Inspired By In October

Inspired by

Stuff:

TWSBI ECO Transparent Purple Fountain Pen F nib

First, it’s purple. Second, I can see the ink. Third, Ink! In a bottle, not a cartridge! Dangerous ink you better be careful with, or you’ll ruin your shirt. 

I got a bottle of Waterman Tender Purple and a bottle of Intense Black. I loaded the purple for its virgin voyage. I’ve fallen hard for this pen. It glides. It flows, and I go where it leads. 

Levenger weekly calendar and stand

Time to order my new 2024 calendar. I love this desktop week-at-a-glance. I’ve used them for years. Mine is propped up in front of my placemat—analog and homey. (The stand really makes it.)

Frontgate Velvet Quilt

My old velvet quilt has seen better days. It’s quite threadbare now and is looking forlorn.  I think a new one is in order this year. I like these from Frontgate. 

The colors are beautiful. It’s hard to decide.

Unhide Shleepy

This was an Instagram buy. It looked like a “dress for the job you want” kind of thing. It’s a robe. It’s cozy. It has pockets. I’m wondering: Will it be warm enough for deep winter, though? Stay tuned.

Thinking about

The death of a project

All my “Last Hundred Days of 2023” Projects bit the dust. I’m not doing any of them. Don’t know why. It’s a subject for further inquiry. In my journal. With my purple ink. Not now.

I am still writing weekly, though. So there’s that. And I’m still eating slow carbs, so that too. But I’m beginning to crack on the carbs. 

Eating and Drinking

Here is what I am thinking about this slow-carb diet at the moment. I don’t want to have a cheat day anymore. I would rather eat less restrictively during the week, than have these Carb Blowouts on Saturdays. I’m just going to add a little macaroni to my soup now, and eat the taco shell on Wednesday. 

 Maybe I’ll have a few extra treats on the weekends, but no more weekday austerities. Winter is coming. I need to make the turn as gracefully as possible. 

I drink a glass of red wine every night. I don’t care about Andrew Huberman. It soothes me. This week, it’s Bread and Butter Cab Sauvignon.

Watching:

The Big Short. (Netflix until the end of October)

Just started this last night. Emily recommended. It’s about how banks and brokers caused the housing market crash of 2008. Very tech-broey and cut-throaty. Good so far. Wish I understood what they were talking about, though. CDOs?

Love is Blind (Netflix) (finished it) 

I watch these reality shows to see how people solve their relationship problems.  My assessment? Not very well.  People are so complex. On the one hand, you have Milton: classic high EQ, coupled with basic NVC skills. Very insightful reader of a situation. Extraordinarily young to be that self-aware. 

And then there’s Lyndsay: a time bomb of internalized anger and sadness, covered with a thick shell of self-righteousness. And very finger-pointy. No NVC skills, but is okay with that.

Lessons in Chemistry (Apple TV) 

The casting is superb! Brie Larson IS Elizabeth Zott. This is a fine adaptation of the novel. The writers and producers did it justice. This series drips, so you have to wait a week between episodes. But I kinda like that.

Suits, The Morning Show, and Survivor are also still in the line-up.

Reading

I am in a poetry palate cleanse at the moment. I need a pause between Elon and Thoughts Without A Thinker, the book group book. 

My friend Zee recommended this book:

Dharma Talk: Poems by John Brehm

It is down-to-earth, consoling, and real. 

At the same time, I bought The Dharma of Poetry by the same author.

 It’s denser. A bit too Lit-crit. 

I also bought The Wonder of Small Things: Poems of Peace and Renewal. Edited by James Crews. 

This is a remarkable and astonishingly wondrous collection of poets I’ve heard of, but many more I’m just discovering. 

It’s been a long time since I’ve made the space for poetry. It feels good. 

October has been a beautiful month here in northern PA. The temps balmy, the skies blue and the leaves, while not as spectacular as other years, still lovely.

We hosted Softball Homecoming last weekend, and it is always fun to see everyone.