STORIES, STORIES

Writing Triggers by Alia Makki Tell me again. Why do we keep doing this to ourselves?  You mean writing?   Haven’t you already gotten it figured out by now that at the end of the tunnel, it doesn’t get any brighter or easier? Life doesn’t get easier. Writing distracts you from looking at yourself personally. Why should you write?  Because it’s the most beautiful thing in the world. And this scene! Look at it! How could we not be inspired…   Hasn’t it failed you already? Why couldn’t you take a hint from the millionth failure?  Because the million-first might be the one!   Bosh. Sorry, who?   Pshawh. Shucks. Bollocks. Bull. I’m calling your disgusting sense of optimism a delusion.  Oooh. That’s a nice word too. What just happened? Was it a mosquito that landed on your face? Then why did you hit your face for? Listen. My job was to try to distract you from this futile habit of yours. I’ve done my job and could only manage ...

Notes on Running by Nessreen I hate running.  I mislike all the things about it. The hard work, the mental anguish, the physical exertion, all the emotional pummelling you get when you hit the track. It’s way more than just running  to me, it's a constant test.  When I run, every part of me is fighting to go against all my natural tendencies of laziness and at-rest spoiled-brattery.  And I suppose that’s what made me take it on. Because I’m nothing if not the kind of person who only knows to excel under extreme, oppressive conditions, whether or not I conjured them myself. I revel in this oppression, and it makes the end of each run for me all the more glorious. When I’m in a yucky pile of sweat and dirt and sometimes tears, and I play back the distance and speed I’d just covered, without fail – I feel fascinated at how much I could endure . How much of something I hate I could endure just to reach a goal that no one but myself cares abo...

Still on the Band by Chukwudi Barrah Seeing a post recently about the Microsoft Band being the best fitness band you never heard about reminded me that I was going to write a review—or rather ended my procrastination in writing a review—about the Band. I've owned mine for five months, paired primarily with my iPhone 6 plus. In that time I have come to the conclusion that the combination of both devices do not meet the requirements for which they were purchased. In essence, I need to change one of these devices. I know, first world problems, right? Not really. The essence of exchanging hard-earned money for electronic devices—or anything, ever—is to derive some sort of satisfaction from those things, and so far my satisfaction has been relatively low (at least compared with my expectations). Again, I know the argument is that experiences are lower than expectations. I'd argue that that is the case if the expectations are set unreasonably high. In my case, I don'...