Top Physicals

Welcome! To the first annual METAL MEMORIES™ suite of posts on the top whatever-the-hell-I-want-to-list lists of the year!

Before we get into the juicer lists, like games and movies, lets start with rating my physical consumer purchases or acquisitions this year.

Benefiber Unflavored

Yup, I am at that age where this is a thing. Adding fiber to my daily post-workout milkshake has been life-changing and I wish I would have started doing this years ago.

A Good Water Bottle

I have more energy, I don’t snack as much and my skin just ☼glows☼ when I am adequately hydrated. Having a durable, light and simple water bottle has been a boon to my drinking habits. Also, as a queer person, I am always looking for places to put stickers and nothing is cooler than a neon water bottle with stickers.

….and speaking of hydration….

Gatorlyte Rapid Rehydration by Gatorade

I first became aware of different types of hydration this year after watching this brutal takedown of Logan Paul’s PRIME drink by More Plates.

I grew up in the “drink 3 glasses of water per 30 minutes of rigorous activity” era of hydration science and for some reason I never evolved. I found that by adding in a Gatorlyte after my full hour+ workouts really helped with my recovery, general hydration and I have more energy throughout the day.

A good Handkerchief

I have always carried a handkerchief (call it southern hospitality) but I currently carry a black handkerchief in my left pocket. For various reasons. You never know when you’re going to cry at the end of Godzilla-1 or need to clean up a spill or small papercut.

But also, I now live in a large city, that is *mostly* over COVID restrictions, that is full of queer people and a cruising culture that is just raving to get back into full-swing.

The queer desire to be out but also the fun of WWII code breaking. Geeze I love my big queer community. Next time you go to a queer bar, turn off grindr and whip out your hanky!

FEELD

I know it’s not ‘physical’ per se, but the FEELD app has helped me cultivate physical relationships with likeminded queers over the past year. Grinder has it’s place in my life but my tastes go beyond cis gay men and meeting cis women comfortable with queer bodies on Tinder has never been possible for me, like ever. FEELD seems to have a more queer and kink friendly crowd of users.

It has a pay upfront model so it’s not full of scams and grifters.

Curated Media Libraries

This is the age of choice fatigue. Seemingly, hundreds of new Netflix shows premier every week and there will never be enough time to watch them all.

So, this year I have been trying to invest more time into apps that curate their libraries instead of just being the app that has more than the other streaming services.

Mubi is a great place to start. They have a daily movie recommendation that when I don’t know what to watch I -get this- I just put the movie on without knowing anything about it. It’s been a great practice in getting outside of my comfort zone. I’ve not liked every movie I’ve seen there but that’s not the point of viewing art. To be able to qualify why I do not like something is just as useful as understanding what I do like. Also I saw my favorite movie of the year¹ there.

If you want to sign up for Mubi use this link and we’ll both get a free month!

Wild, violent, sexy, weird, low-budget movies, from Japanese horror to after-hours softcore; Midnight Pulp is exactly what it says. They show movies but they also have “channels” where programming is played whether you are watching or not. Like actual TV channels one might say. It’s been fun just to drop in and see what’s playing.

They have an entire section of movies called “Skinemax”. I need not say more.

A Smaller Phone

When I lost my iPhone 13+ I inherited a 2022 iPhone SE from a family member as a replacement and I have been loving the smaller profile of the SE. I also love that it has a physical face button and cannot face-scan to unlock.

But mostly I love how my small phone does not feel like a presence. Like something to lug around and pull out at the first notice of even a hint of boredom. I’m reading more, I’m watching YouTube less and I feel as though I’m paying more attention.

Apple knows that smaller phones are coming back in vogue too: The newer (not plus versions) iphones coming out are going to be similar in size to the SE but with all the modern expectations. But, I have a feeling I’m going to run this SE into the ground before I upgrade.

Cotton Candy Grapes

I was doubtful. I was in contempt prior to investigation. But those grapes taste like cotton candy!

CAN YOU BELIVE THAT? Some might say science has gone too far but really, those grapes taste like cotton candy. But in a grape. If that’s against god, then god is dead. Give me more cotton candy grapes.

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¹Movies of the Year to be released at a later date.