Trying out a new format for my Weeknotes post. One thing I discovered during my latest digital declutter was that I did not look forward to writing my Weeknotes posts. It's not because I don't have content to put out. It's because sometimes, there's too many to choose from. It then becomes exhausting to me, to decide what gets included and what doesn't. Then there's the editing part which sometimes takes over an hour to complete.
So, my aim with the new format is to make writing Weeknotes posts quicker. I want to spend no more than 30 minutes writing one. — This post still took close to an hour to finish, damn.
The new format is simple. I start with the highlight or highlights of the week. Followed by at least one thing I've learned during the week. Then lastly, at least one interesting read during the week. And that's it.
Let's see how this goes then.
Highlight(s) Of The Week
The main highlight last week was getting our 2nd dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine.
I had to take a sick day the day after, because I was not feeling well. The side-effects of the 2nd dose of the Moderna vaccine are pretty rough. It felt like I had the flu, minus the fever. I felt really tired. I had body aches everywhere. I had chills all day. I felt hot and cold at the same time. It was tough.
We were notified last week that we could now get the Covid-19 vaccine. Good timing too, since our state governor decided to reopen Texas 100% and took away the mask mandate.
After two days...
We got our 1st dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. I thought it was going to be a drive-through setup, but it was not. And so we had to bring Davin and Caleb along with us, as we fell in line with other people. Had I known it wasn't a drive-through, we would have left Davin and Caleb at the babysitter.
Thankfully, once we got into the vaccination center, we found it to be a very organized event.
Had this conversation with another blogger about a book he read. Similar to what I learned from reading The Great Cholesterol Myth, the same advice is given on a book about Alzheimer’s. And that is to limit carbs and lower/avoid sugar intake to reduce inflammation.
That's two different diseases — Alzheimer’s and Heart Disease — that gets pretty much the same recommendation to reduce carbs and sugar intake. This should really make you rethink how much sugar you should be ingesting everyday.
It took you years to put on all that weight. Don't be too hard on yourself if you're not losing weight fast enough. Think of losing weight more as a marathon than a sprint.
I've found a compromise for using my gel pen and fountain pen. When I'm at home, I use my fountain pen to write on my bullet journal. Anywhere else, and on any other notebook, I use my gel pens or ballpoint pens.
A few days ago I wrote this on my journal:
“Almost to the end of the k-drama Iris. It's a really good show!”
Then I got to the end. And wow. That ending was horrible! I had planned to say so many good things about this show. There's the amazing plot. The great acting. The pretty good fight scenes. The great story about love and friendship. But it was all brought down by the horrible ending. I can't even recommend it to my wife anymore, not after I've seen the ending. Such a disappointment. The show was great 95% of the time, until it got to the ending. Unless you're a sucker for horrible endings, don't waste your time on it.
My primary care physician was getting worried about my rising cholesterol numbers. She was worried enough that she wanted me to start taking statin medications to lower my cholesterol. I, on the other hand, was concerned about having to take said medications. And this was before I even knew of the scary side effects mentioned in the book. Also, I was getting frustrated at not being able to lower my cholesterol on my own, without having to take medications.
Got this from Coney. Sharing it because the info seems useful. This is basically a mapping of activities and the corresponding risk associated to said activities. I like how it makes it easier to identify an activity's risk level. For example, getting takeout food is considered low risk. While eating inside a restaurant is considered a moderate to high risk activity. Opening mail is low risk. Grocery shopping is moderate-low risk. Like I said, really easy.
With Texas and a few other states becoming new epicenters for COVID-19, I feel like we all need to be doing more to stop this virus from spreading. Let's put in the effort now. Wear your face masks and practice social distancing. The sooner we can stop this virus from spreading, the sooner we can get back to some semblance of normal life.
Happy 4th of July! Be smart and stay safe out there everyone.
An interesting read on what life was like in Italy as the COVID-19 virus made its way over. As a bioethicist, the author touches upon the ethics and dilemma that doctors faced as they tried to prioritize the use of medical resources as best as they can.
Younger generations have been asked to make huge sacrifices for older generations, with the expectation of only very limited benefits for their own health – and some big repercussions for their own physical and mental wellbeing, including the closure of universities and loss of opportunities to work. This is also the generation that will have to pay off the bulk of debts we’re now accruing to pay for government assistance packages.
Damn, I haven't even thought of that. I have a sister that's graduating soon. She is going to be starting her adult life in “Hard mode” difficulty. I'm lucky enough to have a job and be able to work from home. But these college seniors will soon enter a job market with millions of people unemployed, most likely competing for the same jobs that they will be applying for. That must be terrifying. This would be one good argument for re-opening the country and getting the economy going as soon as possible. Still, that must be balanced with making sure we don't risk a second wave of infections.
Got this link from the wife. I have gone through the whole post. This might be the most comprehensive and well researched post on COVID-19 that is helpful to the general population. There's a good amount of info on how to avoid getting the virus, including info on how to strengthen the immune system. There is also this:
Apart from regular hand washing, I believe that daily and frequent nasal irrigation is one of the MOST important things that we can do to prevent influenza and other viral respiratory infections from taking hold. This is because after exposure to a virus, the influenza virus tries to invade and multiply in your nasal passages for at least 1-2 days before you develop any symptoms. Nasal irrigation can wash away viral particles before they have the opportunity to take hold, and thereby prevent many infections from happening in the first place!
I've heard of irrigating your nose. At one point, I even had my own Neti pot at home. What I didn't know is how helpful irrigating your nose is for general health, until I read the quote above.
Got this from Coney. Sharing it because the info seems useful. This is basically a mapping of activities and the corresponding risk associated to said activities. I like how it makes it easier to identify an activity's risk level. For example, getting takeout food is considered low risk. While eating inside a restaurant is considered a moderate to high risk activity. Opening mail is low risk. Grocery shopping is moderate-low risk. Like I said, really easy.