The Daily Valet. - 7/20/21, Tuesday

✔️ The Rise of Casual Tripping

July 20, 2021

Tuesday, July 20th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

I may be taking a slightly longer lunch break today.

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

The Rise of Casual Psychedelics

Tripping on your lunch break and the gentrification of microdosing

Am I high, or is psychedelic use no longer a relatively small, counterculture phenomenon?

According to Quartz, psychedelic drugs are entering a second golden age in the U.S. and Europe, after a decades-long dark age that followed the collapse of government-backed—and sometimes scientifically dubious—research on LSD and psilocybin (the active compound in magic mushrooms) in the hippie heydays of the 1960s.

While they remain legally classified as Schedule 1 narcotics, psychedelics—particularly when consumed in regular, sub-hallucinogenic “microdoses” rather than in a single mind-blowing “trip”—are producing promising results in medical labs at prestigious universities.

If the sheer volume of press is any measure, interest in microdosing is surging, and getting a leg up in one’s career seems to be a major motivator, reports Forbes. And the tech world, eternally obsessed with efficiency, has become a breeding ground for “biohacking” one’s body—including compressing an hours-long trip into a ten-minute break.

DMT, often nicknamed “the spirit molecule,” is commonly accepted as the world’s most potent and exploratory psychedelic. According to Vice, this chemical compound found in ayahuasca—a plant blend drunk ceremonially by South American tribes for centuries—can now be found in a vape cartridge for a quick rush of trancendental bliss, instead of a full mind-shaking, perception-shifting breakthrough.

Innovative delivery methods, combined with DMT’s short duration of action, and a spike in popularity could lead to a revolutionary new line of psychiatric medicines—including a simple patch you wear on your skin.

↦ Want highs with that? A luxury micro-dosing supper club is coming to New York’s Tribeca neighborhood.

Co-Working Spaces Are Back

And there are plenty of options available

As more people return to work in person, the old routine and office environment is a lot less desirable. And demand is increasing for less-traditional office spaces.

Despite struggling during the pandemic and a wildly documented public implosion, WeWork reorganized and memberships are currently on the upswing.

But smaller, more resourceful co-working initiatives are cropping up everywhere as well, introducing new competition. For instance, take startup Codi, which has been referred to as the Airbnb of the coworking world. The company allows hosts to rent out space in their homes to workers who want a change of scenery.

Other operators are tapping into a more casual market by transforming common social spaces, such as coffee shops, restaurants, breweries and other places where people commonly gather, but may see slower activity during the day.

↦ Meanwhile: WeWork’s main competitor is buying up all the recently-shuttered WeWorks from New York to London.

Stocks Take a Hit

Wall Street ends sharply lower as Delta COVID variant sparks new lockdown fears

Stocks, bond yields and oil prices all fell on Monday as a spike in coronavirus infections around the world reinforced the reality of living with a pandemic that simply refuses to go away.

According to the Wall Street Journal, markets rallied in the first half of 2021, thanks to investors' bets that economies would bounce back, as countries rolled out vaccinations and lifted restrictions on businesses.

Among the leading decliners on Monday were travel and leisure stocks such as United Airlines, which fell 5.5%, and cruise operator Carnival, which slumped 5.7%. And the worries come at a time when investors are already concerned about inflation.

How troubling is this? It's hard to say. These types of declines are not uncommon, reports NPR, but they feel more jarring because markets so far have been on a dizzying run: As of Friday, the Dow was up 13.3% for the year, while the S&P 500 was up 15.2%, with both hitting a series of ever-climbing record highs.

Olympians Can Have Sex in Their Cardboard Beds

Like so many theories on Twitter, the “anti-sex beds” rumor turned out to be untrue

With the Olympics kicking off on Friday, many of the athletes have begun moving into Tokyo's Athlete's Village. And you might've seen the news that the beds are constructed from cardboard.

Somehow, this quickly resulted in a rumor that the innovation was aimed at avoiding intimacy among athletes. The thought was that the beds would only be able to withstand the weight of a single person in an effort to avoid the legendary hook-ups among athletes in the age of COVID.

But on Monday, gymnast Rhys McClenaghan from Ireland debunked the myth by jumping vigorously on the bed to prove that it was, um, up to the challenge.

Of course, this design was approved long before the pandemic hit. It was, in fact, an environmental choice in order to cut down on landfill waste. According to Newsweek, the bed frames will be recycled into paper products when the Games conclude. The mattress components will also be recycled into plastic products.

↦ Meanwhile: Participants are expected to “avoid unnecessary forms of physical contact such as hugs, high-fives and handshakes,” according to the athlete playbook.

In Other News

↦ Hockey World Shows Support After Luke Prokop Announces He’s Gay

↦ Calls for Outside Help As Extreme Weather Fuels Oregon Fires

↦ The Travel Industry Is a Total Mess, But Everyone Is Traveling Anyway

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Leon Bridges

Dark workouts

This upcoming A24 project

Want to Drink More Water?

Then get yourself a good water bottle

We know a fundamental key to good health is drinking plenty of water. And with the heat breaking records across the country, the need to stay hydrated becomes even more important. If you're looking to up your water intake, you could use an app or make a plan to chug a glass after each bathroom break and before each meal.

But an easier way would simply be to upgrade your water bottle. We've found it's a surefire way to keep you engaged and drinking more.

And depending on what you're looking for—stylish customization, a built-in filter, naturally-imparted minerals—there's a bottle for you. We had the Valet. team round up some of our favorites. A few we've been using since the pandemic started, others are currently on our wish lists for our own personal upgrades.

↦ Buy: The best water bottles you can buy right now.

The Summer’s Lightest Suits

Buck Mason relaxed featherweight Carry-On jacket and pants

The relaxed featherweight Carry-On jacket ($150) and pants ($125) from Buck Mason have a slightly looser, more easygoing fit.

You didn't think you could stay in shorts all summer, did you? A noble goal, but with some semblance of a social scene back in semi-full swing, the season demands a slightly dressier alternative to the T-shirt and slides combination. A summer suit is a necessity for any man—something handsome, smart and light for all of those formal dinners, back-to-the-office parties and destination weddings. Houndstooth and wool, while attractive options, aren't going to cut it in ninety-degree heat, so opt for lighter fabrics like seersucker, linen, cotton or tropical wool (wool's loose-woven, breezier cousin).