Faster than a cup of coffee
Year-End Givers And Takers,
Over Thanksgiving weekend, I had a chance to catch up with my friend Greg who runs a travel company ViaHero. Through his work and his recreational travel, he's been some fascinating, off-the-beaten path places, particularly in the past few years. I don't remember how it came up, but we started talking about the feeling of safety. He said he had once been on a dark street in Havana, in a neighborhood that was run-down. And that in that moment, he wondered "Am I safe?" He quickly answered himself that he was: some people may have looked at his circumstances and felt fear, but he had no reason for concern. This area wasn't more prone to danger or crime than anywhere else. He concluded that a feeling of safety is relative; it's all about perspective. I was reminded of my trip to Tbilisi, Georgia, and asking my host Chris (an American husband of a childhood friend) about any areas to avoid while I wandered solo. He paused. He'd lived in the country several times, in rural and urban settings, and I was curious about what he'd tell me. "There aren't bad neighborhoods. It's not like that here. You'll be fine anywhere in Tbilisi. I think the only place in the country you'd be at any risk is at the border, and that's military tanks, not crime." It felt like the first time I'd heard of, or thought of, a city or country that way. I've reflected on this idea in the past few weeks and agree with Greg's assessment. "Feeling safe" reveals expectations and biases moreso than mirrors reality. Where have you felt safest? Why? What are some "unsafe" spaces that you have felt totally safe in?
November was a long, full month of events, preparation, and reactivity. The First Person Arts Festival started and concluded. My father fell and broke a bone but he's home now and recovering. Giving Tuesday at Broad Street Review raised money to pay our writers and gave me opportunities to grow professionally.
Reading
You know how I'm always reading five books at once? I haven't finished anything in the past weeks, but I have gotten more books out of the library... They're cookbooks: Six Seasons, Tacos, At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen. I'm excited to finish at least one non-cookbook in December, maybe even two!
Eating:
The breakfast sandwich of note this month was the breakfast po'boy at Beck's Cajun Cafe in Reading Terminal Market. I highly recommend this sandwich and this spot, especially if you're attempting an early Center City meeting as I was.
Elsewhere in town, I enjoyed Dominican delights at Parada Maimon, which feels like a hidden gem.
I made Alain Ducasse's gougeres for a Friendsgiving; Kelsey made a brown sugar cranberry cake that night that was a project with a fun payoff, including cranberry jam to spoon onto everything else for the following week.
Meeting:
I'm preparing some semi-spontaneous theater for a "Golden Jubilee" tonight at Indy Hall for Cathy Goodwin. Later this week, my darling indie improv team Bad Kitten has our first show in years at our favorite venue, Headlong. And then I'm offstage for a few weeks until two N Crowd shows at PHIT, 12/20 and 12/27.
Beating:
With Kelsey's parents, we saw Bob Dylan at The Met. I last saw Bob in 2006 and had all but sworn off his live shows. This night was a solid, impressive performance, quite a contrast to that disappointment. I left with lots of thoughts about intergenerational icons like Bob and how his work has been so present in my life, even when I'm not looking for him. In somewhat related news, I've been listening to the Dolly Parton's America podcast and half-watching the new Ken Burns film/series Country Music.
Deleting:
I have way more torn envelopes (paystubs, bank notices) on my desk than I need. Yikes!
Retreating:
A day trip to New Jersey's Terhune Orchards was a charming diversion. The cider and the activities on the farm were nothing special, but fresh air and a cute produce stand were the perfect end to fall fun. Mid-month I took a Monday to watch a lot of Bojack Horseman.
The next newsletter will be my twelfth. I've been doing this thing for almost a year! I'm impressed and intend to keep it up. It's about two hours of prep and writing each time, plus the bits along the way of making notes. I promise more recipes and articles next time. Let me finish today by asking you this, though: I want to do more guided reflections and writing about my accomplishments from this year and goals for next. Do you do that? If so, what tools do you use? (The free-r the better.)
Thanks for subscribing,
Neil
Over Thanksgiving weekend, I had a chance to catch up with my friend Greg who runs a travel company ViaHero. Through his work and his recreational travel, he's been some fascinating, off-the-beaten path places, particularly in the past few years. I don't remember how it came up, but we started talking about the feeling of safety. He said he had once been on a dark street in Havana, in a neighborhood that was run-down. And that in that moment, he wondered "Am I safe?" He quickly answered himself that he was: some people may have looked at his circumstances and felt fear, but he had no reason for concern. This area wasn't more prone to danger or crime than anywhere else. He concluded that a feeling of safety is relative; it's all about perspective. I was reminded of my trip to Tbilisi, Georgia, and asking my host Chris (an American husband of a childhood friend) about any areas to avoid while I wandered solo. He paused. He'd lived in the country several times, in rural and urban settings, and I was curious about what he'd tell me. "There aren't bad neighborhoods. It's not like that here. You'll be fine anywhere in Tbilisi. I think the only place in the country you'd be at any risk is at the border, and that's military tanks, not crime." It felt like the first time I'd heard of, or thought of, a city or country that way. I've reflected on this idea in the past few weeks and agree with Greg's assessment. "Feeling safe" reveals expectations and biases moreso than mirrors reality. Where have you felt safest? Why? What are some "unsafe" spaces that you have felt totally safe in?
November was a long, full month of events, preparation, and reactivity. The First Person Arts Festival started and concluded. My father fell and broke a bone but he's home now and recovering. Giving Tuesday at Broad Street Review raised money to pay our writers and gave me opportunities to grow professionally.
Reading
You know how I'm always reading five books at once? I haven't finished anything in the past weeks, but I have gotten more books out of the library... They're cookbooks: Six Seasons, Tacos, At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen. I'm excited to finish at least one non-cookbook in December, maybe even two!
Eating:
The breakfast sandwich of note this month was the breakfast po'boy at Beck's Cajun Cafe in Reading Terminal Market. I highly recommend this sandwich and this spot, especially if you're attempting an early Center City meeting as I was.
Elsewhere in town, I enjoyed Dominican delights at Parada Maimon, which feels like a hidden gem.
I made Alain Ducasse's gougeres for a Friendsgiving; Kelsey made a brown sugar cranberry cake that night that was a project with a fun payoff, including cranberry jam to spoon onto everything else for the following week.
Meeting:
I'm preparing some semi-spontaneous theater for a "Golden Jubilee" tonight at Indy Hall for Cathy Goodwin. Later this week, my darling indie improv team Bad Kitten has our first show in years at our favorite venue, Headlong. And then I'm offstage for a few weeks until two N Crowd shows at PHIT, 12/20 and 12/27.
Beating:
With Kelsey's parents, we saw Bob Dylan at The Met. I last saw Bob in 2006 and had all but sworn off his live shows. This night was a solid, impressive performance, quite a contrast to that disappointment. I left with lots of thoughts about intergenerational icons like Bob and how his work has been so present in my life, even when I'm not looking for him. In somewhat related news, I've been listening to the Dolly Parton's America podcast and half-watching the new Ken Burns film/series Country Music.
Deleting:
I have way more torn envelopes (paystubs, bank notices) on my desk than I need. Yikes!
Retreating:
A day trip to New Jersey's Terhune Orchards was a charming diversion. The cider and the activities on the farm were nothing special, but fresh air and a cute produce stand were the perfect end to fall fun. Mid-month I took a Monday to watch a lot of Bojack Horseman.
The next newsletter will be my twelfth. I've been doing this thing for almost a year! I'm impressed and intend to keep it up. It's about two hours of prep and writing each time, plus the bits along the way of making notes. I promise more recipes and articles next time. Let me finish today by asking you this, though: I want to do more guided reflections and writing about my accomplishments from this year and goals for next. Do you do that? If so, what tools do you use? (The free-r the better.)
Thanks for subscribing,
Neil
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