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Zeusthecat

I Had A Random Thought...

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I've been thinking a bit about the subjectivity of experience lately, specifically in regard to emotions. 

 

The thing is, I've realized that I don't really have a clue how a "healthy" human being is supposed to feel emotionally. Are we supposed to always have some kind of weighted background mood going, interspersed with burst of stronger emotions or are emotions supposed to pop up every now and then leaving a neutral, almost blank baseline behind them once they've gone away again? Are we supposed to feel something at all times? Most of the time?

 

I guess this is something that is widely individual, but it's just something I've never really considered. I've just assumed that the way I experience emotions was more or less identical to the way others do. I find it odd that it's a conversation that (at least in these parts) doesn't really come up or go beyond "You should feel fine". Frequency, strength and duration of emotion was never something that has come up, which seems kind of weird considering how important it is for the well-being of people.

 

Is there any kind of consensus around this or is it, like many things in psychology, a fairly fuzzy subject still? 

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I've been wondering about similar things for a while, especially since I started seeing psychiatrists. I get asked a lot about what I think about when I can't fall asleep, and I never know what to answer because it's a constant stream of consciousness that varies from "what is the nature of mankind" to "how am I going to get out of debt" to "mole rats are the only eusocial mammal."

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I've been buying Nike and Karrimor trainers. They're both super comfortable, I think the main reason is that I use them as "all purpose trainers." I run, I train, I socialise and work, all wearing the same trainers.

I can't buy shoes with cloth near the toes. I have an unintentional twitch in my big toe that causes wear to the fabric to nothing. It has to be leather (or whatever they use in trainers).

I don't like having multiple shoes for different things, I can't carry shoes to work every day to change into after I go to the gym. So I use the same trainers.

Never heard of Merell. Are they all purpose?

On the term of emotions, I was under the impression that people are generally meant to feel...neutral. The neutrality is then spiked with moments of ups and downs of different intensities. There's no way for a person to be permanently happy, and why depression is a state of dysfunction. Not an expert on the subject, but I've read about it a little.

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Merrells are traditionally meant for outdoor use in things like hiking or climbing.  They're more rugged than a regular shoe but less flexible.  They make running shoes as well but I've never used them myself so I can't personally speak to their performance.  As a whole I've found them to be good quality, durable shoes so I think they're at least worth a look.

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Merrells are traditionally meant for outdoor use in things like hiking or climbing. They're more rugged than a regular shoe but less flexible. They make running shoes as well but I've never used them myself so I can't personally speak to their performance. As a whole I've found them to be good quality, durable shoes so I think they're at least worth a look.

On the flip side, I have Merrell clogs that are pretty much just house slippers/run to the dumpster shoes and wouldn't be good for much else.

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I use the Merrell Ascend shoes, which they call "trail-running shoes" but to me just seem like regular sneakers. They do have the quite lightweight design that most modern running shoes have and I've found them suitable for general fitness activities, walking in urban areas, running on suburban streets and park trails, etc. Pretty well reviewed on Amazon - 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Merrell-Ascend-Glove-Minimal-Running/dp/B00D7CHPI8#customerReviews

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I keep confusing Friedrich Hayek and Salma Hayek in my head, so I'm just going to give in and believe Salma Hayek is a renowned economist and Friedrich Hayek does a pole dance in that one zombie movie.

I've worn a lot of boots since moving north. If you need those, just look for sturdy construction and quality material -- thicker leather if you go that route, durable stitching, and no abnormalities where the sole of the shoe meets whatever the rest of the shoe is called. No suede boots have ever lasted my roommate more than one season.

And part of making shoes last is taking care of them. Polish leather shoes, keep cloth clean and dry, etc. My roommates make fun of me for sitting with a toothbrush and cleaning sneakers while I watch TV, but my shoes usually last for a looooong time.

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And part of making shoes last is taking care of them. Polish leather shoes, keep cloth clean and dry, etc. My roommates make fun of me for sitting with a toothbrush and cleaning sneakers while I watch TV, but my shoes usually last for a looooong time.

 

Along those lines, I spent about 10 minutes one day learning how to tie this knot.  Now I tie/untie my shoes every time I put them on/take them off rather than leaving them tied all the time and just shoving my feet into them.

 

IanKnot32_160x120.gif

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I'm embarrassingly too fat to properly bend over and tie my shoe. This is my life. This is real life. I've never been flexible, and my long legs would make it somewhat difficult, regardless (i'm fucking tall), but mostly it's the fat...

 

But even so, after my last [ten or so] pair of shoes were ruined by the shove-in method, and after I bought some relatively expensive shoes (usually go for cheap shoes, probably forty or fifty at most, this time I bought two pairs, one for sixty (on clearance), one for over one hundred!!), I now actually bother to tie them. I like my new shoes, and I want them to last longer. Sooo!

 

Also I'm thinking about buying more shoes. I have a blue pair, a dark grey/blue pair, and a sorta nature green pair. I need some brown shoes. Maybe some red shoes! Possibly black, but I dunno.

 

I also need to buy some cleaning shit for my shoes.

 

A friend of mine warned me that buying a good pair of shoes for the first time made him like obsessed with them, and now I sorta see why...

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They are creepy and terrible, but apparently quite comfortable. A friend of mine used to sell them and wore them all the time.

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But even so, after my last [ten or so] pair of shoes were ruined by the shove-in method, and after I bought some relatively expensive shoes (usually go for cheap shoes, probably forty or fifty at most, this time I bought two pairs, one for sixty (on clearance), one for over one hundred!!), I now actually bother to tie them. I like my new shoes, and I want them to last longer. Sooo!

 

I feel like this is basically the purpose of slip-on shoes. Unless I'm buying sneakers I'm almost certainly buying slip-ons because I'm an adult and I can be as lazy as I want to be. I wear these to work daily and they've been going for almost 2 years now with minimal maintenance - http://www.amazon.com/Merrell-Mens-World-Legend-Loafer/dp/B006PFQU26

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I like being barefoot, so I like them. They let me be barefoot-adjacent and not worry about dying. If you don't like going barefoot, you will not like them.

I don't buy a lot of the health and wellness hype around them. I just like the way they feel. My big toes are a little big, but they stretched. Also, cut your toenails or be ready for a world of pain.

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Toe shoes look disgusting so I'll never wear them.

 

Well I might for running. I found running barefoot (on a treadmill) much less painful than running shoes (on a treadmill or off).

 

Anyway I have a pair of slip-ons (my blue shoes!) but I also like the way laces look so I'll never give them up. Like I said, I've sort of become obsessed with shoes.

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I've been thinking a bit about the subjectivity of experience lately, specifically in regard to emotions.

The thing is, I've realized that I don't really have a clue how a "healthy" human being is supposed to feel emotionally. Are we supposed to always have some kind of weighted background mood going, interspersed with burst of stronger emotions or are emotions supposed to pop up every now and then leaving a neutral, almost blank baseline behind them once they've gone away again? Are we supposed to feel something at all times? Most of the time?

I guess this is something that is widely individual, but it's just something I've never really considered. I've just assumed that the way I experience emotions was more or less identical to the way others do. I find it odd that it's a conversation that (at least in these parts) doesn't really come up or go beyond "You should feel fine". Frequency, strength and duration of emotion was never something that has come up, which seems kind of weird considering how important it is for the well-being of people.

Is there any kind of consensus around this or is it, like many things in psychology, a fairly fuzzy subject still?

I don't know but my moods fluctuate in a way where I am content with my general experience. Sometimes I feel shitty for no reason, sometimes I'm excited, most of the time I feel like ate too much oatmeal. It's alright. Naps solve most of my problems. I'm very fortunate and doubt that my experience translates well. I love it when I'm enthusiastic about things but other days I do nothing that needs to be done successfully because I can feel my disinterest. What I'm trying to say is that I've had success not with always being happy and enthusiastic, but by paying attention to my demeanors in order to get good at identifying them and then accepting my limitations while within their influence. Sometimes I have to take drastic action if I've been in one mood for multiple days, but mostly it's just trying to be flexible enough to take advantage of my range of moods when they occur.

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Already resorted to buying cheap shoes in order to not have ones with big holes in them for a new job but

 

sketchers

 

Merrell

 

Noted! I will look into whether or not I can get these vegan and in my country.

 

Also how the hell is 50-60 cheap for shoes?! My cheap shoes are the €15-20 kind. And if I REALLY wanted to be cheap I could find a €4-6 pair.

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Along those lines, I spent about 10 minutes one day learning how to tie this knot.  Now I tie/untie my shoes every time I put them on/take them off rather than leaving them tied all the time and just shoving my feet into them.

 

this was spectacular use of time friday.  thank you

 

i feel much more productive and cannot wait to teach an offspring a very nuanced way to tying shoes & pissing off a kindergarten teacher in the future

 

 

also, due to a change in dress policy I cannot wear "gym shoes" any more so get to pull out a slick shoe-horn inherited from my grandfather much more frequently.  i feel like it should come with an AARP card...but that tech sure is simple and works great.

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I've noticed some stuff about a gender swapped Ghostbusters.

 

Who the fuck cares? Ghostbusters is an awful movie. Why not gender swap something good

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I'm kinda with you. Ghostbusters is totally fine, but I don't see it as anything more than "a pretty fun old movie". I'm against the remake because fuck it I'm tired of remakes and I don't think that Ghostbusters in particular is really worth the reverence it gets. I'm in favour of an all-female core cast (and that one in particular is awesome) but I wish they were doing something better with it.

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It's not a remake, it's a sequel, as far as I know. Although it occurs to me it's probably not a sequel.

Also fuck all y'all! Ghostbusters 4 Lyfe!!

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