Unquiet
Things

Started out my year with a colonoscopy and a mammogram! Asked for a dermatologist referral for a weird lump on my forehead! Got my annual tarot reading! Completely overhauled my hair! We are off to a rollicking start.

Stories & Sounds

⟡ Reading: I just finished Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang and wowowow – this book is an exhilarating, terrifying examination of art and agency and trauma and what is real and who is real and it absolutely consumed me. It’s a deeply intense narrative about two artists, Enka and Mathilde, whose friendship spirals into an extraordinary meditation on creativity, obsession, and the boundaries between people. Huang is doing something so original and provocative that I’m not sure any other contemporary writer is exploring these territories with such depth and insight. This is the kind of novel that will set your brain on fire. If you loved Natural Beauty and were eagerly anticipating Huang’s next move, this novel will exceed every expectation. See above for the other 13 books I read last month.

⟡ Listening: Kompromat, PLДYING / PRДYING // Pye Corner Audio, Where Things Are Hollow // Mogwai, The Bad Fire

⟡ Watching: This is a tough one. I don’t watch much of anything anymore. I watched one episode of Severance’s second season, and a bit of Dandadan with Yvan, but I can’t be bothered to care about much of any of it for whatever reason.

Hearth & Home

⟡ I saw a video on YouTube for this zuppa Etrusca and was so inspired I had to make my own version of it. I say “my own version,” not because I thought I could put a better spin on it, but I wanted to work with the ingredients I had on hand, which meant a lot of swaps and substitutions. It was delicious anyway!

⟡ Ývan found a new-to-us little farmer’s market a few weekends ago, and we were pretty excited when we finally got to stop by Eartha’s Farm & Market. We get absurdly excited about shopping for vegetables! It was small but mighty selection and we came away with some fun things to experiment with. I’m plugging along, trying to modify my eating, low sodium, tragic lack of Cheetos, etc., and while I can’t call these open-faced grilled cheese, mustard, and Chinese broccoli sammies on home-made sourdough “healthy,” exactly, they were a lovely treat!

⟡ At the aforementioned doctor’s visit, we also talked about me finally taking an antidepressant, which at nearing 50, I realize I should have been open to half a lifetime ago. Yes, it is true–I have been out here, “just raw-dogging life all this time,” as someone recently commented when I shared this new development. It’s been two weeks now that I’ve been on generic Lexapro and I am still not cured, ha.

Anyway, I guess the doctor thinks she knows her stuff, but I prescribed myself some new cookbooks. In addition to Snacking Bakes and Ottolenghi’s new cookbook, I have Justine Doiron’s debut cookbook from the library right now, and there is so much veggie-centric inspiration in there! I might have to grab a copy of that one, too. She uses a lot of “crispy quinoa” in her recipes, and that sounds like something that might actually make me like that stupid, stupid quinoa.

Current Enchantments & Little Lights

⟡ Completely enchanted with artist David Schmitt’s wonderfully human, boldly magical works!

⟡ Saturday morning coffee adventures! The monkey’s face demanded that I switch up my Saturday routine, which had previously consisted of lounging around and drinking coffee. We can get coffee all over this town, so why not make a little treasure hunt of finding all the best places? This is where farmer’s market visits, arboretum strolls, and other such things come in. I want to do something with our morning that doesn’t necessarily involve shopping or eating, but I don’t have many ideas… especially as the FL weather is starting to heat up again. Any and all thoughts and suggestions are appreciated!

⟡ Making dates with new friends! We met up with some friends last weekend to go to a yearly event at a local brewery, and we’re trying to figure out a time that we can have them over for a board game afternoon. Because of the way I am, I guess, I always dread going out and doing things with people, and if I had to pin down reasons for this, I think it’s got a lot to do with how I get nervous and clam up. When I am forced to talk with people minus the buffer of time + thought that writing affords me, I’m always worried I offer a subpar experience of interaction with me. I am just better and more interesting when I am writing! In person, I feel like I might be a bit of a let-down. But after a lifetime of squirreling myself away and being a hermit, sometimes I just long to feel NORMAL around people, and I am never gonna get there if I don’t show my face in public and talk to folks.

⟡ A literal little light, as per this section’s title: we’ve decided to keep our Christmas lights up in our living room year-round. Maybe it looks a little Stranger Things, season one, but I don’t care!

⟡ The best sleeping set ever: I think Universal Standard advertises the Isadora pants & top as a “lounge set,” but I use them as pajamas, and they are so nice!

⟡ I very rarely recommend a fragrance if I don’t have a review to accompany it, but right now, I have two, and you will just have to trust me: Oxomoco from Arcana Wildcraft and Poppies and Lupine from BPAL. I’ll eventually write up some thoughts on the both of them, but for now, just know that they are Very Good.

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