Merry Christmas ya filthy animals
IT’s here. The FINAL Reads, Bants and Eats of 2024. Next time ye all hear from me will be 2025 and I am shooketh. I also am in my element because I know this is not everyone’s cuppa tea but I am a tried and true long time lover of New Year’s. I loves me a beginning, a middle, an ending, a rewriting and a season of majorly intense personal reflection on a massive global scale. Look, I’m greedy. Throw all the people’s resolutions worldwide at me. I will eat that shit up because the concept of turning over a page and turning inwards to personal pruning and pushing forward just makes me feel that purposeful little glowing energy ball that embeds hope within me for humankind. We are all just squishy little bugs trying really hard to do life well. Isn’t that so sweet?
Reads
1.) Octavia Butler on Creativity, the Generative Power of Our Obsessions, and How We Become Who We Are by Maria Popova. The Marginalian. I love the writings on Popova’s site because they vary in length which is nice and tend to not overstay their welcome. Some, like this, are short little bursts of juicy reflection and it’s exactly what I need to dip my brain in for a quick pick-me-up in the middle of the day.
2.) This article by the brilliant educator Sharon McMahon was a brief but rewarding read on the placement of our individual mindsets within the camps of cynic, optimist, skeptic etc. Cynicism Doesn’t Keep You Safe was a helpful read for me following the American elections as I have felt myself being pulled further towards the dismal camp of the walking despondent. Hold tight to hope loves for better, for more.
“But evidence demonstrates the opposite: cynicism doesn’t protect us. It robs us of the pleasures of life. It makes us lonely, prevents meaningful progress, and helps to reinforce the present state of affairs, no matter how bad it is.”
3.) I shared a little mini post on social media about my deep desire to not add to the bloat of unhelpful, unnecessary content in the online space. This is the article I pulled the term ‘intellectual obesity’ from. I felt very challenged by the article, hopefully it will give you all some pause for thought also.
The Intellectual Obesity Crisis by Gurwinder
Bants
This is an idyllic release of one of my favourite songs, from a band that personifies the final years of college for me. I saw them live in a tiny pub venue 2014 with an old love of mine, himself a beautiful musician, weeks before our intertwined path parted ways. I still love this band for how it was so central to most of my best memories. Some songs over time embed themselves within memories and cannot be separated from the self we were at that given moment. Often this means that recollection and an emotional response is triggered on hearing the song play. Don’t you just love this weird part of our brains.
Ok, stop the lights. This following Instagram snippet was mind blowing. I have so many questions…not least of which is does the egg asses which sperms are didley squat losers and send them a spinning off into the ether in order to find a sperm that meets her standards?
Eats
I’m here to give you an easy, breezy, beautiful Christmas party appetizer favour.
Introducing: bacon wrapped dates. Aka the easiest thing to make that will make you the clear winner at any holiday function you attend.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (205 Celsius)
Any 12 ounce package of medjool dates will do. Pitted is easier but I bought ones with pits and just cut them open and pulled them out no bother. Also I doubled my amount for a party of 15 people so I would have two dates per person. You do you.
Cut those babies open. Take out the pit if necessary. Scoop a spoonful of your choice of cheese and stuff inside of the dates.
Close her over squeezing the cheese so it’s packed nice and tight.
Take a strop of thin (not thick-cut) American bacon and cut into three pieces. Wrap tightly around each date and place on parchment on a baking sheet seam side down.
Cook for about 20 minutes or until bacon is crispy.
Make a balsamic glaze. Boil 1 cup of balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup brown sugar in a saucepan on the stove. Stir to dissolve sugar, bring to a simmer over med-high heat and turn down to low. Stir occasionally. Mine took a while to cook but some burners it can be done in as quick as 10 minutes. It will be ready when the balsamic coats the back of of a metal spoon and drips off like maple syrup. Also a quick taste will reveal it to be sweet not acidic. Watch to make sure it doesn’t become gloopy. This will keep for 3 ish weeks and bougies up any dish.
Drizzle over dates right before serving. My photos looks like crap but I was told they tasted beautiful so, do with that what you will.
Alright my beauties. We did it. The year is done and a new dawn is awakening. The shortest day of the year is past and we survived so much and fought so well and laughed with abandon at this great silliness of being human. I hope the holiday season has glimmers of goodness to match any hard moments and remind us to keep going because none of us are alone in our struggles. See you soon.