Bye bye Try January
Wow seven weeks in the first part of the year and guess what? We pretty much made it. Who else thought three months had passed only to realise that it’s not been even fully February yet?
I have been reflecting on the topic of hope a lot lately, particularly as over Christmas I found myself in a state of hopelessness. This was compounded by the fact my child was not sleeping and good god nobody can be expected to human in a state of sleep deprivation. It is as if we are trying to function from a carved out hollow mind and a body that is ten thousand leagues under the sea. If you have a buddy who is deep in the throes of no sleep for whatever reason, check on them, they need tender loving care right now. It is also certainly hard to hold onto hope with all the enraged facts of living in a world with so much anger and pain. I personally find myself infuriated by a lot of humans who have been coming at me with messages of ‘live in line with your values’, or ‘we all have the same 24 hours in a day’, or any of the various platitudes which are well-meaning but incredibly devastating to a person who is experiencing turmoil and fragmentation. I thought I was going to have to lose this platform as a means of reckoning with gestures weakly being human. In a mad flash of bright light, a beloved person came out of the woodworks to sponsor the site for a year. People are still glorious and good and I am grateful beyond my capacity to even articulate here. With that in mind I am squirreling around in the mulch of my life’s understory looking for acorns. I hope you all continue to enjoy what I unearth.
Reads
Many sad things have been a happening lately. One of those was the passing of the inimitable (thank you Hamilton the Musical for that word) David Lynch. A stalwart of cinema, Lynch has been a highly unusual but always interesting character within the world of filmmaking. With all the weirdness and wackiness of his mind the archive of his work is memorable and culture defining. While he isn’t for everyone, it cannot be said enough that he remained through his entire career an artistic visionary with a commitment to his own ideas that he held to without compromise. I enjoyed this article which showcases a quick trip through some of his significant works. David Lynch: the great American surrealist who made experimentalism mainstream by Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
Here’s a nice little random read that caught me by surprise. I wonder if I capture my human child shrieking like a pterodactyl, which she does daily, could I somehow turn it into a decades long career in the arts. A kitten on heat with a racy physique’: the mystery of the bloodcurdling cat screech used in hundreds of movies by Amelia Tate, The Guardian
Now this was an excellent read. I wasn’t too sure where it was going to go from the opening paragraph, generally though I tend to trust work on the Preamble because it tends to be understandable, tries to reach across the aisle and bridge divisiveness and is non-inflammatory. Is Bipartisanship Dead? by Gabe Fleisher, The Preamble. A dissection of some of the legislative work that occurs in the House of Congress that involves collaboration. It is good for a change to look at some of the elements that we don’t often hear about that encourage hope and perhaps foreshadows some steps forward in terms of a more unified United States? Maybe? Maybe not?
Bants
I made a little something for you my dearest readers. A little playlist of songs that I felt were very embodying of this time of the year where we straddle the sleepy Winter that is lingering and eagerly reach for the creaking of Spring that is waking. I shall never presume that all people enjoy all the songs I choose but the story of how I have been feeling wound its way to me through these songs so hopefully it makes some sense.
Eats
We have had some weird upside down weather here in California. From raging wildfires to bitter freezing rain, it’s a confusing physical place to be in during the winter/spring transition.
I made this yummy soup as a warm, affordable option that would last us two or so days during the particularly cold days. Most of these ingredients I had in my cupboards which is my favourite kind of recipe and the only modification I did was serve it with premade naan I bought and I added in sweet potatoes. I think I washed, peeled and diced up about three large ‘taters. I tossed them in olive oil, salt, pepper and some paprika and roasted them in the oven at 425 F (218 C) for about 40-45 minutes until they reached a texture I liked. When the soup was near done I just mixed them in for a little extra filling goodness.