Friday Mailbag - 1/29/21

Got my eyes wide open, and I see the signs

Welcome to the Friday Mailbag. What a stressful week. I am, however, watching Tiger King, and Tiger King makes everything better for 45 minutes. Also, it snowed. I like snow. If you care to know more about these radical ideas of mine, listen to this week’s episode of 20 in 20.

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20 in 20 EPISODE FIFTEEN is LIVE!

I had a grand old time recording this week’s podcast. Got a little silly with my voices and my reviews of hot button issues like Elton John, USB cables, and Jerzy Kosinski. Please consider listening on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Buzzsprout.

So few newsletter stories as of late! As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been writing a lot of fiction, and that’s taken up much of my time. Will you ever get to read said fiction? I don’t know yet.

I also recorded a video about this week’s stock market shenanigans. Obviously, I’m highly invested in this story. The video took me all of five minutes to make. Sorry if it shows.

AND NOW TO THE MAILBAG…

Loyal N.E.H. reader, Charles, asks:

“Favorite way to prepare sweet potatoes?”

I’m glad you asked. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t “lack skills” – I just have fewer skills than most people. One of my skills is cooking.

I’m not a big sweet potato guy. Sweet potato fries, roasted sweet potatoes, that sweet potato/marshmallow dish some people make on Thanksgiving… none of it appeals to me much. I will say that sweet potatoes are cheap, filling, and nutritious, so I sometimes throw them in soups, chilis, stews, etc..

Do you have a recipe or preparation method I should try? If so, please let me know!

Loyal N.E.H. reader, Peter (not my son), asks:

“Dear Pat, thoughts on Irene Cara’s discography?”

First of all, thank you. I am a dear. I’ve always known this to be the case.

Now for the hard part. I hate to break this to you, but I have no strong feelings about Irene Cara. I barely know her catalog! She sings “Flashdance” huh? That song’s fine. “Fame?” I like that song more, but not much more. Are there other songs worth looking into?

Fun fact: from 1971-72, Irene was a regular cast member on the children’s TV show, The Electric Company. Thanks to David Kamp’s Sunny Days (Simon & Schuster, 2020) for that tidbit.

Got a question? Feel free to comment on this post or e-mail me at newexperimentalhours@gmail.com. Thanks!

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Next time I see you, it’ll be February, “the worst month ever.” Is February overrated, underrated, or properly rated? Please consider leaving a comment below.