll put online sometimes soon. I read articles from a 90s magazine called Answer Me!, that I found in PDF online. I listened to the first album by Strapping Young Lad, called Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing, it’s very weird, some kind of futuristic metal with thumping industrial beats. I only knew the album City and a few tracks from later albums, and I plan on checking out more of Devin Townsend’s extensive catalog. I also listened again to the Rorcal & Earthflesh album, and it’s insanely good, it gave me an excellent first impression yet it is still growing on me.

I also listened to the Metal Minded podcast, they were talking with a musician from Abitibi (a remote mining region in northwestern Quebec) and they went through the whole spectrum of emotions, from uncontrollable laughter to really touching stories. The guy recently got a leg amputated due to cancer, and one of the hosts had lost several family members to that evil shit. I keep saying this, but it’s important, crucial even, to enjoy life to the fullest and be grateful.

I went home and ate cold noodles the girlfriend prepared and left in the fridge. Cold noodles are obviously a wonderful hot weather dish and something the west should adopt. I watched some Gavin McInnes videos, he’s been canceled to oblivion due to his dissidence and provocative humor but there are a few compilations emerging on YouTube here and there. He’s actually pretty moderate in his political views, but as an old punk, he loves to stir the pot, and I think he’s absolutely hilarious. I also watched a video by left-wing political commentator Shoe0nHead about the cringeworthy CIA “woke” PR videos, in which some employees from the intelligence agency talk about how Mexican and female or black and gay they are and how they’re so welcoming, yet, it’s the CIA we’re talking about, known for pretty damn unsavoury actions. She talked about how this is just one more example of how identity politics is a cancer and a tool used by the elites to control the plebs, and there’s one tangent bit that really struck me: there was a chart with the list of Fortune 500 CEO and some feminist asking “Where are the women?” and Shoe0nHead said “Who cares?! Don’t you think the second-highest grossing company being a healthcare firm something more worrisome than the lack of girlboss representation?”

I cut my lunch break short, as I had to go invigilate an exam. Then I went back to the office and resumed my reading and writing.

I got home, made a protein slurry with yogurt and whey powder, and slept for an hour. I rode to the gym, and as I turned the corner from my apartment block I saw something I hadn’t seen in a while: a couple holding their kid with his legs in the air so he’d shit. This used to be a quite common sight in China, even on sidewalks and indoors, the Chinese are friendly and all but some of them still have one foot in the rice paddy, to be euphemistic. The city I live in is developed and modern and therefore such uncouth peasant behaviors are more rare, but still happen.

It was hot as balls in the gym, even with the windows open and the occasional breeze bringing us a bit of salvation. We drilled sweeps for a bit then rolled, I usually do at least three rounds but now after only two I was light-headed and completely drained. Even after a few minutes of rest, I was exhausted and felt huge drops of sweat poking through my skin. Part of it could have been because I was defending chokes, but I also feel like I was dehydrated and with depleted electrolytes. I will bring some Gatorade-like drinks next time.

I got home, took the dog running outside, sipping a strawberry beer. I ate the rest of the cold noodles, a can of sardines and a box of crackers, watching an episode of Dark Side Of Football. It was about Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and was a bit vanilla compared to some of the horrible shit in the Dark Side Of The Ring catalog, it was a pretty “normal” rise-and-fall story. I imagine there will be some seriously disturbing topics in future episodes, stuff about concussions, injuries, and the heinous criminal behaviors of some football players.