“Books … are tombstones.” –Antonin Artaud
–Photo by ikitje
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10 reasons why popcorn is the funnest of foods
1. SIMPLICITY: In its purest form, popcorn contains only four ingredients: oil, corn, butter and salt. It cooks fast — under 10 minutes on the stove, under 2 in the microwave — and requires few tools. Plus, it’s served in a bowl or bag so you don’t even need to use silverware.
2: VISUALLY STUNNING: Exploding kernels are a wondrous sight.
How Popcorn Pops pic.twitter.com/fUW0lI6GD4
— World and Science (@WorldAndScience) January 23, 2016
3. POP! PING PING! POP: Popping corn is edible music.
4. YUM: The smell, my goodness, is divine. And the taste has an addictive quality. You simply can’t eat just one.
5: PORTABILITY: Eat it at home, in a hotel, in the car, at your desk or just out in the world.
6. CUSTOMIZABLE: You can dress it up with everything from bacon to spices to cheese to chocolate, but honestly, homemade popcorn is fine on its own.
7. FESTIVE: You can string it on thread and use it as a Christmas decoration. Alternative, you can pour some popcorn into a tin and give it as a present.
8. NUTRITIOUS: Popcorn is healthy! It has one of the highest levels of polyphenols of any plant food, contains quite a bit of fiber and antioxidants, and according to Joe Vinson, a chemistry professor at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, “It’s the only snack that is 100 percent whole grain.”
9: UNIFIER: Anyone who smells popcorn will want to be your friend.
10. MEMORIES: Popcorn is one of those foods that instantly transports you to a different place: a movie theater, a circus, a carnival, a street fair.
To be fair, popcorn does have two notable — and lamentable — down sides. One, it gets stuck in your teeth, no matter how how you try to avoid it. And two, once it’s removed from the pot, the remaining shells look like burned ladybug corpses. But other than that… popcorn is the best.
–Photo by Linnell Esler
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Musical discoveries and walkabouts
As mentioned in a previous entry, my resolution for 2016 was to engage in a series of 30-day experiments. In January, I listened to a new song every day, a feat that was only occasionally interrupted by news.
Here’s what I discovered:
Day 2/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: "America's Sweetheart" by Elle King https://t.co/wSyi88Arh6
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 2, 2016
Day 3/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: "Hinba" by Lau https://t.co/2jrFpeYx0N pic.twitter.com/09mNyOx6su
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 3, 2016
Day 4/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: "Journey to Skyhold" by Trevor Morris https://t.co/PFjId7KYw6
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 4, 2016
Day 5/30 of new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: "I Am The Mountain Within" by Randy Granger https://t.co/eSGCGPfUjI h/t @johnrplatt
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 5, 2016
Day 6/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: "Didn't It Rain" by Sister Rosetta Tharpe https://t.co/dEp22quYY5 (h/t @edmazza)
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 6, 2016
Day 7/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: "Let Me Down Easy" by Max Frost https://t.co/SsGG7HpTrL
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 7, 2016
Day 8/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: "Main Theme: Broadchurch" by Olafur Arnalds https://t.co/hQIXvF2AmV
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 8, 2016
Day 9/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: "Not Leaving Here" by Tom Bertram https://t.co/CubuL1dixM
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 9, 2016
Day 10/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: "The Fall of Reach" by Tom Salta https://t.co/BubZ8bsMSQ
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 10, 2016
Day 12/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: "Be My Baby" (cover) by Blue Oyster Cult https://t.co/cuWFs2P4Pw (h/t @edmazza)
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 12, 2016
Day 13/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: "Don't Wait For Me" by Racing Glaciers https://t.co/1qHJYl1zX4
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 13, 2016
Day 16/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: "Don't Let It Bring You Down" (cover) by Sarah Fimm https://t.co/CKXYvwQlmq
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 16, 2016
Day 17/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: "January Man" by Rachel Unthink & The Winterset https://t.co/AKnvexnYB7
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 17, 2016
Day 18/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: "Burning House" by Cam https://t.co/W7Hk9UB1zF
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 18, 2016
Day 19/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: "Sedona" by Houndmouth https://t.co/VY8KR4RneB (h/t @edmazza)
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 19, 2016
Day 20/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: "Extraordinary Way" by Conjure One (feat. Poe) https://t.co/2rFEqOnfJ3
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 20, 2016
Day 21/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: "Are You Ready For The Country" by Hank Williams Jr. https://t.co/Q6E6So9oLx
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 22, 2016
Day 24/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: "The Rest of My Life" by Sloan https://t.co/y00BguskaC (h/t @edmazza)
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 24, 2016
Day 25/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: "I'm Gonna Lock My Heart" by Kate Davis https://t.co/jEayY0LstA (h/t @edmazza)
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 25, 2016
Day 26/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: "Smile" (live) by Brian Wilson https://t.co/1phkZM6mUE (h/t @edmazza)
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 26, 2016
Day 27/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: “Guilty” by Al Bowlly https://t.co/1Zd2hJhn5D
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 27, 2016
Day 28/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: “Woman” (Oh Mama) by Joy Williams https://t.co/8jr9zEV9Lb
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 28, 2016
Day 29/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: “Looking for the Magic” by Dwight Twilley Band https://t.co/bB0QXeb8bQ
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 29, 2016
Day 30/30 of my new music #30daychallenge. Today's song is: “Shake” by Jesse Cook https://t.co/sNasz7nsC7
— Jade Walker (@jadewalker) January 30, 2016
For February, my goal is to walk at least 20 mins every day. Since I work from home, my commute is minimal (quite literally from one room to another) and so I don’t get nearly enough exercise. However, I own a treadmill, decent shoes and a Fitbit, which means there’s really no reason I can’t complete this challenge. I’ll just have to muster up some willpower. Anyone have a bit extra they’d like to spare?
–Photo by LBrakovic
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“Letter Beginning with Two Lines by Czesław Miłosz” by Matthew Olzmann
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Theme: A lens that levels the laser
Earlier today, I finished reading “The Red Notebook” (La Femme au Carnet Rouge), a book by Antoine Laurain about a Parisian man who finds a woman’s purse on the street just hours after it was stolen during a violent mugging. As any good Samaritan would, the hero of the story sets about finding the owner of the handbag (no easy task without a wallet or phone).
Upon reading the last page, I looked up Laurain to see what other books he’d written. Turns out he also penned “The President’s Hat” (Le Chapeau de Mitterrand), a story about a man who comes into possession of a hat that was accidentally left at a brasserie by French President Francois Mitterrand. Clearly, the author is drawn to the theme of things that are lost and found.
As I struggle to write more novel-length stories, I wonder what my theme will be. Will my love of obits filter into my fiction? (Yes.) Do I sound too much like a journalist or can I tell a fantastical tale that’s worth reading? (Still up for debate.) Must someone always die? (Yes.) Why are all of my heroes/heroines such tortured souls? (Perhaps because I’m not.). Lastly, should I determine the theme before putting pen to paper or just let the characters share the story they want to tell? (I suspect the latter.)
–h/t to Chuck Wendig for the title. Photo by Brian A. Jackson.
