Ritual

The partial transition to a longer workout at the gym has commenced. The usual one-hour appointment is scheduled and utilized for the weight workout regimen (at a less frenzied pace). Then, the next time slot, appropriately set aside for senior citizens, is exploited for the cardio regimen. The only drawback is the 30-minutes of idle time between sessions when the gym is closed for fanatical disinfection. Of course, if the bulk of the workout can be completed in one hour, all the better.

The fate of the JBL® Flip 5 wireless speaker is now in question. The redundant Spotify® playlists have finally exacted a toll on the psyche. As with everything else in the commodified society, mediocrity and banality reign supreme. Junk music, junk food, junk media, junk science, junk news, junk literature, junk art, junk culture, etc. Of course, the obsolescence was predictable. At three months of usage, the device has essentially amortized itself. So, divestiture is imminent. The Spotify® account will have to be mummified as well.

So, what will occupy the time in the evenings after returning from dinner at Ala Moana Center? There was some consideration of resurrecting reading as a pastime. However, the thought of sifting through myriad junk literature (in the form of e-books from the public library) is not at all attractive. That whole conundrum was expressed previously in Notes.

However, a few evenings have been devoted to reading “Escape from Evil,” penned by the Great Prophet, Ernest Becker. What is most interesting is that Becker described the sinister force(s) at play today in breathtaking detail.

Addendum: With the reopening of the gym and the Makai Mall food court in Ala Moana Center, both the Mausoleum Gym and Mausoleum Diner have closed.