Odessa’s Oddities & Curiosities | Week of 5/20/24

Dear friends,

I’m taking a break from actively eavesdropping while sitting at The Depot (Mill Valley’s cafe/bookstore). But let me tell you, it’s juicy eavesdropping. I’ve inferred that I’m sitting next to this Jewish romance novelist and her editor discussing romance tropes. I’m just waiting for my moment to jump in and introduce myself. Maybe, you’ll get an update by the end of this newsletter.

I have only a few curiosities this week as I’ve been engaged in rigorous loads of nothing this week. In other words, I’ve been a blob. A happy blob.

To mitigate the self-loathing that comes with all the time I’ve spent on Instagram this week, I’ve tried to start each morning by reading. And I’m reading the most fascinating novel — the prose is so clever, poetic and strips off the gauze on everyday life with alarming precision. I’m not quite sure what to say about the plot…an Iranian-American poet/recovering alcoholic contemplates what makes life (and thus death) meaningful. He imagines all sorts of conversations — he plays at death? I don’t know. The prose is so good that the plot is merely circumstantial. The novel is called Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar — oh did I mention it’s funny?

Some articles I recommend:

My Aunt Adele is quoted in this New York Times piece on how language influences choices in online dating.

Taking a fitness class in the Lourve!!! The ecstasy of the opportunity comes across so well in the article.

Stuffed pastas! A history! A guide! Dare I say, stuffed pasta is my favorite category of food — I know my way around my raviolis, my tortellinis, but I did not know my agnolotti del plin.

And a podcast!

Why are jalapeno peppers not as spicy as they used to be? Learn more in this enjoyable investigation from Decoder Ring.

I’ve also spent (way too much) time watching television this week. I have been consumed by the first season of One Tree Hill (which I had never seen before). And the first part of Bridgerton!

I may have also reentered my long-term obsession/addiction/passionate affair with the Sims 4. I’ve been a Sims fan since I was 6, and a friend’s older sister introduced me to Sims on the computer (shout out Sarah Lunder!) I was explaining to Ava that Sims is like playing with the world’s best dollhouse. I make myself stop playing when I find myself becoming too stressed on behalf of my Sims.

Some week highlights:

My dad taught me a new word! Avuncular. Meaning: uncle-like. I love the way it rolls off the tongue.

Enjoying live music at The Depot and a glass of wine with Athena (now that we’re both legal!)

Swimming in a horseshoe-shaped lagoon in Corte Madera. Nothing like floating in a large body of water in a floatie on a perfect sunny day.

Picking up my guitar again, and marveling at all the picking patterns still stored in my muscle memory.

Update! I stayed an extra 45 minutes until their meeting was done (the romance novelist + editor) and leaned over to introduce myself (and admit to blatantly eavesdropping). Guess who’s her new beta-reader! Eavesdropping really does pay off.

I was going to end here, but then I went down this whole rabbit hole on the etymology of eavesdropping, and I thought you all should know that eavesdropping comes from the water that drips off the eaves of a house, and the best place to listen in on gossip in the olden days would be to hang from the eaves of the house (sounds incredibly strenuous if you ask me). Henry VIII actually had people carve statues into the eaves to “foment paranoia”. Foment is also a great word from the Latin fomentum (poultice)! Okay, I’ll stop here for now.

With love & curiosity,

Odessa