Jenn D’s May Recs
Hello you fresh-faced readers, you citizens of the internet, you delightful weirdos who check in to see what I’ve been up to. This month, I hope, will not disappoint!
I’ve joined the rest of the internet in signing up to Dracula Daily, which is the original 1897 Bram Stoker novel sent to us readers exactly as it happens to the characters. I’ve never read Dracula so this is all new to me, but I’m living for the memes. And I did make chicken hendl (which is actually called paprikas csirke (known to us in the colonies as “chicken paprikash”) and I can confirm that Jonathan Harker is a big old baby. I put so much paprika in it, but even my kid who doesn’t like pickles (“too SPICY”) ate it. I quite like the Adam Liaw recipe here—it didn’t require me to buy & cut up a whole chicken, but instead went “nah, the grocery store packet of thighs is fine”, and that, my friends, is why we love Adam Liaw. (One of many reasons.)
In addition to chicken paprikash, I was ambitious and I made pierogi (way to go, Ukraine, at Eurovision) and it was delicious. I ended up making about two hundred and freezing the rest. It normally takes ages, but I don’t make my own dough. I use premade gow gee wrappers instead and they work great. My recipe there is from Leanne Brown’s epic and wonderful Good and Cheap book, and it’s available free on her website, too.
I also signed up for the three year Moby Dick read along, so we’ll see how that goes. Check back in 2026. I may have actually managed to read it.
As far as other books go… not so much! I’ve mainly been doing around-the-house stuff and cheering my daughter on. She finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on Saturday night. I am so proud—she wanted to finish the series before she turned eleven, and she did it with months to spare! It was a huge effort for a ten-year old. It also gave us lots of chances to talk about some of the great themes in the book, as well as some of the not-so-great themes, and to talk about why no matter how good a writer one is, how they use their power and privilege is important, too. She’s just getting old enough for these chats now and while it’s a stretch for me as a parent to find the right note, I love that I’m learning with her.
Television—this has been a bit thin on the ground, to be honest. Most of what’s on my screen is David Attenborough in one form or another—we’ve particularly been enjoying Life the Glows—but I did manage to watch the first couple episodes of Heartstopper, and I just want to wrap Nick up in a blanket and cuddle him half to death for being the cutest and sweetest and most earnest person EVER. UGH. HE IS THE BEST.
Stuff I’m doing… our chaplaincy group is still going! We decided to keep meeting socially, just checking in and doing blessings every week. I love them all. I feel so thankful that there’s an incredible group of people to meet up with every week, and that we’re all hands-out, hearts-open, arms-wide.
I’m starting a writing course this week with one of my favorite authors… terrifying but also it’ll be good to stretch myself!
I had a good chat with my therapist. Things have been not great. No red flags, but maybe some pink ones? I’ve struggled to get back into running, and I’ve been missing my evening journaling, and finding myself all over the place, unable to settle, unable to focus. It sucks and I hate it. So we’ve upped therapy to fortnightly and set some nice firm goals (not impossible goals, but firm ones). I’m hoping that helps.
It’s just that we’re still in the midst of a pandemic, and I’m so tired. I mean we’re all tired, but I’m tired and still wearing a mask, and it feels like I am the only one. Or the only one in my suburb, anyway. All of the people I love who are also wearing masks are not traveling, so I can’t even go hang out with my masked mates. And I am very, very, very, very tired. I miss my friends and I want to go visit them. I want to eat ice cream in another country. I want to run three times a week without it feeling like I need a pry-bar to get out of my house. I want to sit in the sun on dry, non-squelchy ground, and look up at the sky, and to breathe and not worry about germs or mosquitos.
But until then, I have lots of pretty leaves to look at, and about a million pierogi in the freezer, so at least I’ll have delicious snacks.
Take care of yourselves, and I’ll catch you next month!