Friday Odds & Sods: The Quickening

It's been a gloomy couple of days here in the Metropolis.  The weather has alternated been dank and cloudy, autumn-like and cloudy, and just a general, neutral-grayish sort of cloudy. Not that I have anything against gray fall days, on the whole, but this extended period without either rain or sun seems to me to demonstrate a lack of commitment in the climate. But as the saying goes, everyone talks about the weather, especially when there is nothing else to talk about, even if no one can change it.  Let's hope for some pristine sunny autumn days ahead while turning to this weeks Odds & Sods.

• I must shamefully admit that I used to be a bit of a conspiracy theorist when I was younger, before I understood what pareidolia was.  But when I hear about a nefarious organization like the Order of the Occult Hand, I can't help but wonder...
• Lots of good reading this week on the intersection between fantasy and reality, art and life: a profile of the Zimmerman family now that their 15 minutes are up, Sontag on Riefenstahl, and the historical roots of Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County.
• Good on Google for recognizing Yoknapatawpha as a word.
• This week's remedy, The Weeper's Joy: take 1/2 tsp gum syrup, 1 oz absinthe, ditto dry vermouth, ditto kümmel, and 2 dashes curaçao, stir with ice, strain and enjoy.  

Map of Yoknapatawpha County

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