Sawyer Paul's Blog, page 3
April 15, 2020
Use Code TPL2020 to Get a Temporary Digital Toronto Library Card with OverDrive
Torontonians who don’t have a Toronto Public Library card can now access OverDrive, our largest collection of ebooks and audiobooks, with the new Instant Digital Card. This temporary card is available to people age 13 and older with a Toronto cell phone that can receive texts. New customers can enjoy this access until September 1, 2020.
Our library is the best. Our library is number one (clap clap).
April 13, 2020
Cura, April 14, 2020
Note: The playlist embedded above will always be the most recent playlist and might not match the list below.
Cura is my Spotify mixtape. You can listen to it and subscribe here. I keep it as one playlist so it’s easy to subscribe to. I update it fairly frequently, but I also keep an archive playlist so you don’t have to miss a thing.
I hope you like it. I made it for you.
Here’s the track listing for this week:
Aries (feat. Peter Hook and Georgia) By Gorillaz, Peter Hook, Georgia
Smoke (feat. Jamie xx) By Headie One, Fred again.., Jamie xx
Middle Ground By CLYPSO, Kwame
House Music All Night Long - Radio Edit By JARV IS…, Jarvis Cocker
Shape of love By I Don’t Like Mondays.
Everything I Live For By La Roux
April 11, 2020
Are physical distancing measures giving bikes a new lease on life?
“It’s impossible not to be happy when you’re getting around on your bike,” he said. “And God knows we need a little bit of happiness.”
I love my bike. Before all this happened, I’d made a resolution to bike more, and in February, I’d ridden my bike more than in the last few months. Strangely enough, I haven’t gotten on the bike since. I think it was because I was mainly using it for my commute. I should make some time and change that.
April 10, 2020
Working from Home from Here
In the spirt of sharing as a remedy to isolation, I thought I’d share a peek at my home office…the equipment and the books and the gadgets that help me feel creative and stay focused. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s here, in case you’re looking for tips for your own WFH setup as well.
I think I just maxed out my wishlist.
My Favourite Quotes: Drive Your Plough Over the Bones of the Dead
These might not be in order. And because I read on a Kobo, I have no idea what “pages” they’re from. But I loved this book and highlighted many passages.
The result is a neat stack of golden proportions
Set the wheels in motion. Punish the culprits. Change the law.
The most precious memories will dissipate. Everything will sink into darkness and vanish. I noticed a pregnant girl sitting on a beach, reading a newspaper, and suddenly it occurred to me what a blessing it is to be ignorant. How could one possibly know all this and not miscarry?
I don’t share your trust in the authorities.
I find this division of people into three groups — skiers, allergy sufferers and drivers — very convincing. It is a good, straightforward typology. Skiers are hedonists. They are carried down the slopes. Whereas drivers prefer to take their fate in their hands, although their spines often suffer as a result; we all know life is hard. Whereas the allergy sufferers are always at war. I must surely be an allergy sufferer
In any case, I know the date of my own death, and that lets me feel free.
“Try to keep your theory to yourself. It’s highly improbable and it could do you harm,’ said Oddball,”
“Dizzy was adamant that it must have been Murder. ‘Every instinct is telling me. We were the first on the scene. Do you remember the sense of crime that was hanging in the air?’
“He accepted the near full tumbler of vodka proffered by the Dentist and downed it in one. I was sure he wouldn’t feel any pain after that much anaesthetic.”
Later that day I thought about his drawer again, about how peeping into it brought me total calm, and how I would really like to be one of those useful Utensils.
“I blinked. I had never heard one woman referring to another as ‘my wife’ before. But I liked it.”
I’m going home. I’ve run out of strength.
April 8, 2020
April 7, 2020
In praise of balconies
Look up as you stroll Zürich’s streets and you’ll see these outdoor living rooms everywhere. Monocle Films visited the city to outline this architectural feature and how it improves quality of life.
It’s getting a bit warmer, and, on this 24th day of quarantine, my balcony is looking friendlier every day.
April 6, 2020
Wrestlespective - Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena (Firefly Fun House at WrestleMania 36
I was on Jason’s podcast again, talking about a very unique wrestling match.
For those who haven’t seen it, it’s sort of a reward for (very) long-term wrestling viewing. Wrestlespective listeners probably got all of it, but newer fans might not have appreciated all the deep cuts in this one. It’s a wrestling match where the “moves” are psychological callbacks to John Cena’s career failures. There are other “cinematic”-style wrestling matches but there’s nothing quite like this. I had lots of fun diving into this with Jason, and I thank him for giving me a space to unpack it as best as I could.
April 3, 2020
My Favourite Outline Articles
The Outline was my favourite website since The Toast. According to one of the writers, everyone got laid off today. That fucking sucks, and it especially sucks right now. That site was about as good as an online website blog place could get.
If you haven’t read the site, here are some of my favourites. A few of these meant a great deal to me.
Send your kids outside
Put your phone in Do Not Disturb mode forever
Let’s all go back to Tumblr
Everything should take 20 minutes
I don’t wanna do my video game chores
Smash that MF’ing horny button
Apps are definitely changing our sexual behavior, we’re just not sure how
Using a spoon to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is fine, actually
I am not always very attached to being alive
I’m Upset: I have wasted years of my life reading product reviews
Here’s the typography of the next decade
Toronto’s very dumb “smart city” project
What’s happening at Deadspin is a travesty
Canada is fake
What of the lowly page number
The rise of the ambient video game
My Apple Watch became an excuse to not take care of myself
April 2, 2020
No One Should Worry About Working Out Right Now
OK, a) of all: If you’re working out at all in general, you’re a champ. Exercise is really important for a number of reasons beyond how you look or being an accomplished athlete: it’s great for your mood, mental health, general health. Working out is for everyone. B) of all, it is not an understatement to say we are, culturally speaking, in a crisis right now. That’s not even due to the literal fact of the virus going around, but more so due to the weight of having a political system and economy that folds like a napkin in a situation like this, as well as a political leadership that is too stupid and narrow-minded to rise to the occasion in any meaningful way. That’s a lot to have going on on top of worrying about also taking proper care of yourself, let alone being mean to yourself about not working out every single day. Should you be exercising to some degree, which can including even going out for a walk? Probably. Should you be worrying about it? Absolutely not.
Take this as a chaser to my last few posts. Take a breath. Then, if you can, lift the heavy thing. But if you can’t, that’s okay. Just take another breath.
