1. We’ve reached the point of winter where your skin is so dry and pale you feel like an albino lizard. This animation made me laugh (the whole thread did):

 

2. Here’s something to read if you want to start dismantling the capitalist system that keeps you tied to consuming more than the planet can sustain in lieu of living a more meaningful life (and I say this as a lifetime consumer; I’m just starting to wake up): Your Lifestyle Has Already Been Designed.

We’ve been led into a culture that has been engineered to leave us tired, hungry for indulgence, willing to pay a lot for convenience and entertainment, and most importantly, vaguely dissatisfied with our lives so that we continue wanting things we don’t have. We buy so much because it always seems like something is still missing.

Western economies, particularly that of the United States, have been built in a very calculated manner on gratification, addiction, and unnecessary spending. We spend to cheer ourselves up, to reward ourselves, to celebrate, to fix problems, to elevate our status, and to alleviate boredom.

Can you imagine what would happen if all of America stopped buying so much unnecessary fluff that doesn’t add a lot of lasting value to our lives?