weekly digest #3
january 12-18, 2026: any old diamonds, a foreign language, face to the flywire, brownie sundaes, salt & pepper shakers
I prefer winter to summer, but we’ve gotten to the point of the year where it’s hard not to think of summer’s advantages. I would love sunlight at 8 p.m. and a breeze through the open window right now. I’ve been actively reminding myself of the things I appreciate about January; I like the sharp, clear air, I like the watery gray light, I like the ice on the lilac tree. On Saturday it snowed all afternoon and into the evening, fat cinematic flakes, and on my walks I didn’t have to remind myself of anything. I love the footprints in the snow, I love the warm glow of windows in the almost dark. But I do still wish the sun would set later than 4:30.
reading
I’m about three quarters of the way through The Portrait of a Lady, and was surprised by how James wrote about Isabel’s wedding and early marriage. The narrative builds towards this moment, explicitly warning us that Isabel will choose the wrong man, then keeps us at arm’s length from her once she does. We get very little information about the wedding itself, and then jump to two years in the future, with four chapters from other characters’ points of view before we get back inside Isabel’s head. We see how her life has changed from the outside before we get to know what she actually thinks and feels about those changes. It’s an effective technique for a book that’s largely about public opinion and tradition/convention. I’d been hoping to finish it this week, but some moderate brain fog made me take a break from Henry James for a few days and pick up something easier.
I read Any Old Diamonds by KJ Charles instead, a queer historical romance/crime novel. Alec, an essentially disinherited lord, hires jewel thief Jerry Crozier to steal an elaborate diamond parure from his shitty father, the Duke of Ilvar. In order to get Crozier into his father’s house, they pretend to be close friends and naturally become much more (this is, after all, primarily a romance novel). The plot plays out in a way that makes total sense for the characters, and is mostly satisfying, but I had hoped for more heist action than we actually get. It was an entertaining read though, and exactly what I needed to get through a few days of mental fatigue.
I also read A Foreign Language by Catherine Lacey, published in Gagosian Quartley in four parts. Lacey described it as either a long story or a novella. Newlyweds Ismail and Tomasa run into Nile and realize they were both briefly his lover before they met. All three of them are immigrants in an unnamed country, and the language they share is none of their mother tongues. I thought this was fine.
watching
I’m glad Cameron won Jeopardy Champions Wildcard. I liked Michelle, but Cameron is a better player and my loyalties have shifted. Hopefully he does well in the Tournament of Champions, which finally starts this coming week.
I’m continuing to watch DS9 with my dad and The Gilded Age with my mom. DS9 continues to be thoughtful and creative scifi – I love a long, complex narrative, but it’s nice to watch some truly episodic TV. I like to see a new storyline every week, with a few two- or three-part episodes thrown in, and narrative through lines that ebb and flow over the course of a season. Meanwhile, season two of The Gilded Age is a modest improvement from season one. There’s less exposition to tackle, so the writing is a little cleaner. It is unfathomable to me though that you could cast Audra McDonald in your show and give her so little to do.
listening to
I’ve had Face to the Flywire, an intense, gorgeous indie rock album from Platonic Sex on repeat. This is how I tend to listen to music – one or two albums over and over again until I get sick of them. I’m not sick of this one yet.
I also revisited The Wonder Years’ The Hum Goes on Forever. I’ve listened to this album a lot since it came out in 2022. I tried to write about why I love it, why I keep coming back to it, but I think that’s an entire essay of its own.
eating & drinking
For dinner this week my parents made slow cooker coconut chicken, salmon with lentils and spinach, spaghetti squash casserole with chicken and broccoli, chicken teriyaki burgers with home fries, black bean & egg bake, beef and broccoli, and ginger chicken and rice soup. My dad likes to try new recipes constantly, which is a wonderful thing, but occasionally leads to weeks like this where everything is good but not everything is great. The best meals we had, the teriyaki burgers and the beef and broccoli, were both repeated favorites. They were both excellent.
I’ve been in the lap of luxury eating brownie sundaes every night, with the brownies and hot fudge made from scratch by my mom. The brownie sundae is the perfect dessert – if a restaurant has one on the menu, I’ll order it every time. Even a bad one is good, and this is the best possible version.
making
I’m continuing with my sock, and have now knit most of the foot. You’re supposed to make socks with negative ease, but I’m starting to worry it’s a little too small. We’ll see how it fits after blocking – I’m close enough to the toe that I’m just going to finish it regardless. I can always frog it and start over if I have to.
I got a free trial of skillshare to watch a beginners hand sewing class. My sister gave me a sewing kit, some fabric, and a copy of The Handmade Home by Arounna Khounnoraj for Christmas, and I think I’m going to try making a throw pillow soon. I have some very rudimentary sewing skills – enough to mend clothes, but no sense of how to actually make something from scratch. I want to learn how to use a sewing machine eventually, but even if I had easy access to one right now, any hobby that requires me to sit upright at a table for an extended period of time is a horrible idea. So I’m investing some time in hand sewing, which can be done in bed or on the couch. It’s a nice mechanical task that requires almost no brain power and little physical exertion, so it’s been perfect for a week where I’ve felt kind of shitty off and on. So far my stitches are wildly uneven and basically ugly. Practice makes perfect.
shopping
Yeah, I’m still looking for a rug.
kitsch corner
I’m charmed by these chocolate-covered strawberry shaped salt and pepper shakers. I’m constantly a few bad financial decisions away from starting a kitschy salt and pepper shaker collection. I currently have a rooster and a lobster and need to not buy any more.
See you next week.
xoxo,
Franny 💋🧂