Three ways to feel something
Watch Trapped. There are many things to like about this Icelandic mystery show, including its intricate and satisfying puzzle-box plots, cello-heavy score, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson’s beard, and the several minutes of precious pandemic silliness you’ll get from trying to pronounce names like Thorhildur, Ásegir, and Hjötur. But for me it’s all about the landscapes of rural Iceland. Snowy peaks, craggy caves, crystalline lakes, twisty fjords, volcanic rocks, and almost no trees to block the views. Bliss. A big chunk of the first season takes place in a blizzard, and even that looks beautiful. It’s on Netflix in Mexico but I think it might be on Amazon Prime in the U.S.? I’m sure you can figure it out.
Emotion unlocked: Missing seeing new places so much it hurts, but in a good way.
Listen to Jane Austen audiobooks. I read several of Austen’s books in high school, which despite being not that far from the ages of many of her protagonists, is too young for her. Or at least, I was too young. Did you know that Jane Austen is, like, really funny? I was helped toward this belated realization by Rosamund Pike and her audiobook performance of Pride and Prejudice. I listen to a lot of audiobooks, and I’m a firm believer that books with beautiful language often fall flat in the form. So I was skeptical of listening to a “classic,” but this was free on Audible so I tried it. It was great, and I’m now planning on revisiting many 19th-century novels this way. The characters immediately come to life, and the anachronistic stumbling blocks (did everyone have five interchangeable nicknames before 1900? Which Miss Bennet are we talking about again?) melt away with the guidance of a steady performer. Austen’s books are in the public domain, so there are a zillion different narrators available. Read the reviews and try samples, because it will all come down to the narrator here. I thought Pike was excellent, and Juliet Stevenson is also famously good with books like these. I’m listening to her perform Emma now, and in addition to being very enjoyable, it’s confirmed my suspicion that Clueless is the best adaptation of anything ever.
Emotion unlocked: Merriment + feeling smart
Eat Melissa Clark’s red lentil soup with lemon. This is the kind of soup that will bring you back to life. I know because I first made it in early 2020, while recovering from the second-to-last cold I would have for the next year. It was so easy I could do it while sick, and I felt better from the first bite. Use good stock if you can, but I’ve also made it with all water after forgetting to defrost, and it still did its job. I sub three limes for the lemon and chipotles en trocitos (a somewhat chunky chipotle puree) for the tomato paste, because Mexico. I’ll put chipotles en trocitos in almost everything at this point, and it’s never made anything worse.
Emotion unlocked: Suddenly cleared sinuses, which if you have allergies and/or live in Mexico City in the dry season, you know is the most amazing emotion of all.