Note: This piece is a companion to “Things That Suck” and “A Little List of Things I Find Interesting.” The three together form a loose trilogy—what I reject, what I notice, and what I choose not to take up. If Things That Suck was reactive and Things I Find Interesting was observational, this one sits somewhere quieter. It’s not about condemnation so much as calibration. These are not necessarily bad things. Many are perfectly fine. Some are, perhaps, even admirable. They’re just… not for me. There’s a difference between disliking something and passing on it. The former makes a claim about the world. The latter makes a claim about yourself. This list is an attempt at the second.

1. Polar Plunges
2. Siberia
3. Prostate Exams
4. Space Travel
5. Parallel parking on a busy street
6. Mt. Everest
7. Post-COVID facemasks
8. Voice notes
9. Hunting
10. Diving for treasure
11. Splitting the bill down to the cent
12. Mall walking
13. Lines for food over 10 minutes
14. AI avatars
15. Smart homes
16. Phone calls from an unknown number
17. Endless group photos. Take two, baby.
18. VIP rooms
19. White wines over $20
20. Watersports
21. Getting tied up in bed
22. Sleeping outside
23. Aspartame
24. Self-checkout machines that talk. I heard you the first time baby.
25. Trying knots
26. Expensive art
27. HOAs
28. Astringent cleaning products
29. Porta potties
30. Claude