Their price was spent in merriment and revel at Whitehall

[sovay]

Tonight I roasted a chicken with apricot jam and made a sauce out of the pan juices by deglazing the roasting pan with the only potable form of alcohol we had in the house, i.e., whisky, and served the whole thing over rice. I feel very smug. Also, full. It was a larger chicken than it looked when I bought it. There are leftovers. Choice bits were given to patient little cats as a treat (and even impatient ones, like Autolycus who tried to introduce himself at every stage of the process, from the initial rubbing with butter, pepper, and salt through the basting with pan juices and spiced jam to the carving and serving, which had to be conducted in the dining room to be sure of keeping an eye on the carcass). Now I want to bake something. [edit] I just made some cinnamon Rice Krispie treats instead, because spite dessert never gets old.

1. yhlee has sent me a copy of Neat Sheets: The Poetry of James Tiptree, Jr. (1996) and a selection of international stamps, including a magnificent underwave mermaid that turns out to have been done by Dave McKean.

2. I didn't even realize we were getting a new gold coin this year—much less with an unambiguously Black representation of Liberty on the obverse—until a predictably racist controversy blew up around it. I think my only complaint is that I don't have a hundred dollars to trade in for one at this time. I've been carrying a Sacagawea dollar in my pocket for some time now, but the MBTA used to dispense those as regular change.

3. Following the SFPA's removal of Tlotlo Tsamaase's "I Will Be Your Grave" from consideration for the 2017 Rhysling Award after listing the poem online among the nominees and the outcry this decision reasonably provoked, I am now hearing that the poem has been reinstated and will appear in the Rhysling Anthology. I am glad. As the editor who accepted it for publication in the first place, I have obvious opinions about its speculative-ness and its right to be in the running for the only poetry award in our field. In the meantime, a new poem by Tsamaase will appear in Strange Horizons later this week, as part of our special issue on resistance that I would have announced earlier if I hadn't been flat on my face catching up on sleep.

These are good things and provide some fortification against other facts of the world, like derspatchel playing me Betsy DeVos' claims that grizzly bears are a good reason not to restrict the availability of firearms in schools or strange_selkie breaking it to me that Trump will lead an invitation-only prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral on Saturday and presumably not explode in a rain of sulfur as soon as he crosses the threshold or opens his mouth. Personally, on Saturday, I will be joining rushthatspeaks and Fox and I should hope a great many other people for the Boston Women's March for America. Who else can I expect to see there, or at least miss meeting up with in the crowd?

Comments

[movingfinger]

"Hello chicken! Let's be friends!" --Autolycus introducing himself. "Let me take you away from all this!"

That chicken sounds perfectly delicious.

Mom used to give our cat poultry necks---after boiling them for the gravy stock. I don't think that's in line with modern vet advice!

[genarti]

I will be at the DC march instead, but waving Bostonward!

I hadn't heard about the new gold coin either, but it delights me. I haven't bought any of the gold coins and I have no use (or budget) for one now, either, but this one I would like to have anyway.

[choco_frosh]

It's a $100 coin. wow.
I kinda wish that, if they were going to do a commemorative coin, that they'd create something actually usable, though. Maybe temporarily revive the Eagle.

(That chicken sounds delicious.)

[juliansinger.livejournal.com]

Trump's basically not deep enough to be spiritual, but he has regularly gone to a basically Presbyterian Church for a long time. (Or, I guess, Reformed? Whatever Norman Vincent Peale was.)

Anyway. I'll be at the Saturday shindig, mostly with my church, but I'll keep an eye out for Rush's hair. (And see if I can manage to say hi, was the point there.)

[teenybuffalo.livejournal.com]

I'll be there. Leaving from Somerville along with several other people, some of whom are coming from a distance. I understand that huge crowds tend to make it impossible to use cell phones, so I'm just going to appoint a meeting place for late in the day and leave it at that. I'll be glad to see you as and when I do see you.

[gwynnega]

I'm very glad to hear "I Will Be Your Grave" has been reinstated.

How did I not know there's a chapbook of Tiptree's poetry?

I'm planning to take part in the Women's March in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday. I've been trying unsuccessfully not to think about the inauguration.

[heliopausa.livejournal.com]

That was interesting, to the extent of startling, about the poem being bounced from the Award nominees. I'm glad it's been reinstated.

[larryhammer]

Tiptree's poetry? Must find STAT.

(Have I ever mentioned my personal connection to Tiptree? Can't remember.)

(Won't be there but at our local march, with TBD holding a sign saying "DON'T BE MEAN" -- assuming we don't get washed out by the inch-plus of rain being predicted.)

---L.

[drwex]

I was disappointed that the new coin is only commemorative and very expensive. I realize it's hard to change standard currency but this is WAY THE F*CK overdue, dontchathink?

Pygment might go march - depends entirely how recovered she is from Arisia con crud, which is right now keeping her from normal sleep.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

That meal you cooked sounds so good that I might just try to duplicate it.

All's well that ends well with "I Will Be Your Grave," but what a misguided effort on the part of the SFPA. Why on earth worry about whether a poem is spec enough? Of all the crazy battles to choose.

Thank you for going to the march tomorrow. Many people I know will be marching either in Boston or New York. I'm very glad.

[kenjari.livejournal.com]

I'll be at the Boston march. Most likely with the Wellesley crowd.