I know too much.

I can’t stop reading NYT and scouring my newsfeed on my phone for clickable articles that seem important for me to know MORE about.  I’ve started watching TRMS almost every night because I feel smarter after Rachel explains stuff to me.  I can unplug for short periods of time, but inevitably someone says, “Hey did you hear the latest about…” and I’m right down the rabbit hole again.

Doctors have drilled into me the need to take a daily aspirin “as a man of my age.”  It’s essential.  And then a couple of days ago, I read that now it’s not recommended, that the risks actually outweigh the rewards.  That is, unless you have a previous heart condition which I kinda sorta have had now and then but not currently.  I am beset by uncertainty.

And knowing that I needed to stop drinking, I sought out healthy alternatives and now I enjoy a hot cup of tea in the evening.  I really like having that tea.  But I’m going to enjoy it a little less after reading this morning that if one drinks their tea above a certain temperature, you DOUBLE the risk of esophageal cancer.  I mean, who makes tea or coffee (I’m sure the hot coffee study will follow close behind) and then says, “I’m going to give it ten minutes, so it’s nice and tepid while I drink it and so I can enjoy the last few sips as a cold beverage.”  Of course, if my actual chances of getting esophageal cancer are .0001% then I can afford to double it.  Yeah, I’ll put that on my list of things to get checked out.

This morning at Starbucks, they asked if I wanted a little stopper in my cup and I really did want that sucker because I get my very hot coffee with “no room” because I need all 20 ounces of caffeine first thing in the morning.  But I say “no” because I’ve just read about the dead whale who was discovered to have consumed 88 pounds of plastic when autopsied, and I’m sure that 80 pounds of it were Starbucks lids with little green stoppers in them. And I’ve also read that most of our plastic isn’t getting recycled anyway and that many cities are close to giving up on curbside recycling because they just can’t find takers for all the crap we produce.

And now I’ve started to notice just how much paper, plastic and cardboard comes wrapped around every item that I buy.  I’m noticing EVERYthing.

And so since I know that the kitchen sponge is the germiest item in our house, I dispose of them regularly and I’m fully aware that they are 100% non-recyclable.  I researched an eco-friendly replacement and discovered there is dish scrubber made out of coconut husks that reviews said was completely worthless.  And these were reviews by people who really WANTED the damn thing to work.

Plastic poisoning, aspirin, hot tea, kitchen sponge–take your pick.  The world is just a fucking dangerous place.