Pea Bee #1: The Great House of Easement
Hi all, thank you for subscribing to this newsletter. This is the first one I am sending out. I am still not decided on the format so we will make it up as we go along.
Broadly though, you can expect links to things I found interesting, personal updates from me, internet rabbit hole logs, and occasional reviews of silly things.
What not to expect - self-improvement/productivity listicles, motivational quotes from thought leaders, life hacks, etc.
Dreams of India
This essay is a vivid collection of one-line descriptions of India as written by the people living in the west – a long, long time before WhatsApp University came into existence.
This is a really fascinating read. And a tip - read the last line of this essay first and then read the rest of the text to enjoy it better.
https://ks1729.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/dreams-of-india-1.pdf
The Case of the Missing Hit
This is one of the best podcast episodes I listened to this year. This episode is from one of my favourite podcasts - Reply All. Here is the synopsis of the episode:
“A man in California is haunted by the memory of a pop song from his youth. He can remember the lyrics and the melody. But the song itself has vanished, completely scrubbed from the internet.“
PJ Vogt, the podcast’s host tries to solve this mystery and it’s a joy to listen to this as he goes on this quest through the internet, time, and music history to track down this one song. Do give this a listen wherever you get your podcasts from.
https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/o2h8bx
Don’t you just hate it when people do that on Amazon/Flipkart?
TIL: Henry VIII’s toilet block at his Hampton Court Palace was known as the Great House of Easement
What a lovely name for a toilet! I found this line from an article on defence of the joys of spending time in the bathroom. I personally enjoy my time on the seat in my dimly lit bathroom - I feel safe and self-assured.
A little excerpt from the article:
It is remarkable to think that each of us spends roughly three years of our life going to the toilet. And that’s not to mention the reading, watching, and maybe for some — though it’s still an etiquette grey area — talking on the phone. Potty training is a child’s first step to becoming a functioning member of society. Along with learning to communicate, this is phase one of proto-personhood: say please and thank you, and try not to wee on the floor. For those of us who are fortunate, this is the start of a lifelong lack of thinking about using the loo. It is something we take for granted. An accessible, clean space is often available, whether it’s in the home or out and about. When nature calls, we know exactly how to answer and can do so, for the most part, comfortably.
https://reviewcanada.ca/magazine/2020/11/bathroom-reading/
And finally, a random picture of me in college turning off the water purifier. As a kid, I heard a story of a person getting fatally injured because of a geyser bursting while they were taking a shower. We didn’t have a geyser at the time at home but the idea of using one scared me so much.
This is why there are strict rules and warning signs on so many things. They are meant for the more reckless and the adventurous people who are more likely to abuse them – but as a result of which the timid and the shy people live in a state of perpetual fear.
Growing up, I knew I was never going to be this care-free, taking the world (or a party) by storm, doing wheelies and drawing graffitis on a highway kind of a person. But maybe as a kid all I needed to be told was - on most days I won’t die and the things in my head are mostly never going to happen in real life.
And as this year, which was full of warning signs and uncertainty comes to an end, I hope that next year will be filled with a welcome sign for all the nice things for you and myself.
If you’ve read this far - thank you so much, it makes me really happy. I hope you have a positive end to the year. Bye!
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wow Just finished reading it....such an interesting and different topics! We definitely need a weekly column!