spicy curry on a rainy night.mp3

from the kitchen to the couch

I’ve been dreaming of cooking with honeynut squash for a few weeks now, and finally, on this tuesday night, I’ve done it. I came home feeling restless for curry after spending all day knowing there was mango chutney in the fridge waiting to be used. Alone in the kitchen, I noticed myself finding satisfaction in chopping potatoes, carrots, squash, and onions and cooking them in perfectly timed order. Fall veggies simmered in tomatos in time with the sound of pouring rain. As the sauce came together, I started to look forward to the moment it would soak into jasmine rice. I’ve made curry so many times that I tend to go into autopilot, but when I lifted the spoon to taste, I was a little surprised at how spicy it was. The tendency to let my mind drift off while I cook has sometimes gotten me into a little trouble, so I felt a sense of relief knowing I wouldn’t have to serve this meal to anyone except myself, and maybe my roommate who, blessedly, has a high spice tolerance.

Among having the kitchen to myself, other things I’ve been finding joy in recently include:

• eating with a wooden spoon

• my grandmothers laughter

• eucalyptus and tea tree oil

• knitting

• watching the great british bake off

• close-up photos of things

• starting my morning in the dark

• 50s inspired fashion

And of course, these albums:

Mercurial World (deluxe) - Magadlena Bay

Riley and I stayed up all night last week doing Red Cockaded Woodpecker translocations, and this was my favorite album we played to stay awake. We got to watch the constellations come out while we waited for the birds to arrive. This dreamy record turned our work truck into a spaceship carrying two little aliens through time and space in a cloud of technicolor.

ECO PACK-王菲-浮躁 - Faye Wong

Faye Wong’s vocals have carried me through the past couple weeks in moments that I’ve felt like I'm losing myself in the spookiness of this season. The dreamy pop instrumentals and Wong’s sweet voice are like the sound of the ocean to my brain in a city where sirens seem to go off constantly.

Paris and Montreal Demos, 1973-1976 - Tia Blake

I’m always a sucker for a demo album… Especially when I’m doing chores alone. The intimacy of a demo album makes me feel like I’m hanging out with a new friend and we’re getting to know each other. Tia’s intimate lyrics cut straight to the heart of me and seem to echo my deepest thoughts. We ponder these things together while I poach pears - another october bucket list item.

Sincerely, P.S. (deluxe) - Kali Uchis

This record was my summer soundtrack, and she finally released the deluxe, so obviously I had to bless the apartment with it this week. Would be a really good contender for album of the year imo.

Brokeback Mountain Soundtrack - Gustavo Santaolalla

If you get it, you get it.

People Stories - UMI

So I’ve had tickets to see UMI before, and I ended up not being able to go. Emma got tickets for us to go this weekend, but the show was cancelled. So that’s twice now UMI has evaded me. I’m wondering if the universe is keeping us apart because we’re not meant to fall in love yet. I was surprised upon my first listen that this was a breakup album because her releases before this were such sweet tracks about being in love. Such is life, I guess.

Brown Sugar - D’Angelo

This album is another one that feels really intimate to me. RIP to a legend. I’ve linked a few other Substack writers' work below that are worth reading if you are interested in learning more about D’Angelo’s life and legacy.

Southern-izms #005: ALTARS: A D’Angelo Virtual Exhibition

your favorite artists are not superhuman — an ode to D’Angelo

25 years of D’Angelo’s ‘Voodoo’

honorable singles:

More Than A Woman - Bee Gees | This song was on the playlist at the wedding I went to last weekend and since then it been the only thing keeping me from caving to seasonal depression every morning.

Viscus - Oklou & FKA Twigs | My anthem lately

Late Night Grande Hotel - Nanci Griffith | Legend shit. We listened to Nanci Griffith on the five hour drive back from the wedding. Nothing makes me more like a girl from Arkansas than listening to Trouble In The Fields while

Cover of the week!

Plus more olivia dean content duh

Since the weather has gotten colder, I’ve migrated to writing in a corner of the couch. I’m convinced that if I sit curled up just right in a specific spot, I can retain as much of my body heat as is possible in an apartment with old windows and high ceilings. Dishes sit in the sink, and tomorrow is another day of waking up in the dark, getting dressed in the cold, and going to work in the rain. I am not necessarily looking forward to it, but it helps to know I will have leftover curry waiting for me when I get home.

textures, 10/28

From the stars,

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