Protocols for Living
Protocols are systems for doing a certain *thing*. There are protocols for health, diet, personal finance, etc. Here's some of the ones I use.
Historically, this newsletter, Things That Should Exist, has been about ideas.
But ideas are hard to get across. People get them or they don’t.
People are often afraid of new ideas.
There’s an idea floating around in pop culture, a kind of minor idea, that change equals death.
I came across this idea in Kim Stanley Robinson’s book, Ministry for the Future, which is a book about climate change and how it will affect the world over the next 30 years. It was published in 2020, and feels prescient.
Aside from some really boring passages about glacier geoengineering technology, I really enjoyed the book. I’d recommend it.
Michael Crichton also has a character voice this thought in Jurassic Park. I couldn’t find the passage via Google, but here it is.
“All major changes are like death. You can't see to the other side until you are there.”
―Michael Crichton,Jurassic Park
Sadly, the world is in not great shape, both geopolitically and environmentally. We need change.
This world needs new ideas. And it needs people to implement them.
In the past, I’ve also written about and explored specific questions, such as “What do you want to know about going off-grid?”
I feel like ideas are not enough anymore. It doesn’t make sense to primarily write about ideas.
In my quest to engage readers and grow this newsletter, it seems that proposing ideas and exploring the questions that I have about collective power and buying land with friends–those two modes(exploring ideas, exploring questions that I have about collective land ownership) are not enough to accomplish my goal of attracting new readers.
These are stressful times. I’m going to make that statement with the expectation that I don’t need to explain how or why. It seems universal to me that people in the U.S. are generally stressed-out, anxious, and exhausted as their default state.
Especially with Trump being re-elected this week.
Things will certainly keep changing but it’s going to be another long four years.
Writing for the Practical
That said–everything about stressful times and ideas “not being enough”–it seems like it’s worth trying something more practical, like sharing protocols and systems.
When I say “protocols and systems”, I broadly mean things like a weightlifting plan, nutritional health, heuristics for decision-making and sharing other things here that are of a more practical nature.
I’m sure there are things that I could teach, things like video editing, cooking, maybe skateboarding. My intention here is more to share the regular practices and protocols that make the infrastructure of my life, in the hopes that they are useful to you.
YouTube University
If you’ve been on YouTube, and you’ve learned how to do something from watching a video there, you’ve probably been to what is colloquially called “YouTube University”.
You can teach yourself all kinds of things on YouTube: computer programming, auto repair, how to do make up, many different arts and crafts, and so on. Personally, I’m a big fan of the endless amount of drum tutorials that live happily on YouTube.
Here’s an interesting Reddit thread about best practices for navigating Youtube University, from the electronic dance music production subreddit.
Instagram is great too, for shorter, more bite-sized videos. Also love the drum stuff there, and I’m starting to get into sewing by watching IG reels, which is really fun.
Some of My Inspirations to Offer More Practical Content Here
What follows is a short list of Substack newsletters that offer useful content, mostly with regard to caring for oneself, and for others.
Joshua Citarella’s Newsletter
I shared Josh’s newsletter in my last post. I keep coming back to his newsletter as one of my favorite examples of an indie publication offering useful content.
One of the best recent examples I’ve come across is Joshua Citarella’s newsletter. Specifically, I have found his weightlifting plan useful(available to paid subscribers on his Substack).
Another thing I like about the Josh’s weightlifting plan in particular, is how Josh includes “assigned reading” about politics and culture, and specifically about topics facing the Left in America. I often put on one of the videos while I lift and it adds a layer of meaning to going to the gym that day.
Josh Centers’ Unprepared Life Newsletter
Another newsletter that has inspired me to create more instructional/educational content here is another Josh’s Substack, Josh Centers Unprepared Life.
Unprepared Life is a “preparedness newsletter”. I actually disagree with Centers’ general approach to disaster preparedness and prepping. I don’t read his blog much anymore, but from what I remember, Centers’ newsletter can be a bit scaremongering, with the intention to sell you stuff.
This is a typical marketing tactic, prominent in the prepper and preparedness marketplaces(remember Alex Jones?). I don’t like it.
One thing I do like, however, is how Centers writes practical posts such as “Resources to Get Started Bowhunting”, “Start Your Emergency Pantry for Cheap”, and “An Affordable DIY Solar Power System That Will Power Your Freezer”.
Centers is good at writing these posts, but for every useful post like the three mentioned above, he writes 7-8 fear mongering posts that involve politics, societal collapse, the apocalypse and so on. There’s kind of a moderate but opportunist Pro-Trump, “death cult” vibe to his posts.
But the man is not all wrong. Broken clock is right twice a day.
Anne Helen Petersen’s Culture Study
To contrast with Josh Centers writing at Unprepared Life, which is a little off-target and opportunistic(or at least has fear mongering right-wing politics I don’t agree with), Anne Helen Petersen’s writing is wise, honest, and accurate.
Petersen writes about a lot of things well: culture, public life, and our relationships with each other.
She’s written a few very practical posts about a particular topics she calls Infrastructures of Care. AHP defines Infrastructures of Care as ways of providing care for the vulnerable: the young, the old, and the struggling.
This post in particular(link below) offers actionable ways to leverage your community to care for children and elders. In the post, Petersen provides two strategies for childcare (The Multi-Prong Auntie Strategy, The Church or Something Similar Strategy) and two for eldercare (The Peers Strategy, Solidifying Existing Connections).
Petersen also wrote a rich and thoughtful post about the resentment that can sometimes build up when caregivers get burnt out from providing care to the people in their lives. She talks about people being coerced to care, often because they are the only person that is able to provide care to a particular person in need.
Petersen stresses that this is why Infrastructures of Care are so important. From her “Forced to Care” piece.
An infrastructure of care is also about imagining — and enacting — more robust and informal communities of care.
Building Infrastructures of Care in my own life is something of an ongoing project. Ostensibly, this would one raison d’être for buying some land and living on it with friends–so that we can care for each other through old age and into death.
Honorable Mention: Tao Lin
Tao Lin came to sleaze as an autofiction writer during the “indie sleaze” era (2002-2016, roughly). His early writing was detached, nihilistic, and it often sparkled. It was flat, yet weird, and drew you in. Reading Taipei, you felt like you were reading the experience of a robot that had human friends and family members.
What’s fascinating is how Tao Lin’s writing has changed and matured.
Some of my favorite writing by Tao Lin–writing that I’ve found to be personally useful in taking care of mind and my body are Trip: Psychedelics, Alienation, and Change and his piece, “The Story of Autism: How We Got Here, and How We Heal”
Maybe it’s because we are a similar age and have similar problems, but I find Tao Lin’s writing about their own journey to feeling sane and healthy as both useful and meaningful.
Tools for Living.
In this part of the post, I catalog my favorite practices and protocols in a bullet point list. These are things that I practice and refer to on a weekly, if not daily basis.
Health and Body
Seems obvious, but I should state that these are things that are particular to me–your mileage may vary.
For instance, I have clinical depression, I’m 38, and I have problems with my lower back. These are some of the things that I’ve discovered and that I rely on to stay functional and healthy.
Joshua Citarella’s Leftist Weightlifting Plan
I can squat my bodyweight!
The agreed upon goal with powerlifting is to squat 1.5x bodyweight, bench bodyweight, and deadlift 2x bodyweight. If you can do this, you are strong.
Post is for paid subscribers. I don’t know Josh or have any affiliation. I’ve enjoyed following it.
Movement
Yoga
I used to do yoga daily. I’ve found it to be great for getting out of a depressive funk and to treat my lower back problems from playing music and sitting at a computer for 3-5 hours a day for 10-15 years.
I watch yoga videos to do yoga because it’s cheaper and the workouts are the ones I like. I used to do yoga every day. Now it’s usually once per month. I need to start doing it 3-4x per week (as I continue to get older).
I really like this teacher Desiree Rumbaugh but it’s really hard to find her videos. I have about six of them that I watch over and over.
Reply to this email and I’ll send you a link to my yoga videos folder :)
Feldenkrais
I’ve experimented with Feldenkrais and it feels really good. I need to spend more time doing it and develop a routine with it.
Basically, Feldenkrais is the study of your own range of motion. The main practice is to move a part of your body in a specific way–let’s say rotating your left ankle clockwise. You then try starting from a beginning fixed point and your move your ankle until you find resistance. Often this is where you notice your breath constricting. You then work through the resistance by paying attention, moving a little bit further each time in the motion, and breathing.
That’s my understanding of it. This Feldenkrais practitioner explains it in more detail here.
Long walks - 2+ miles
I love long walks! Probably my single favorite thing about the Pioneer Valley (where I live in Western Massachusetts) is our 15-mile rail trail. Below, some notes I have on walking 2+ miles 2-3 times per week.
Apple Watch is nice to give you a little buzz for each mile you walk. It’s a nice way to track your progress and check your heart rate.
Sometimes I read on my phone while I walk. No one seems to mind. I realize that this may make some people nauseous or be hard to do!
One dream I have is to thru-hike the Applachian Trail, as well as the Pacific Coast Trail. I am thinking of the rail trail walking that I do as preparation for thru-hiking these trails some day. I typically walk 4-6 miles each time.
Nutrition
Food
Some favorite recipes include Lentil Dal, Chili Mac, Okra Mango Stir Fry, Peasant Bread, Oyakodon, and Breakfast Burritos.
I think I’ll need to write a separate post here on food. I love food! I’d love to create a cookbook someday.
Some favorite cookbooks are Shopsins cookbook, and Alice Waters The Art of Simple Food.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Ginseng, Reishi Mushroom, Astralagus, Goji Berry, Codopensis, Cordyceps are all herbs that I use semi-regularly.
Seeing a trained Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner
I plan to do a longer post about my experiences with Chinese healing herbs and TCM.
My latest discovery is Eight Treasure Porridge. It’s incredible! It can be hard and/or intimidating for non-Chinese speakers to track down the ingredients. I have found that you can buy it prepackaged. Check your local Chinese or Asian foods grocer. It should cost between $2-6 per package, typically.
Writing/Self-Reflection
I love to write. I don’t always like to self-reflect.
Lists
Dickie Bush’s Ten Question “Trust My Thoughts” Index.
I generally steer clear of capitalist tech bro-type writers like Dickie Bush. I’ve found the “Trust My Thoughs Index” to be a useful rubric for evaluating my emotional state, and giving myself space to reflect and, most importantly, wait to make big decisions if I’m not in the right headspace.
This is a set of questions that are helpful if you’re an entrepreneur and you’re trying to grow your business.
Here are some of the questions. See this link for the full list.
Writing Practices
I don't do these anymore, but I did them for years, maybe almost a decade. I believe they were helpful in some way, but I don’t know how to articulate how or why. Obviously I found them useful if I spent an hour a day on this practice for nearly 10 years?
Voice Notes
Voice notes rule.
Recording your thoughts spoken out-loud on your phone is writing.
I have thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of voice memo recordings from my phone. I record my out-loud thoughts, musical sketches, ambient recordings of places, and sometimes moments from when I’m with friends, family, and people that I care about.
I actually don’t like the default Apple Voice Memos app. I prefer an app called EasyVoiceRecorder that has a little bit more flexibility and doesn’t lock you into weird Apple iCloud stuff.
I am building a web app to store and archive audio recordings. If you know React and/or Typescript, I could use your help! Give me a shout by replying to this email.
Self-Archival
My personal Discord channel as link storage. It’s my own personal labyrinth.
This could be its own post but it might be too niche for anyone to care. If you use Discord, you would probably get it. If you don’t use Discord, there’s no way I can convince you lol.
Some categories I have there:
Recipes
Drum links
Forever-links
For when I’m walking
Computer Job
Money
I definitely need better practices and protocols around money.
Financial hygiene every Sunday
Basically, I’ve made a weekly habit to check my bank balance and review credit card and loan balances. Scheduling payments too.
I don’t always do it every week. Sometimes I do it once a month. It’s a practice I’m working on.
Jewish practice of paying off all debts each month.
I found this via some Youtube video but I can’t remember which.
I did find this link about how it is a Jewish practice to pay off all of your debts before Rosh Hashanah, to start the new year with no debt.
I suck at this but I do it when I’ve got money coming in and I am able.
This Is Intended to Be a Working Document
I intend to come back to this post and expand on it. Maybe it could be a book. Any of these list items in Health, Writing, or Money could be its own post.
In the future, I plan to write about my experiences with Traditional Chinese Medicine, and why millennials are prematurely geriatric.