Jekyll https://reeswrites.com/thought/feed.xml Things I am still working out: published early, revised in place, and separate from the posts.2026-08-24T00:00:00-04:00 Rees D. 2026-08-24T00:00:00-04:00 2026-08-24T00:00:00-04:00 https://reeswrites.com/thought/are-you-playing-the-right-game/

I stopped subscribing to the stakes of the game — and the question generalises past lifting.

<p><em>Maturity: seedling</em></p><p>Is this the game you really want to be playing?</p> <ol> <li>https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTAuNhEem/</li> <li>The Score: How To Stop Playing Somebody Else’s Game by C Thi Nguyen</li> </ol> <p>I stopped subscribing to the stakes of the game (getting jacked).</p> <ol> <li>Male body standards are strange because they are more formed by the male gaze rather than anything else.</li> <li>There is some research into the idea of muscles playing a part of sexual selection, but I don’t really buy into it that much.</li> <li>https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10480816</li> <li>If we were persistence hunters I think that bulky muscles would not benefit us that much.</li> <li>https://fitnessvolt.com/women-prefer-muscular-men/</li> <li>It’s hard to talk about this without getting into incel territory.</li> <li>https://www.reddit.com/r/PurplePillDebate/comments/swg1c5/study_on_what_1000_women_feel_about_muscular_men/</li> <li>https://boxlifemagazine.com/does-having-more-muscle-make-you-more-attractive/</li> <li>The internet, along with the increased availability of steroids, has lead to something termed “physique inflation”.</li> </ol> <p>I am no different than anyone else swimming in our cultural soup and am susceptible to it, but I do think that it has to do on your community and information you are consuming. In this way, I believe it was partially related to when I was getting into lifting; at the same time as the rise and fall of science-based lifting (SBL).</p> <p>I am incredibly grateful to the SBL community because there was so much information that was being translated into more digestible, and I learned a lot, but at the same time there was also a lot of non-evidence-based reasoning.</p> <ol> <li>neuromechanical matching</li> <li>progressive overload</li> <li>muscular irradiation and PaP</li> <li>I started lifting more consistently after a breakup where I somewhat subscribed to the idea of a post-breakup glow-up, but really was just trying to channel it into motivation for something that I had already wanted to do.</li> </ol> <p>the balance between being disciplined and being attuned to yourself</p> <ol> <li>there will absolutely be days where you don’t want to go to the gym: are those the days you most need to go? or are they days where you should definitely rest?</li> <li>even if you do skip out, do you feel guilty or relieved?</li> <li>lifting and types of fun</li> <li>https://www.ridj-it.com/single-post/ground-truth-geology-and-the-origin-of-type-2-fun</li> <li>you could do HIIT or other stuff if you enjoy it more but that’s not for me - i don’t like feeling tired and i don’t like sports really that much bc i don’t like letting ppl down or being bad at things - i can eventually get over that but also im not very competitive bc the stakes matter zero to me so it can be hard to feel truly engaged in a game</li> <li>https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/comments/61msqz/balance_between_disciplined_and_listen_to_your/</li> </ol> <p>lifting is no small commitment</p> <ol> <li>there are no shortcuts</li> <li>either you put in a lot of time over time or a little time over a long time (for the same results) but eventually plateau as well of course</li> </ol> <p>lifting &amp; neuroticism: atrophy anxiety and perfectionism</p> <ol> <li>minimalism vs maximalism in SBL</li> <li>“premature optimization is the root of all evil”</li> <li>tracking is very tied to progression porn</li> <li>https://reeswrites.com/posts/visualizing-lifting-progression/</li> <li>The Quantified Self can be helpful or a hobby unto itself but can become unhealthy</li> <li>I have moved away from tracking over time as I become more embodied.</li> </ol> <p>I have a new goal now though: lifting for longevity.</p> 2026-08-24T00:00:00-04:00 2026-08-24T00:00:00-04:00 https://reeswrites.com/thought/are-all-late-night-show-hosts-comedians/

<p><em>Maturity: seedling</em></p><p>i noticed a trend and wanted to check it out so i googled:</p> <blockquote> <p>[!ai] unattributed assistant prose · marked 2026-08-24 Not all late-night show hosts are comedians. While many prominent hosts, like Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, and Seth Meyers, built their careers in stand-up or sketch comedy, late-night television has always featured hosts with diverse backgrounds. [1, 2, 3, 4] Hosts come from many backgrounds, not just comedy: [1]</p> <ol> <li>Journalism: Hosts like Trevor Noah and John Oliver bring a news-driven perspective to their monologues but then they went on to be known for comedy and standup</li> <li>Music &amp; Radio: Figures such as Arsenio Hall have hosted, relying on strong conversational skills and musical guests.</li> <li>Variety: Some hosts, such as James Corden, are primarily actors and performers known for singing and acting roles. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] While the traditional late-night format heavily leans into comedy monologues and skits, the person behind the desk can be a broadcaster, an actor, or a journalist, rather than a stand-up comic. [1, 2]</li> </ol> </blockquote> <p>it seems like humor is quite central to entertainment bc even if they didn’t start as comedians they all participate in a similar format (i cant speak to hall tho as ive never seen any of his stuff)</p>