Hi Darling Ones,

Here’s a look at some of the stuff I’ve been digging this month. I spared you the Barley Chronicles but will sum it up as OMG BARLEY! Who knew?

People Who Listen to My Election Anxiety

You can always tell when somethings got my anxiety on high – I don’t shut up about it. As the election draws nearer I’m rambling to everyone about how anxious it’s making me. I’m afraid if Harris wins and I’m afraid if she loses. I do not trust Republicans to handle this election and any outcome like rational adults.

I’m reminded after I had my colonoscopy when I told the guy they had six years (or whenever I need another one) to get the prep stuff to taste like a milkshake.

“Everyone says the prep is the worst,” he said.
“Eh,” I said. “Everyone must have a bad imagination. It wasn’t fun but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be.”

That’s how my brain is doing the election. I’m imaging large-scale armed insurrection where Republicans take Coon Rapids and the Dakota and I need to hunker down in Supergenuis HQ trying to participate in some kind of underground railroad for Trump’s “enemies” and that’s the scenario if Harris wins!

OBSERVATIONS FROM A CROWDED ROOM, Joy Oladokun

As a white midewestern lady it feels weird to write about how much I enjoy Oladokun’s new record about dealing with racism and her role in music.

But it’s smart, beautiful record and the least I can do is bear witness. I’ve been a fan since I first stumbled on “sorry isn’t good enough.”

This new record is chef’s kiss and one of those I’ve listened to in its entirety every day. I love when she talks about James Baldwin and waiting for progress. “I’d Miss the Birds” is my favorite song on the record. So sad and beautiful, my favorite combo next to sweet and salty.

We Are Living in a Golden Age of Apples

I love apples and am #TeamHoneycrisp, though I’ll SweeTango and Cosmic Crisp will do in a pinch. I also love whatever green apple AffyTapple uses. Red Delicious are garbage and I’d rather have zero apples than one of those things.

This article about apples is fascinating and not at all boring even thought it contains words like “genome” and “Mesopotamia.”

Really liked this bit:
“I spoke with several apple researchers while working on this story, and do you know who loves their jobs? Apple researchers. And that’s not just because they get to taste new varieties all the time and spend workdays in an orchard. All of them, as well as the other orchardists and hobbyists I know, are proud of the progress they’ve made in the past few decades and optimistic about the future.”

On Legacies, Noticing, and Being Seen

This 20-minute talk pulled at my heart strings and made my neurons fire. And it gave me goosebumps. Just watch it. I don’t want to say more and spoil the delight.

A Few Books

I’m gonna keep this part short because the Floppy Scoop is protesting and my eyes are starting to not focus.

Icarus by K. Ancrum — a lovely YA novel about art theft and finding your community.

The Plot and The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz — literary mysteries in the truest sense of the word. Plagiarism and death and black mail and so so so funny,

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors — while nothing earth-shatteringly original or even surprising, it’s a lovely book about grief and sisterhood. Really hit me where it counts because it’s about four sisters and that’s my weakness.

What have you dug this lovely October?

Jodi

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Hello Darling Ones,

How is your summer winding down? Mine has been filled with the west coast fam, who have slowly trickled in over the past week and start to trickle out on Sunday. It’s been a delight to have them here. One of the best side effects of the stroke and benefits of Lexapro is really, really appreciating my family. The Lexapro has eased all the anxiety-based annoyance, and my new disabled state makes me so happy to have some help.

Despite that I’ve been in a low-key constant state of annoyance because I have to wear a heart monitor for 30 days and it itches like a motherfucker. I had a small glimmer of hope that i’d only be 2 weeks, since the monitor instructions clearly state I must take it off and send it back after 14 days. Wednesday another monitor showed up. Damnit.

And even though, despite such petty hardship, I’ve still found things to appreciate this month,

Nick Cave on Hope

“It took a devastation to understand the idea of mortal value, and it took a devastation to find hope,” he says.

I feel that in my bones. The stroke was my devastation and while my inherent cynicism and nihilism is still with me, I try to let love and hope have a larger role in my life. It’s difficult because so much pisses me off and I’m a jaded, untrusting GenXer to my core, but you can find joy in annoyance, hilarity in anger, and even when I’m crabby as hell about my tremor or inability to balance on my own two feet, I’m so happy I get to be crabby. Dying in March 2023 would have sucked.

Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott

I loved this book. It swept away to a world with walking houses, Russian folklore, and magical twins. It was a delight to spend time with the Yaga siblings and their weird house. If you’re in the mood for some really good storytelling, you can’t go wrong with this book.

Sierra Ferrell, Trail of Flowers

I’m a little late to the party on this record, which came out in March. Now that I’m here, I’m not leaving. This is twangy and smart, with tons of nostalgia. Some of that really classic country sound like “I Could Drive You Crazy” scared me away. I’m not always a fan of that early, early Grand Ol’ Opry sounded stuff. It was “Dollar Bill Bar” and “American Dreaming” that won me over, and now I can see the charm in “Crazy” even if it’s not my favorite.

Who was Dan Patch?

Being a child of lifelong residents of Savage, MN I know who Dan Patch is. I worked at Dan Patch Lanes for years, so the 1:55 record is forever etched in my memory. You can’t go anywhere in Savage without being inundated with Dan Patch. The clinic I go to is in Savage and the lobby/waiting area is exclusively decorated in Dan Patch pictures. The Culver’s in Savage had a huge history of Marion Savage and Dan Patch on the walls. It might still be there I haven’t been to the Culver’s since 2007.

I’m extra-special appreciative of everything today. The west coast fam got news that a good, good friend died this morning. They were only 44 and was diagnosed with cancer around the same time I had the stroke.

Cancer is the worst of all motherfuckers, roughly 3,994,382 times worse than an itchy heart monitor.

I appreciate you, Darling Ones.

Love,
Jodi

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Hiya Darling Ones,

Here’s a short list of some of things bringing me happiness this past month.

Neapolitan Ice Cream Sandwiches

Specifically, the Target ones. I’ve never been a Neapolitan person. Vanilla is pointless as far as I’m concerned and why have two mediocre flavors when you can have all chocolate?

But, after watching all the various Baking Championships (spring, summer, kids, etc.) on the Food Network Neapolitan sounded good. I nought a box of ’em when Sister #2 was here because I knew she’d eat them if I didn’t like them. They’re delicious. Probably the best ice cream sandwich I’ve ever had. The cookie part is crunchy and strawberry ice cream? That shit is fabulous. Best of all you can get 12 of them for $3.

Nothing Compares

The Sinead O’Connor documentary made by Kathryn Ferguson is free to watch for the next seven days in honor of the anniversary of O’Connor’s death.

It’s pretty good. I watched it before O’Connor died, so I’m not sure how it hits now. I’m still unable to talk about her death. It’s one of those events that I remember exactly where I was when I learned the news — sitting on a table in a physical therapy room. My therapist had stepped out to get some torture device and the news blipped across my watch.

“What happened?” she asked when she came back into the room. Tragedy must have been written across my face.
“Sinead O’Connor died.”

Then I explained to her non-music-person, 25-year-old ass who O’Connor was. Ugh.

Claim to Fame (Hulu)

I’ve discovered my new favorite genre of tv game show is “people lying to each other for financial gain.” It sounds more nefarious than it is.

Think Traitors, The Mole, Trust. You know, games where people sign-up for shenanigans and trickery. It’s so fun!

My latest discovery in this genre is Claim to Fame, where celebrity relatives live in a giant house and try to keep their identity secret while guessing who everyone is related to. I love guessing song with the contestants while shouting YOU ARE TOO YOUNG! Because the guessers thought the “70s teen idol” one of the players was related to was Billy Idol and Elton John,

Brother Printer

I bought a printer like it’s 2002 or something and I’m a little in love with it. I bought the printer because I need to send a bunch of documentation for my Social Security Disability application. There are other avenues for getting printed docs, but sometimes I want to be able to do one goddamn thing on my own. I didn’t want to have my mom or Sister #4 have to pick up the pages somewhere. I didn’t want to have to bug my brother-in-law to print it for me at work and then mail it for me.

My family would have done all this for me in a heartbeat. But again, I wanted to do it myself.

And now I want to print all the things with the fancy wireless printer that sits on the China cabinet in my dining room next to my LEGO Office.

BY THE WAY. . . it took me like six hours to fill out the Disability app. I had to list every healthcare professional I’ve seen since the stroke, every clinic or hospital I’ve visited, and every test the doctors ordered. I started the app on Monday and couldn’t do it all in one go. The next day was eye day, so I didn’t do any computer work. On Wednesday Social Security called me and left a message reminding me to finish my app. I was all, “back off, I got a disability here. I’m a little slow.”

Carrier Pigeon, Odie Leigh

This is my new favorite record, and not just because the vinyl pre-order came with a crochet pattern and hook. RIGHT? Was there ever on earth a record package made specifically for me? Thanks again for the gift, Wolfdogg.

To be fair, I fell in love with Odie Leigh’s music before I knew about the crochet stuff. “Conversation Starter” caught my attention when it shuffled up randomly on Spotify and I was hooked instantly. As I dug in, I found she had a new record coming out in a week and well, the crochet pattern sealed the deal.

This record is an utter delight. It’s filled with songs about being awkward and trying to get laid, and they’re fun to sing along with. Check her out if you event already.

Also, thanks to Heather, I’ve jumped onto the Chappel Roan bandwagon. Her record “The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess” is pretty fun, if a little too long for my tastes. Her voice is kinda weak on some of the ballads, but her upbeat stuff are, as the youth say, total bangers or bops, perhaps jams.

What have you been appreciating lately?

Love,
Jodi

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Hey Darling Ones,

I should have written this appreciation post before today. Today I’m a sourpuss who is sick of everything I usually love. I’m restless and bored and cranky.

At physical therapy Wednesday, the formerly grumpy guy who checks in patients and is now nice to me asked, “Any COVID symptoms or new travel?”

They ask me this every time I go in. Every. Single. Time. It’s not quite so ridiculous now that I only go in once a week, but over the summer I was there two or three times a week.

“Travel?” I said, smiling at him from the wheelchair I still need to get to the pool. “This is the only place I travel to. Here. And it’s barely travel. I live right over there.” I pointed behind me in the direction of my house. I live less than a mile from the clinic.

He laughed and buzzed me into the pool. Like I said, he’s not so grumpy with me now.

And this brings us to this month’s appreciation list.

Healthcare Providers

I am pretty annoyed with the American healthcare system. It’s straight up trash. However, I’m fortunate that the people I work with inside the garbage system are all aces. Most of the people I see are younger-than-me women, and they are all phenomenal. They actually work together to make sure I’m getting the right care. My retina specialist is a man, and I love him too because every five weeks we bond over how stupid insurance companies are. Even though I’m sick of recovering and all the health crap, I can still appreciate the people helping me get better

Black AF History by Michael Harriot

This book, as they say, is fire. FIRE! I don’t think I’ve ever been so angered by a book I enjoyed so much. I’m a bad history student. It mostly bores me to death and I’m fond of saying I don’t care about anything that happened before Rock & Roll was invented. Incidentally, Harriot does cover Sister Rosetta Tharpe and the invention of Rock & Roll. And he also gives a whole new (to me and maybe anyone else educated in the US) perspective on American history. This book is good. SO GOOD! And it’s funny and infuriating and should be required reading for being alive in America.

Roisin Waters – Sinéad O’Connor’s daughter sings “Nothing Compares 2U”

I still cannot talk about the death of O’Connor. Just thinking about it chokes me up. That loss on top of all my stroke-related losses is a bridge too far. Too much. Someday I will deal with it, but not today.

“Cowboy Carter,” Beyonce

This record is as good as everyone says it is. Beyonce’s music has never really clicked with me until now. What can I say? I’m a little bit country.

This record is so smart. SO SMART. I could list 1000 ways it’s super smart, but my favorite example is a Willie Nelson as radio DJ interstitial where he says, “Sometimes you don’t know what you like until someone you trust turns you on to some real good shit. And that, ladies and gentlemen is why I’m here.”

Who doesn’t trust Willie Nelson to know good county music?

Also, her cover of “Blackbird” is a thing of beauty. If you haven’t heard it yet, go do that now.

David Lynch on Depression and Art

That’s all I got for now. I’m gonna go make some turkey meatballs for my diner salads and listen to Modest Mouse’s “Good News For People Who Love Bad News” since it’s the only thing my brain will tolerate.

What have you been into lately?

Love,
Jodi

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Hiya Darling Ones,

It’s that time of the month where I quit bellyaching about my so-stroke-life and talk about the things I’ve been digging lately.

Donors

For real, everyone who threw some bucks at the GoFundMe are helping keep the lights on in this joint. I’m so thankful I don’t have the verbal capacity to put it into words. Things continue to be rough-going, and this helps immensely. Thank you!

The 25th Annual Conference of Women Mentioned in Rock Lyrics by Lisa Borders

This one is a hoot. I could, hell we could all probably add about 18 more panels to this list. I could add Kim the Waitress, Valarie, and Diane just thinking of Material Issue songs alone. This bit was my favorite:
Hot for Teacher. Rock icon Maggie May presented in conversation with the legendary Mrs. Robinson. These nonagenarians pull no punches in describing how they were stalked by two “narcissistic man-babies” after kindly but firmly telling their young admirers they thought the age difference was inappropriate.

Traitors UK/US/AUS

This is a how on Peacock. The US version is hosted by Alan Cumming and has reality show people I’m not familiar with for the most part, but I loved this show anyway. It involves secret traitors who murder faithfuls, banishment, ridiculous melodrama, a Scottish castle,surprising twists, and did I mention Alan Cumming? So much fun!

Chobani Flips

Especially the French Toast one. Since I got the diabeetus I’ve become a person who knows about and thinks about carbs. I hate that for me. I miss French toast so much. Maybe even more than pasta. But this yogurt is the next best thing.

“The Outsiders” Auditions

Video of 17-year-old Matt Dillon? So cute. It makes me remember being 12 or 13 and realizing there was more to the male of our species than Fonzie. See also The Official Matt Dillon Attractiveness Scale.

World Within a Song by Jeff Tweedy

I haven’t cared for a Wilco record since “Sky Blue Sky” and believe they peaked at “Summerteeth.” However, I love Jeff Tweedy’s books. His memoir is one of my all-time favorite music memoirs.

This book where he riffs on songs he loves and hates (I too am a “Happy Birthday” hater and have refused to sing it since I was a kid) is an utter delight. I would read an entire book of Tweedy writing about the ‘Mats catalog. I would read infinity books by other people writing about songs they love and hate and what they mean to them.

“Atom Bomb” by Bully

I’ve been listening to Hurray for the Riff Raff’s new record “The Past is Still Alive” a bunch thanks to my friend Hotrod, but in my quiet times when I don’t have any music on and the TV is off my brain sings “Atom Bomb.”

What are you digging, Darling Ones? I’m always open to recommendations because I frequently get sick of my own (exquisite) taste.

Lemme know!
Jodi

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