Last night, I went to Kings Theatre for an event featuring my wife and Kathleen Hanna, the feminist punk rocker from Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, who just released a memoir, Rebel Girl. It was a scintillating conversation (and encouraging to see hundreds of people show up to watch two people talk about a book, of all things). Afterward, we got drinks with friends, and because it was *voice modulator* DEEP BROOKLYN, I didn’t make it home until 2 am.
I woke up early the next morning and, after wearily hustling the kids to school, rushed home, desperate to sneak in a nap before starting my workday. Then I saw on my phone that I had a boxing workout scheduled in twenty minutes. No way, I thought. I’m too exhausted. But I’d canceled last minute on my trainer last week, and I couldn’t do it again. I raided the fridge, hunting for caffeine (I don’t drink coffee, but I’m a fiend for Celsius energy drinks), but no luck.
Then I saw my older daughter’s Adderall bottle sitting among the vitamins. I’d only taken Adderall twice in my life before. The first time, years ago, I cleaned the entire house in a euphoric haze. The second time, last year, I redecorated my entire office while unironically listening to “Freebird” on repeat and then ran five miles (more “Freebird”).
I opened the orange bottle and shook a pill onto my palm. I poured myself a glass of cold water. Is this a bad idea? I wondered. Of course, secretly I knew the answer. If you have to ask yourself if something is a bad idea, it usually is. Ah, what the hell, I thought, and swallowed the pill.
Soon, I arrived at the gym and began warming up. My trainer, Eddie, a short, friendly Dominican man in his sixties, asked me how I was doing. Since I’m both introverted and a bit shy, my usual answer is a shrug or a quiet “OK.” Suddenly, however, I heard myself announce, “I’m great! Excited to be here! How are you doing? Good? Glad to hear it! Hey, do you think Mike Tyson will take a dive in the exhibition fight with Logan Paul? God I hope not! When I was a kid, Tyson was the toughest man on the planet…”
Eddie gave me his opinion about exhibition fights, but I could see a little surprise in his eyes. I’m not in great shape and can barely talk while skipping rope. But today I was babbling non-stop while hopping up and down at a frenetic pace.
“So Eddie, when did you move here from the Dominican Republic?” I asked. “I’ve heard it’s beautiful. Are there spiders though? Don’t love spiders…”
Cheerfully, Eddie began to tell me about his life in the Dominican Republic before he came to the US. For the rest of the hour-long session, I peppered him with questions that I would never have asked if I wasn’t out of my mind on Adderall. His answers were cheerful and good-natured and occasionally scandalous (he had an illegitimate daughter with another woman a while back and when he told his wife, she agreed to stay with him, but it was the closest they came to divorce during their thirty-year marriage). By the time the session ended, I’d learned more about him in one day than in the previous six months we’d trained together.
This must be what it’s like to be an extrovert, I thought with wonder as I left the gym. Everyone is interesting! No questions seem intrusive or inappropriate! Being around people is energizing!
As the day went on, my mania slowly wore off. Eventually, I resumed my quiet, introverted existence, sitting alone in a room and obsessively rewriting conversations between imaginary people.
It was fun while it lasted.
My Q&A with Amanda Montell, author of The Age of Magical Overthinking
Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Amanda Montell about her new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking, for the Next Big Idea podcast. An instant New York Times bestseller, the book is an incredibly entertaining blend of cultural criticism and personal narrative that explores our cognitive biases and the power, disadvantages, and highlights of magical thinking.
We covered a range of topics, from how the halo effect cultivates worship (and hatred) of celebrities to how the sunk cost fallacy can keep us in bad relationships, as well as what’s up with astrology, and finally, what can we do about our sneaky, weird little brains?
If you’re curious, you can listen to our conversation for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
3 Good Things to Check Out
Before I go, here are three things I recommend you check out:
READ: The Sculptor by Scott McCloud
I’d meant to try The Sculptor way back when I heard Neil Gaiman call it “the best graphic novel I've read in years.” Almost a decade later, I finally got around to reading it and was thrilled to discover it worthy of the praise. A beautiful, moving story about art, love, fear, connection, death… pretty much all the big themes.
LISTEN: “Cosmic Vibrations” by Foxygen
I can’t take credit for finding Foxygen; my daughter, Mathilda, introduced me to this band. All of their albums are great, with inventive stylistic flourishes. A nice starting place is their 2014 album “… And Star Power,” especially the sweeping, anthemic, sing-along track “Cosmic Vibrations.”
WATCH: The Gentlemen (Netflix)
Guy Ritchie’s original new series about British aristocrats + gangsters is a propulsive and entertaining mash-up. The casting is perfect & the acting is top-notch (that said, the ne’er-do-well brother almost steals the show). Enjoy!
