track+field: an August 2025 recap
Beirut chocolate, an autumn palette of flowers in a heat wave, and crates of Merwah shot on film
This newsletter incorporates movement and activity (hikes, walks, etc) into my work. I’m a productive and self-disciplined person except when it comes to tasks related to taking care of myself (like exercise, diet, and rest). This log blends the two areas of my life (health + work) and it tracks my time in the field.
The 2024 paid newsletter, Grapevine, a bulleted list of offline things I was exploring, is now collapsed into this monthly dispatch.
I’m sorry this t+f is late (it’s mid-September, after all) but I’m hosting a friend this week and I was busy getting my place in order pre-arrival and then actually being a considerate host.
This August lived up to its reputation of being Beirut’s most miserable time of year. We were served a scorching heat wave (reaching 43*C!) topped with a steady expat one throughout. I spent most of my days either married to my bedroom AC or catching up with people I haven’t seen in anywhere from four months to four years.
Updating friends on the latest balloons you’re inflating also reminds you how many you’ve let go of. It’s been hard to stay grounded in the present with all this talk of what’s already happened, combined with trepidation over what’s to come. I foolishly picked this month to hit a conservative, daily step count to get started but I predictably flopped. I only hit it twice a week tops. September is looking more merciful on the body as it’s a tad cooler. This is when the locals’ summer really begins.