Hi Holly, Here is another Christmas song to inspire you. Dutch soprano Floor Jansen, more than six months pregnant, singing "O Holy Night" in Finnish. I'm not even religious and this makes me believe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym1Wc5dmUYc
I'm blown away, Charles! Incredible performance! And the fact that she is soooo pregnant and manages to sing it so well amazes me. I used to sing in choirs through my second year of college, and let me tell you--it requires every bit of your diaphragm, which is mostly squished by six months gestation!
I need to share a food item! Yesterday I tried baking the new gochujang (Korean spicy red pepper paste) caramel cookies from NYTimes Cooking and it was SO good (but only if you like spicy food and are mentally prepared to eat a spicy cookie)! And you can make it all with pantry staples, if gochujang is in your pantry ;)
I tend to love things made with gochujang, but I'm not sure I'm mentally prepared for a spicy cookie. Although...this might be a brilliant method to keep me from eating the entire batch in one sitting :)
I think if you enjoy slightly savory cookies (like with miso) it could be worth a shot! The rest of the cookie is like a sugar cookie/snickerdoodle vibe which complements it nicely :)
thank you for the reminder about creatives needing to sit and do nothing - i do find myself planning too much to do and having no time to simply rest that way.
i also have written some festive musings and round-ups on my newsletter, FRESH! let me know what you think:
Top Gun Maverick was a perfect movie! Not ashamed to admit I've watched it multiple times at home after seeing it in the theater. St. Vincent has been on my list forever - maybe I'll finally watch it before the end of the year.
Well, you've got me wanting to try that tomato sauce, as well as watch St. Vincent and the Texas Killing fields. I too am a true crime enthusiast. Have you seen or read I'll be Gone in the Dark? If not, stop everything and start with the book first. Then follow up with the documentary.
You have to keep me posted if you do read it. It's a double treat, as it's really two stories in one (I won't ruin it) but being a writer, there's something more than just a true crime story. Oh, and remind me to tell you about an acquaintance that knew the ex-wife of the Golden State rapist.
Great suggestions, as always! I'm 100% going to try that tomato sauce recipe! I love Austin Kleon's books, and his substack is fantastic. Welcome to his fan club!
An absolute treasure trove of delights, Holly - I always enjoy your 'Collection' posts, and this one's terrific! Saving it to come back to just to make sure I explore all of your fabulous links! 😊
I followed a similar path as you with FB. My best friend took the nuclear option, and unfriended literally everyone before deleting his account. I took a less drastic route, unfollowing all but a dozen(ish) people and a handful of pages I found interesting. Installing the Newsfeed Eradicator Chrome extension made stepping away all the easier. I kinda hung on since my mom was on there, but now she has an iPhone--and lives about a mile from me-- so there's no excuse. I can't say that I miss it much.
Kleon's idea of not doing anything- or at least something mundane- works. I break up bursts of writing with something like folding laundry. It helps reset my mind. I also have a dream that ne day I'll have a little studio like the one he finally finished. No pool in our backyard, but that's okay.
Andrew's piece took me down memory lane. I used to work in a music store. I hated retail, but I LOVED it when someone would come in and ask "do you know that song that goes..." and then try to sing it. Or the person coming in to shop for their wife/son/grandson/whatever that had no idea where to even start. Google and Shazam can both do that now, but we've lost something there.
That slow roasted tomato sauce is heavenly! Since you’ve been cooking quite a lot of vegan dishes, I wanted to share my collection of Plant-based recipes from around the world over at Flipboard. Have a look! https://flipboard.com/@stellak2020/plant-based-recipes-from-around-the-world-nnog6gl1z?from=share&utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=curator_sharePlant Based Recipes From Around The World
Well that is like a Christmas gift I never saw coming! Wow--such great dishes! I can’t wait to try some of these, Stella. Thank you so much!
Stella--Thanks for the link! I'm always looking for more vegetarian/vegan dishes to try.
That's good to hear, Kevin! Thank you for checking it out.
Hi Holly, Here is another Christmas song to inspire you. Dutch soprano Floor Jansen, more than six months pregnant, singing "O Holy Night" in Finnish. I'm not even religious and this makes me believe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym1Wc5dmUYc
I'm blown away, Charles! Incredible performance! And the fact that she is soooo pregnant and manages to sing it so well amazes me. I used to sing in choirs through my second year of college, and let me tell you--it requires every bit of your diaphragm, which is mostly squished by six months gestation!
Glad you liked that! Floor is thought by many not to be of this world. Her day job is as lead singer of the Finnish metal band Nightwish.
I need to share a food item! Yesterday I tried baking the new gochujang (Korean spicy red pepper paste) caramel cookies from NYTimes Cooking and it was SO good (but only if you like spicy food and are mentally prepared to eat a spicy cookie)! And you can make it all with pantry staples, if gochujang is in your pantry ;)
I tend to love things made with gochujang, but I'm not sure I'm mentally prepared for a spicy cookie. Although...this might be a brilliant method to keep me from eating the entire batch in one sitting :)
I think if you enjoy slightly savory cookies (like with miso) it could be worth a shot! The rest of the cookie is like a sugar cookie/snickerdoodle vibe which complements it nicely :)
That sounds VERY interesting, Rebecca! I’ll try anything once.🤣
thank you for the reminder about creatives needing to sit and do nothing - i do find myself planning too much to do and having no time to simply rest that way.
i also have written some festive musings and round-ups on my newsletter, FRESH! let me know what you think:
https://www.freshbywing.com/p/14
This week has been jam-packed, wing, and I am feeling it! Looking forward to some nothing time this weekend. Hope you can find some too!
Thanks for the recommendation--checking it out now!
sounds like a plan, enjoy your nothing time this weekend! appreciate you Holly 🙏💖
Top Gun Maverick was a perfect movie! Not ashamed to admit I've watched it multiple times at home after seeing it in the theater. St. Vincent has been on my list forever - maybe I'll finally watch it before the end of the year.
Let me know what you think!
Well, you've got me wanting to try that tomato sauce, as well as watch St. Vincent and the Texas Killing fields. I too am a true crime enthusiast. Have you seen or read I'll be Gone in the Dark? If not, stop everything and start with the book first. Then follow up with the documentary.
I haven't seen or read that one--putting it on the list!
You have to keep me posted if you do read it. It's a double treat, as it's really two stories in one (I won't ruin it) but being a writer, there's something more than just a true crime story. Oh, and remind me to tell you about an acquaintance that knew the ex-wife of the Golden State rapist.
Thanks for the shoutout!
You sold me on "Steal Like an Artist." Added to the wish list. Also, love how you organized this post. How do you hyperlink to sections in Substack??
If you hover over the header of the section, you’ll see a little link icon appear to the left of it. Just copy that and paste!
Great suggestions, as always! I'm 100% going to try that tomato sauce recipe! I love Austin Kleon's books, and his substack is fantastic. Welcome to his fan club!
You will LOVE this sauce!
An absolute treasure trove of delights, Holly - I always enjoy your 'Collection' posts, and this one's terrific! Saving it to come back to just to make sure I explore all of your fabulous links! 😊
Between that goulash and that red sauce, I'm now starving and thinking you're such a mean person, I have no choice but to unsunscribe!
But you post all those wonderful food stories, too, so we’re even, right?!
Fair! LOL.
I followed a similar path as you with FB. My best friend took the nuclear option, and unfriended literally everyone before deleting his account. I took a less drastic route, unfollowing all but a dozen(ish) people and a handful of pages I found interesting. Installing the Newsfeed Eradicator Chrome extension made stepping away all the easier. I kinda hung on since my mom was on there, but now she has an iPhone--and lives about a mile from me-- so there's no excuse. I can't say that I miss it much.
Kleon's idea of not doing anything- or at least something mundane- works. I break up bursts of writing with something like folding laundry. It helps reset my mind. I also have a dream that ne day I'll have a little studio like the one he finally finished. No pool in our backyard, but that's okay.
Andrew's piece took me down memory lane. I used to work in a music store. I hated retail, but I LOVED it when someone would come in and ask "do you know that song that goes..." and then try to sing it. Or the person coming in to shop for their wife/son/grandson/whatever that had no idea where to even start. Google and Shazam can both do that now, but we've lost something there.
So what you’re saying is we should call the On Repeat Hotline and hum bars of tunes we don’t know?
Lol. Yes! It's one of my "value added" services. :)
Found it!