The Polka Dot Bag My latest publication is a story I wrote about eight years ago was at last picked up by https://epistemiclit.com/current-issue/issue-four/a-polka-dot-bag/ At the end, there's an audio version in my own true voice.
A friend asked me the other day what is in my head when I'm not thinking! I said there's always something in my head - I may wander randomly from thing to thing without any direction but never is there a large blank space. Song fragments, writing ideas, reading thoughts, to-do list, grocery list, movies. She claimed a large blank space.
What is in your head?
Also, I always have a book going so I think about that. Chris Knapp's States of Emergency, a new novel about a deteriorating marriage and the refugee crisis in Eastern Europe where the protagonist's wife is working and watching. The book offers amazing writing, elaborate intricacies of foreign relations and policies almost losing this reader in its density but the prose keeps me pressing forward.
Also, someone said I may have a little ADHD which is a new suggestion to me. I don't think so - no mood swings or trouble planning and multitasking even if I'm plagued by disorganization! Maybe a wee bit...but M disagrees.
To be diagnosed with inattention type ADHD, you must experience 6 or more of the following symptoms for 6 months or longer:
You have a hard time paying close attention to details.
You find it difficult to stick with or finish a task.
It’s hard to listen or pay attention (it may seem like your “head is in the clouds”).
You have trouble following instructions.
It’s challenging to stay organized or manage your time.
You often avoid tasks that require a lot of focus or mental effort.
Disorganization - you lose things frequently.
You’re easily distracted by your surroundings or thoughts.
You’re forgetful.
https://psychcentral.com/adhd/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd-symptoms#symptoms
I think I'm okay but welcome any excuse for the book piles!
Poetry? Readers prefer AI-generated poetry to that written by poets https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-76900-1
For the "Nonfiction November" campaign started by "booktubers" on YouTube (folks who discuss what they're reading of which there are legions), I'm reading https://bookshop.org/p/books/any-person-is-the-only-self-essays-elisa-gabbert/20374729?ean=9780374605896 by Elisa Gabbert who is a NYT poetry critic but here she writes mostly about reading and offers ideas to get you thinking.
Josh Brogan has discussed how learning poetry by heart can enhance your life. I've been memorizing Yeats' "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" for nearly a decade. Gift link: https://archive.is/HWHFk
The Washington Post had a piece the other day (https://wapo.st/3V3cXeT) with the headline, “The ugly rule: Why every room needs something weird to make it pop.” Rob Walker on Substack is a big fan of weird objects! One of his favorite prompts in his book https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-art-of-noticing-131-ways-to-spark-creativity-find-inspiration-and-discover-joy-in-the-everyday-rob-walker/12076481?ean=9780525521242 is to “ask about the weirdest thing in the room,” because it’s likely to yield a good story.
Here is my weird object for this month which is perhaps of African origin, maybe made of sandstone and came from rare bookseller Louis Collins who died six years ago https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/books/remembering-beloved-seattle-book-dealer-louis-collins/ I worked for him for a year or so and he gave it to us perhaps with a discussion of its provenance but we've forgotten. I often think of Louis when I look at it.
What would be your weird object?
I'm going to rely on the NYT for a recipe since we are daring to have carrots tonight (not Bunny Luv, Cal Organic, Trader Joe's, 365 Whole Foods, Wegmans or Kroger's.). These Buttery Poached Carrots changed my life but it doesn't take much these days - any drop of goodness.
Butter-Poached Carrots
Recipe from Bee Wilson
Adapted by Eric Kim
Updated Nov. 21, 2024
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop Stylist: Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.
Total Time10 minutesPrep Time5 minutesCook Time5 minutes
Rating4(242)NotesRead 165 community notes
It doesn’t seem that butter, water and salt should result in carrots that taste this supremely of carrots, but the magic is evident in the incredible distilled carrot flavor, thanks to a little technique. In the 5 minutes it takes for the water to come to a simmer in a closed pot, the water gains the sweet, root-vegetable flavor of the carrots while also emulsifying with the butter into a glossy sauce. These are buttered carrots, but poached in their own glossy orange liqueur, making them the carrotiest carrots you’ll ever taste. This recipe comes from the French chef Raymond Blanc, by way of the food writer Bee Wilson, as featured in her 2023 cookbook “The Secret of Cooking.” Her promise is simple but life-changing: “On lifting the lid, you will see that the butter and water have formed a silky emulsion and, because of the quick cooking time, the carrots retain their orange color and sweet flavor in their buttery bath.” Because this universal side dish is so quick to cook, Ms. Wilson likes to have a pot of it ready up until just the last moment before serving. —Eric Kim
Featured in: The Simple Trick That Makes Vegetables Their Best Selves
Ingredients
Yield:2 servings
9ounces carrots, peeled, trimmed and cut into ½-inch coins (2 to 4 medium)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Salt
Preparation
Step 1
In a small saucepan with a lid, combine the carrots, butter, ¼ cup water and a fat pinch of salt.
Step 2
Put the lid on the pot and place over high heat. Simmer vigorously until the carrots are tender, and the water and butter have reduced and become glossy, 5 to 8 minutes. Add a tablespoon or two of water if the pan begins to dry out. Serve warm.
At a reading at Third Place Books for https://www.advanced.style/2024/10/advanced-pets-is-available-for-preorder-now.html in which my friend Shannon Martin is photographed with Daisy.
Find every chance you can to smile and keep treading water.
Mary Kay
Smiling! Treading! Carrots on tomorrow’s shopping list!