Weekly Journal #1
Reading
I've been distracted by sickness lately, so the Kindle books I had on loan both expired before I got too far into them. Shorter-form writing has been more easily digestible. Maybe I should be ashamed to admit that, but I'm not; everything in life has its season. I have almost finished the two essay collections I got last Christmas: "The Best American Food and Travel Writing" and "The Best American Science and Nature Writing". (It'll become clear soon that I'm a big reader of nonfiction.) A bitterly funny recommendation from the "Food and Travel" collection: The Food That Makes You Gay.
Technically I could finish reading those Kindle library books, since I have to connect my device to Wi-Fi for them to be electronically returned. But I don't think they were bound to be finishers anyway. I checked out a new one to start soon: "A Walk in the Park" by Kevin Fedarko, about a misadventure in the Grand Canyon.
Watching
During my bout with pneumonia, I watched "Mare of Easttown" for the first time. The number of Rolling Rock beers and Philly cheesesteaks consumed on screen was excessive, but I thought it was beautifully acted and heartbreaking. The way it ended, with Mare becoming strong enough to switch places with Lori and be the caregiver in the friendship, was brilliant.
I took a little break from my "ER" rewatch because there was too much bleakness between that and Kate Winslet's murder show, but I'm back and on Season 8. Speaking of bleak, I will probably skip the episode with Mark's death, which made me bawl the first time, and might not even finish the series after that. I may restart at Season 6 because the Carter/Lucy stabbing is so damn good.
A small perk of watching old TV shows is seeing actors who weren't well known at the time. I've never seen Keegan-Michael Key with hair except in this episode of "ER," for which he wasn't even in the opening credits. Here he is offering his tie to Eriq La Salle:
Of course I watch "The Pitt" every week. This season is more explicit than the first, in both its social messaging and graphic medical procedures, but I love it. I recently spent a lot of hours in the emergency room at my local mid-sized hospital. When the staff left me alone, which was most of the time, I had them keep the door open so I could observe the action. I wanted to see patients wheeled in, and eavesdrop on doctors giving orders and dictating notes, hoping to recognize stuff I'd seen on TV. There was plenty going on, but it wasn't very exciting without urgent background music and doctors running around.
Cooking
My favorite home-cooked meal of the past week was a variation on "butterflied za'atar chicken with caramelized red onions and toasted almonds" from "The Mediterranean Dish." I used the cuts of chicken I had on hand, which were boneless, skinless breasts that I cut in half lengthwise before marinating. I didn't have sumac or almonds, so I skipped those as well, but za'atar contributes a lot of nice flavor by itself. (One of my favorite eats at a Middle Eastern restaurant is pita bread dipped in a dish of olive oil with za'atar.) It would have been great with couscous, but we enjoyed it without accompaniment.
Things I'm eating but not cooking: Girl Scout Cookies and too much fast food.
Listening
I know the singer-songwriter Dan Mangan from his appearances on "Comedy Bang! Bang!" His latest album, "Natural Light," is the only one I've heard from start to finish, and it's very good. Below is one of the standout songs:
My kid has somehow learned about the Macarena, so I showed him the music video from the 1990s and we both had a laugh. These dancers all look like they belong in the Spice Girls: