Stephanie Clark, detail from Raynault Dwelling, embroidery on shadow box canvas Her work certainly makes a person want to take up embroidery

Saw a play this weekend that took place in a small domed tent with a planetarium projection of stars on the ceiling

We entered the space through an intermediate space with a bit of ritual (I don't want to name names and give details because someday you might see it and I'm not ruining it for you) and then we participated (in the least ugh audience participation way possible) in the creation of the story. The play was fascinating and delightful and it woke us up out of boring everyday mind and invited us into a special, awake state. Not all theater—good or great theater, I mean—does that. You watch somebody else doing it and you have a contact special state going but not this active, immediate one.

I live for this kind of thing.

Things I live for, an incomplete list: *Any space that feels like a fort on any scale (blankets, not war) *Non-traditional spaces for theater pieces *A group of people in a room all dropping outer concerns/cynicism and being together in a heightened state for art/learning/exploration *I'm going to put candles on here although you'd never know I live for candles if you were observing me in my everyday life—like, if you live for candles so much, light a goddamn candle every once in a while. Go nuts.

Also, what are we doing with ourselves? What are we doing with our time? Why do we consent to be so numb and boring for most of our lives? Sorry to generalize; you yourself may be killing it in the special awake state game. I do not know.  Have you watched My Dinner with Andre lately?

In my heart I'm hoping that at least one of you out there is thinking, "Oh, yeah, I've never seen that," and this newsletter will be why you finally see it. But I think you've probably seen it. But if not or not lately, go here and do that. And if you want to do this properly, you'll need to make or acquire some potato soup to eat while you watch. The more care you or somebody puts into this soup, the better. Don't just open a lame can of potato soup. You need the energetics of a lovingly-made soup here. I firmly believe you will take in the film better and have more fun this way.  P.S. I really hope you're not allergic to potatoes, for this and many reasons. If you are, go ahead and substitute the cozy soup of your choice.

Andre Gregory is a non-traditional theater space/lit candle. (This would be a pretty great equinox night activity, by the way. You have a week to formulate your potato soup plan.)

Here's something I wrote many years ago about a special acting teacher I had who always brought us into this alert space:

letter to a good friend

PANNUKAKKU RECIPE

why not a potato soup recipe, Tina? going on about it like that up there

because I don't have a good potato soup recipe

but I have a good THIS recipe

Pannukakku = Finnish Pancake

(aka a Dutch baby or German pancake but with a cooler name)  PAHN-noo-KAHK-koo You have to say both Ns and both Ks. It's not Pah-noo-kah-koo. It's PAHN-noo-KAHK-koo.

  Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Have: 5 eggs 4-5 TB of butter, melted (4.5 is great, 5 is nice, 4 is fine. Bigger pan, bigger butter.) 1.5 cups of 2% milk (this is the best percent that will make the crispiest crust), warmed 1 cup of flour 1/2 teaspoon of salt a blender a big pan (a large cast iron skillet is traditional but we do this in a lasagna pan and everything's great) (don't sweat how big the pan is, exactly. it will be happy in many kinds of pans.) (just: big. on the big side.)  Blend those five eggs until they go pale yellow. I warm my milk in the microwave for 1 minute while the eggs are going pale. Melt 4-5 TB of that butter. Blend the milk & eggs. Add the flour and salt, blend.  When the oven is preheated, pour the melted butter into the pan and heat the pan for 5 minutes in the oven. Pour the batter into the hot pan and bake for we do it for 32 minutes and it's perfect so try that but your oven might enjoy a touch more or a touch less. It should look like that picture up there when it's done.  You can put maple syrup on it, or powdered sugar, or powdered sugar and lemon, or jam, or just cut yourself a hunk and eat it plain not even on a plate, just walking around with it in your hands.  This will make 6 reasonably sized pieces. (If there are four of you and this is the main thing, this isn't enough. Make two or have fried potatoes with it.)

that's my toe in a sock holding the book down to take the picture on my floor Nine Stories, JD Salinger, "Teddy" this apple-vomiting seems like something that happens in those spaces I get so excited about

p.s.

rejoice! these kids are out there right now in real life being part of Earth. THOUGH THIS TEXT/IMAGE IS SMALL AND COMES AT THE END, please don't dream of not watching this video (represented by the photo below, accessible through the link)

 The Louisville Leopard Percussionists playing Crazy Train