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Hi All!
Here is the current issue of my weekly “Sunday Share,” a list of what I have been engaging with, excited by or otherwise found intriguing.
What I’m reading —
Naked by David Sedaris. David Sedaris can be incredibly witty about almost anything, but he seems to specialize in the weird and wacky. He has also set the bar very high for his openness about his often tortuous imaginings, obsessions and vulnerabilities. For me, there are extended passages where I am astounded by his brilliance followed by some straight-out boring stuff that I start skipping over. I am revisiting his earlier and perhaps most compelling work, like Naked. I am reading Naked in bed last thing before going to sleep, which can result in some, let’s say, “unusual” dreams. Insert your own joke here…
Gizmo I am starting to appreciate —
Water Flosser Dental Oral Irrigator. Ever since a got a severe case of gingivitis at the age of sixteen and had to have my gums cut back, those darn gums seemed to have remained a pesky vulnerability for me. But when it comes to good dental hygiene, I’m a poor, inconsistent and unenthusiastic flosser. And I have often reaped the bad consequences… Recently, I bowed to a pitch from my dental hygienist and bought a relatively inexpensive water pick. And actually used it on a regular basis! I am very pleased by how much cleaner my mouth feels as a result and have high hopes that it will help reduce the usual level of inflammation.
Eco-initiative I have embarked on —
No Mow Fescue Grass. What if there was a type of grass that looks gorgeous and requires almost zero mowing, watering, fertilizing or weed killer to maintain its lush look? Well it exists now and one of the best things I have ever done ecologically is to replant my lawn with this no mow fescue. Check out its profile here: https://www.prairienursery.com/store/no-mow-lawn/no-mow-lawn-seed-mix#.XWgPei2ZOeg
I did some research: Americans spent approximately $29.1 billion in 2015 on lawn care for their 63,000 square miles of lawns. And I am sure that number is only going up. Imagine the savings both financially and ecologically if those 63,000 square miles of lawn needed close to minimal upkeep year in year out by switching to no mow?
What I am listening to —
Super Ape Returns to Conquer by Lee Scratch Perry and Subatomic Sound System. Having been born and raised initially in Africa, the music that most resonates for me is African and Reggae. And I have always been massively attracted to Dub Reggae for its hypnotic power, sensuality and adventurous reworking of material. The originator of the whole Dub tradition is Lee Scratch Perry who is credited with a monumental impact as a result on the development of Hip Hop. This latest album is as amazing as anything he has ever done — and the dude is 84 years old! It’s the kind of music that saturates every cell of your body while often taking you into a transcendent place spiritually.
What I would put into my body immediately if I was cut, shot or otherwise bleeding—
Yunnan Baiyao. I first heard about Yunnan Baiyao at a Chinese Herbs class with Ron Teeguarden back in the late Seventies. Apparently, the first thing American soldiers would look for on a captured or dead Viet Cong would be their Yunnan Baiyao, reputed to effectively stop bleeding from cuts, gunshots or other wounds. It’s also considered effective for recovery from exercise. The formula is still a carefully-guarded secret. You can check it out on the link provided or learn more about it on its Wiki page.
Newsletter/blog I always read —
Mark Sisson’s Daily Apple The world of nutrition, particularly in America, remains rife with misinformation, claims based on flawed or manipulated science, chicanery, quackery and all kinds of conflicting advice. Meanwhile our population gets fatter and sicker by the day… What I like about Mark Sisson is his combination of extreme good sense with a solid grounding in the known science behind a certain proposition for eating in a particular manner. Mark’s clarity helps me make more informed hence better decisions on what to eat.
Most thought-provoking quote —
“Art is theft.” — Pablo Picasso
Thoughts, comments, wishes, suggestions? Hit me up by email at johnrducane@gmail.com