The plague has come for me.
It was just a matter of time after having spent a full leg in flying germ tubes before I got wrecked, and here I am, ruined beyond recognition. Forgive me if today's effort is less than inspired. I'm comprised of 95% phlegm, and 5% confusion.
Starting this off, I would be remiss not to use this platform to address the elephant in the room. The current political climate is overwhelming and it's real hard to maintain one's footing with all of the garbage that's being thrown at us, but I recently came across one good bit of advice I would like to share here, which reads like this;
Wise and important words from sociologist Jennifer Walter about what is happening in our country right now and what to do about it:
"As a sociologist, I need to tell you:
Your overwhelm is the goal.
1- The flood of 200+ executive orders in Trump's first days exemplifies Naomi Klein's "shock doctrine" - using chaos and crisis to push through radical changes while people are too disoriented to effectively resist. This isn't just politics as usual - it's a strategic exploitation of cognitive limits.
2- Media theorist McLuhan predicted this: When humans face information overload, they become passive and disengaged. The rapid-fire executive orders create a cognitive bottleneck, making it nearly impossible for citizens and media to thoroughly analyze any single policy.
3- Agenda-setting theory explains the strategy: When multiple major policies compete for attention simultaneously, it fragments public discourse. Traditional media can't keep up with the pace, leading to superficial coverage.
The result? Weakened democratic oversight and reduced public engagement.
What now?
1- Set boundaries: Pick 2-3 key issues you deeply care about and focus your attention there. You can't track everything - that's by design. Impact comes from sustained focus, not scattered awareness.
2- Use aggregators & experts: Find trusted analysts who do the heavy lifting of synthesis. Look for those explaining patterns, not just events.
3- Remember: Feeling overwhelmed is the point. When you recognize this, you regain some power. Take breaks. Process. This is a marathon.
4- Practice going slow: Wait 48hrs before reacting to new policies. The urgent clouds the important. Initial reporting often misses context.
5- Build community: Share the cognitive load. Different people track different issues. Network intelligence beats individual overload.
Remember: They want you scattered. Your focus is resistance.
In the midst of all of the gong show that's been the last week, this is the most articulately expressed and most concise directive I've come across. Some people really do just want to watch the world burn. Doing nothing isn't an option. That's exactly what they want of you.
So it goes without saying that running on fumes this week has left me with not my normal amount of piss and vinegar, and for this I am sorry. I can only promise to do better-ish next week.
So, pivoting around to bikecycle related stuff, did y'all get a load of his weekend's live feed of the Maasmechelen World Cup race?
Well, let me say that spoiler alerts are dead ahead, but if you haven't watched it by now, you probably aren't going to. At least until the video is released on World Cycling Productions, and you can rent it from your local bike shop.
Anyhü- The women's race is always a crap shoot, and there are a lot of possible contenders for the top step, but in Saturday's race it came down to a sprint between Vas and Backstedt, but Vas held strong and got it across the line first;
And naturally, with the return MVP, even with a broken rib, everyone was just fighting for second;
Although I will say Wout's second place finish was absolutely heroic, and without all off his crashes, he mighta swung on first;
If Wout stays up, I think we might see a new Worlds champ this coming weekend, but MVP is just so next level, it's hard to say. I have my money on the latter, but my heart is with the former.
I doubt the UCI will have streaming available on their YouTubes, so if anyone knows where to watch it, I'd appreciate a nudge in that direction.
In other news, an end of an era has come and I finally have to unload my beloved camper;
I don't want to, but life changes, and the only way to roll with the punches is to be flexible.
Secondarily, if I'm honest, I just kinda miss having a truck with which to do truck things. I never intended to have it on my truck full time, forever, so I've decided to let it go.
If this is a thing you could see having in your life, I have it up on Craigslist, but hit me with queries here as well. It deserves to be someone else's life boat for a little while.
Lastly, as I begin to scütch my chair away from my desk in order to get on with other aspects of life, I would like to present the newest episode of Revolting for for ears and heart, or whichever organs it fits into;
This time next week, Dog willing and the creek don't rise, the sickness will be excised and/or exercised from all of mine.
9 comments
I sold it for what I paid for it, because good turns deserve one another, and so on, or whatever.
Thanks for sharing the Jennifer Walters breakdown…needed that.
“I doubt the UCI will have streaming available on their YouTubes, so if anyone knows where to watch it, I’d appreciate a nudge in that direction.”
https://tiz-cycling-live.io/stream.php?SA
https://cyclingstream.com/
http://www.cyclingfans.com/
I really appreciate you sharing the stuff from Ms. Walter. This past week has sucked, and this helps to keep me from gaslighting myself about whether what’s been going on is actually scary or not.
I realized it’s just the camper you are selling. Seems like a cool one. Hipstertrustifarian possibility still applies.