Top 10 Tuesday

Merry day to ya. Below are some neat-o things from the past week. Have a good one!

Mary Gaitskill’s “The Secretary”—This short story has me wanting to write short stories again. It’s about a young, unambitious woman who takes a job as a secretary only to be sexually assaulted by her boss. However, her response is metronomic, wavering between repulsion and fetish. I’ve always been intrigued by coming-of-age and cerebral stories—really getting into the mindset of the character. The bildungsroman genres often provide the best narratives into characters’ minds. I have some small ideas for my own set of short stories, but I need to give it more time and patience. In other words, I need to sit down and just write them.

Exploring Scotia Barrens—Over the weekend, I explored Scotia Barrens with my friend Carol. She had never been up there before and I felt it was the opportune time to take her there to meander on the winding, veering trails. It was an opportune time because the barrens are well-known for being bitterly cold when surrounding areas aren’t as cold. Due to the barrens’ location, there is a microclimate. Many parts of the barrens are used for specific studies, especially about weather. The entire time we were there, it snowed, and snowballs accumulated in my hair. My hair was frozen by the time we were finished. The barrens has a unique history with iron ore mining (established by Andrew Carnegie). There are a lot of meandering, unmarked trails and it’s great for mountain biking. Purple Lizard Maps makes a great map where on one side the trails and landmarks are outlined and on the other side you will find the historical map.

Crocheting—I have been crocheting a lot lately and want to finally learn to make new things besides my hats. So, I currently have two bags made and can’t wait to make more! I’m hoping to learn to make some harvesting bags, as well. We’ll see what happens.

Apophenia—For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn to making connections between very unlike things. It wasn’t until recently that I realized that there is a word for it—apophenia. Apophenia takes on a lot of different forms such as seeing faces in toast or animals in the shapes of clouds. Klaus Conrad described it as “unmotivated seeing of connections accompanied by a specific feeling of abnormal meaningfulness.” This descriptor can be seen in different ways, as well. I know that at my job, a lot of clients demonstrate apophenia and I find it fascinating (but it’s usually due to them having a psychotic episode). It’s the little things I find fascinating, though. Being able to make connections between two completely different things. Like Napoleon and violets. Did you know that the sensors in the nose can detect the scent of violet for only so long until the nose becomes desensitized and needs a break? Napoleon demanded a violet perfume for his wife Josephine.

Self-Reflection—The past month or so, I feel like I haven’t been my best self when it comes to interacting with others. I feel that I have no filter and have been saying everything on my mind without care or caution. This isn’t a terrible thing, because I don’t say awfully terrible things, but I’ve been feeling quite rude and judgmental and that’s not who I am. Or is it? I want to do better, so I will.

Idols—My self-reflection has led to me determining some idols for myself. These idols are real people—some of them are alive, some are no longer. Some of them I know in person and have seen within the past week and others are humans in the public eye and I will never meet them. I have about 45 of them and all of them have traits that I admire and want to work on in myself. Not that I’m some horrible person, but like I said—I can always be and do better. It sounds hokey, I know, but if honoring good traits in good people helps me to also be a good person, then it’s not a waste of time or energy. In fact, you might be one of my idols.

“Dreamlessly” by Charles Bukowski—This past week, I finished reading one of Bukowski's books. Below is one of my favorite poems from the book:

dreamlessly

old grey-haired waitresses

in cafes at night

have given it up,

and as I walk down sidewalks of

light and look into windows

of nursing homes

I can see that it is no longer

with them.

I see people sitting on park benches

and I can see by the way they

sit and look

that it is gone.

I see people driving cars

and I see by thew ay

they drive their cars

that they neither love nor are

loved--

nor do they consider

sex, it is all forgotten

like an old movie.

I see people in department stores and

supermarkets

walking down aisles

buying things

and I can see by the way their clothing

fits them and by the way they walk

and by their faces and their eyes

that they care for nothing

and that nothing cares

for them.

I can see a hundred people a day

who have given up

entirely.

if I go to a racetrack

or a sporting event

I can see thousands

that feel for nothing or

no one

and get no feeling

back.

everywhere I see those who

crave nothing but

food, shelter, and

clothing; they concentrate

on that,

dreamlessly.

I do not understand why these people do not

vanish

I do not understand why these people do not

expire

why the clouds

do not murder them

or why the dogs

do not murder them

or why the flowers and the children

do not murder them,

I do not understand.

I suppose they are murdered

yet I can't adjust to the

fact of them

because they are so

many.

each day,

each night,

there are more of them

in the subways and

in the buildings and

in the parks

they feel no terror

at not loving

or at not

being loved

so many many many

of my fellow

creatures.

The “Playlist for a 19th Century Villain Admiring his Chaos”—YouTube knows me pretty well. While reading Bukowski’s book “Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame”, YouTube suggested that I listen to this playlist. It was a good soundtrack for his poems. You can listen below.

“Uninvited”—Do you want to learn more about invasive species? Check out this very well-produced documentary on YouTube that has nothing to do with Alanis Morissette. You can view it below.

Sunshine in a Jar—This evening, I made Sunshine in a Jar. It’s a lemony drink full of vitamins and such. Drinking this won’t prevent COVID but not having COVID so far has been pretty great and I’d like to have a healthy, earthy beverage available for the immune system. In it are lemons, blood oranges, peppercorns, parsley, basil, ginger, cayenne pepper, and rosemary.