Three Secrets to Not Being Ruled by Your Emotions

Something I was thinking about today, as I am a living embodiment of a roller coaster when it comes to happiness and sadness, when I found this article. 

When an unpleasant feeling (such as sadness) rises to your awareness, don’t embody it. Don’t say, “I am sad.” Saying, “I feel sad” is an improvement, but it still involves a degree of embodiment that can be difficult to shake.

In order to avoid being ruled by your emotions, it is far better to simply acknowledge the feeling from a third-party perspective. If it’s sadness, say “I’m noticing sadness.” If it is anger, say “I’m noticing anger.” If it’s anxiety, say “I’m noticing anxiety.”

I wonder how someone actualizes this in the moment though! 

The writer has a blog, which may be worth following up on.

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Le Petit Derriere

Disclosure: This LPD was provided to me by TOM BIHN in exchange for my overview/review. The content was not shared with the company prior to posting it here.

 

INTRO

The LPD (Le Petit Derriere) is Tom Bihn's smaller version of their LGD (Le Grand Derriere). The designs are very similar if not identical, except for the scale. Both bags can be worn as a waist pack, a shoulder bag (because the straps can be tucked into the back panel), a cross-body bag, or, as I described in my review of the original, a 'cube' that fits nicely into something like the Paragon backpack from Tom Bihn.

Here are the specs. The LGD is almost double the volume of the LPD.

One note: the waist strap is the same size for both bags. This is great if you are wearing it as a hip pack. For those who are primarily using it as a shoulder or sling bag, note that the LPD means that the same waist strap gets tucked into a slightly smaller back panel, which is less of a smooth operation, and reduces usable space inside the LPD.

 

COLORS

I requested the LPD in Cordura Red Blend, which is a wine red. Cordura is a textured fabric that can be abrasive when it rubs against clothing, but I like it because it has a 'matte' look and a natural feel -- not as shiny as the ballistic fabrics.  Cordura fabrics vary, and the Red Blend actually feels like it's smoother than some of the others. I don't think I'll have any problem wearing it long term, and as well, most of the back (which is against the body) is made of black ballistic.

 

 

The front facing stripes on the LGD, which were a third color -- often different from the exterior and interior fabrics -- are now solid black for this offering of the LPD. To me, this is a nicer look. I thought there was a little too much going on before, and I appreciate the simpler appearance.

The interior for the bag I received is a Mountain Grey Cerylon, which is similar to the Halcyon fabric in some ways, but is lighter and doesn't have the same richness. I prefer Halcyon in general, but I wanted to give this alternative fabric a try. For this item, which isn't fully lined, I'm not noticing the difference much. Here is the interior, which is mostly the flipside of the exterior fabric, except for the flat pocket in back, and one side on the front.

WHAT FITS INSIDE

Like its larger sibling, the LPD has only the two front pockets, and one inside pocket that is flat and tucked up against the back wall. There are four o-rings in the main compartment, plus an additional two in the front pockets; six in all.

What fits?

front flap pocket:

bottle of hand sanitizer and lip balm

Mini or Supermini Ghost Whale pouch

iphone 12 -- I'll note that my much-clunkier Pixel 4A fit as well, though barely. That's all the tech I have to show in this pocket.

front zippered pocket:

Supermini Ghost Whale Pouch (the Mini GWP doesn't work as well).

Chums Wallet

main compartment

Anything "A5" size fits with ease. As shown here, my A5 Leuchtturm notebook, Kindle and iPad Mini are all fine in that space.

HLT-1, HLT-2, Everyday Cubelet... all fit in the main compartment.

I tried my recent purchase: the 9th Generation iPad, in its very clunky case (sorry for the hideous clashing colors). It doesn't quite make it, though perhaps without the case it would be ok. Still, this bag wouldn't be my first choice if I wanted to regularly carry that device; I might opt for the larger LGD (or more likely, a backpack, since there's only so much weight I want to carry in a hip pack anyway).

 

Coffee mug: sort of, based on my Zojirushi, but it's a very tight fit - I would move up to the LGD if I routinely wanted to carry water or coffee inside of it. The Padded Hip Belt Pocket is probably a better option.

I don't believe that a laptop of any size would fit. 

Definitely, the slimmer profile of this hip-pack limits what can fit in the main compartment compared to the LGD. For example, I sometimes wear a particular mask made of molded plastic that is quite bulky, and it doesn't easily go into the LPD -- if I was in a situation where I wanted that with me, I'd have to change to something larger.

SIDE KICK SHOWDOWN

If I had my Le Grand Derriere to compare in photos, I would do that. But strangely enough, a family member who doesn't usually show interest in my Tom Bihn gear liked it, and so it has been given away. Instead I'm going to compare the LPD to a Side Kick, which is very similar in size, though not as deep, and is my everyday carry. Hopefully this will give a sense of the capacity of the LPD.

Normal contents of my Side Kick include the all fabric organizer wallet, mini GWP with cash, mini GWP with headphones, iPhone, Chums wallet, sanitizer, lip balm, keys, papers, two pens, two masks (and that isn't even all the masks I carry, but that's another story), and sometimes a pouch with a spare battery and cords.

In the Side Kick. You can see that it all fits very neatly. I'm showing it next to the LPD, which is deeper and slightly wider, but shorter, than the Side Kick. 

And here is the LPD filled with the same items. In reality, for the circumstances I'd use the LPD, it wouldn't be exactly the same items. For example, there's no pen slot in the LPD, so if I wanted to carry one I might add my "Nook" pouch which has a built-in pen slot. The sanitizer would go in the front flap pocket for ease of access, and I would probably minimize my wallet from the largish one I usually take to something smaller that could fit more easily in that zippered front pocket. Because the main compartment of the LPD doesn't have a lot of built-in organization, I'd add some cubes or whatever would make it work better. But at any rate, all the contents of the Side Kick fit easily in the LPD with room to spare.

Here is the best photo I could get of myself wearing the LPD. I'm 5'2". Hiding my pandemic hair, which is particularly unflattering from the back. :)

FINAL THOUGHTS

Pros:

The LPD is a great size for an urban or minimalist waist pack. It's a lightweight item that can convert to a shoulder bag.

Cons: 

I still find the rain flap over the main zippers, combined with their off-center placement, to be mildly annoying, and I don't know if it's needed for weatherproofing, or if it's more of an aesthetic choice. For the Tom Bihn bag that is my favorite, I always come back to the unfussy, centered, zipper-on-top, Side Kick, which is my daily carry, and I wonder if the zipper on the LPD could also have a similar placement and design.

What to choose

For any kind of serious hiking, I think the original size of the LGD might be better for most people, unless someone is very minimalist. But I personally prefer this smaller size. It would be great for a farmer's market, festival, general-walking-around kind of situation where someone wants to be hands-free and backpacks are not allowed. 

If you're looking to keep the waist straps tucked in most of the time to use this as a shoulder or sling bag, keep in mind that it's potentially more awkward to do this with the smaller size. The waist straps in the back panel will protrude slightly into the already-smaller interior.

If someone asks for this bag, I think I'd buy them one instead of giving mine away, like I did with the LGD. Its thinner, sleeker profile makes it more useful to me, despite its limitations.

 

Happy travels!

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The solution to the pandemic no one is listening to

 Huge props to this man, who has been right all along.

And there's more to this story that's not being told, that makes me very disappointed in my country and in the university that employs me.

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Mohammed Shawkat Salameh

Column by Gershon Baskin, which I won't post on Facebook, but want to bookmark:

There is a moral code in Judaism that states: hakam l’horgkha hashkem l’horgo – roughly translated means “kill or be killed.” If Salameh had been killed immediately by the Border Police by their first shots while fending him off from Elmaliah and protecting themselves and others from being stabbed, we would not have an issue at all with the rules of war or with the moral consequences of what followed.

But once Salameh was wounded and on the ground, and clearly not wearing a vest of bombs, he was no longer a danger to the public. He could have been secured and treated medically, and if he would sustain the wounds, he would be brought to trial. But the officers shot him dead on the spot and essentially implemented a death sentence without trial. 

 

There are two causes for concern in my view. One is the execution that took place in broad daylight, which was filmed and documented. The second issue is the justification and the heroizing of the officers, which took place after they implemented the death sentence. The public cheer and the media celebration of the “justified” execution is to me very disturbing.

 ....

 We don’t know what brought a 25-year-old man from Salfit to enter Israel and to try to kill Israelis. His story might be deep hatred of Israel and of Jews. It may also be something much more benign – such as a fight with his family, or a lack of purpose in life, or a love story, or some other distorted notion of how he could bring fame to himself and his family, or even mental illness. We don’t know and we will probably never know.

 

Did he deserve to die? Perhaps. Those are the consequences of war. But he did not deserve to be executed without trial once he was down and injured. Israel has invented a new word in our war lexicon: “neutralized.”

 

Essentially Salameh was neutralized when he was first shot and wounded. But the term “neutralized” is now synonymous with executed, killed, eliminated. The laundering of words is a clear parallel to the laundering of morals and standards. There is no way of putting this otherwise – the execution of Mohammed Shawkat Salameh was a war crime.

 

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Gilgamesh and the Bible

Sometime during 2020 when I was spending my time holed up at home, avoiding COVID by watching random YouTube videos, I discovered Peter Pringle, a musician who recreates ancient instruments and languages (making best guesses as far as pronunciation, I'm assuming). 

He did a stunning piece, from the Epic of Gilgamesh in Sumerian. There's something very captivating about this, and the comment are fun to read as well:

The Epic of Gilgamesh in Sumerian

It started me down a path of reading the Epic of Gilgamesh, which has told and retold over centuries, eventually in Akkadian, which he voices in this video:

Lament for Enkidu

Akkadian seems to be completely unrelated to the Sumerian as a language, but has elements that will be recognizable to Arabic and Hebrew speakers. (Of course, I read it in an English translation; my interests don't go as deep as learning cuneiform.)

Any Jew or Christian -- and probably Muslims as well, given the overlap in our texts -- will do a double-take when they read this for the first time, because many of the stories from the Bible are here. The flood saga, particularly, and for those who read the story of the Exodus, including Joseph's time in Egypt, this passage from Gerald J. Davis's translation will be striking:

Of course, in the Tankah/Old Testament, the pharaoh of Egypt has a dream that Joseph interprets to mean that seven years of plenty will be followed by seven years of famine.

I don't know how authoritative this source is, but I found it to be a fascinating read when I started wanting to know more about the cross-talk in ancient times that led to these stories being retold in such different contexts. Dave Roos writes the article, based on research from Louise Pryke:

While the oldest partial fragments of Gilgamesh date back to nearly 2000 B.C.E., Pryke says that the best-known Babylonian version was likely penned by Sin-leqi-unninni, an exorcist priest who lived around 1100 B.C.E. The earliest parts of the Hebrew Bible, including much of Genesis, were written around 950 B.C.E.

Biblical scholars and Assyriologists can delve into these stories and see how they are told with very different emphases and conclusions, but I was just curious to know how they transferred from one culture to another. Dave Roose writes:

... the authors of Genesis were clearly aware of the divine deluge described in the earlier Epic of Gilgamesh.

"We actually have the smoking gun," says Pryke. "Archeologists have found bits of the Epic of Gilgamesh all over [Ancient Israel]. It looks like Gilgamesh was something that was in broad circulation at the time."

Since both the Bible and Gilgamesh were passed along as oral traditions long before they were written down, it's possible that the Mesopotamian flood narrative first entered Hebrew culture as a type of "contest literature" similar to 1001 Arabian Nights.

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Tom Bihn Organic Cotton Truck Review

Here is a review of the Tom Bihn Truck, made, for the first time, in "domestic organic cotton canvas — grown, woven, and dyed right here in the U.S.A."  

I was provided a review copy of this bag for free, in exchange for my feedback.

It is currently offered in Natural (undyed), Santa Cruz (electric purple-blue), and Talus (dark grey/pastel black). I requested the "natural", and somehow thought it would be a grey or olive color, but not at all -- it's a creamy white! It is quite nice: very stiff (ie, holds its shape), and pleasant to touch, without any of the shininess of the ballistic fabric. To be honest, if I'd known it was going to be white, though, I might have requested it in the dark grey, because I have an incredible talent for getting things dirty. However, in its pristine state, I think it is my favorite of the three choices on offer. 

The purple/blue color is already garnering a lot of interest, but I prefer more muted colors.

This is the first Tom Bihn truck I've owned in this size. I do love the idea of the natural fabrics. I don't know if I'd take this one to the grocery store, but will find a use for it indoors. It's nicer than the ballistic versions, so it could be on standby for bringing drinks and treats to a get-together, particularly with that pretty moon label!

A close-up of the fabric to show the texture:

 

A top view. Again, I'm kind of scared of the white, but it's certainly easy to see what's inside! I'm also enjoying the contrast of the black piping.

This version of the Truck seems to have the same stiff base as the ones in Ballistic or Cordura, and the compartments and piping give it structure.

It's funny to see the strong feelings about the labels. Some people seek out black ones (count me in on that, particularly on bags with a black exterior) and someone else managed to cut theirs off and replace it with the traditional red airplane one. I personally don't mind any of them, and the red airplane is great, but not if it clashes (ie, with an orange or blue bag). When I make color choices I'm looking at the totality of inside fabric, outside fabric and label. For this series, I think the moon label goes well with the grey, white or blue/purple.

Final note: This is not meant to be an exhaustive review showing all the functions of the Truck, a product which has been out for a while. Tom Bihn has gathered many great photos on uses and ideas, and there's not much point in my trying to recreate all that. Check out the regular Truck product page, as well as the one for the Organic Cotton Truck.

 

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Patterns

Two virus-worthy stories in this week's news:

Feeling a sense of deja-vu in the rush to cancel flights. We went through this in early 2020 (by the first flight cancellation, SARS-CoV-2 was already spreading by community transmission throughout the US), again for the delta variant, and now B.1.1.529.* It's hard to see a country-specific flight ban having any effect, but it doesn't seem like a bad idea for the moment. I'd rather have a more extensive system for repeated testing of travelers before and after landing, coupled with a quarantine, implemented worldwide. Cheap or free rapid tests pretty much are the way out of this pandemic. If they were available now in the US, thousands of lives could be saved over the holidays.

* It's been named Omicron. It's worth noting that South Africa has an excellent sequencing program, and this may be the reason they noticed this variant prior to other countries.  I'm sure we'll know more in the next few weeks.  Also, some reporting from an unfortunate Times correspondent tweeting from the tarmac of Schiphol, where they are deciding what to do with the passengers from Johannesburg.

 

 

 

Surge of cases in Europe. So far, the U.S. has reliably followed:

“Time and again, we’ve seen how the infection dynamics in Europe are mirrored here several weeks later,” Carissa F. Etienne, director of the Pan American Health Organization, said during a Wednesday briefing. “The future is unfolding before us, and it must be a wake-up call for our region because we are even more vulnerable.”

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