They say that Chance, for example, is a woman without eyes, with one hair, one single hair, and with wings on her feet, and she enters by the window, never passing through the door. Yes, that’s the way she is.

don Eduardo Calderón, San Pedro curandero of the northern coast
as quoted in “Reading the Mesa,” by David Guss,
in The Book, Spiritual Instrument

by Regina Spektor

Life inside the music box ain’t easy
The mallets hit the gears are always turning
And everyone inside the mechanism
Is yearning
To get out

And sing another melody completely
So different from the one they’re always singing
I close my eyes and think that I have found me
But then I feel mortality surround me
I want to sing another melody
So different from the one I always sing

But when I do the dishes
I run the water very very very hot
And then I fill the sink to the top with bubbles of soap
And then I set all the bottle caps I own afloat
And it’s the greatest voyage in the history of plastic
And then I slip my hands in and start to make waves
And then I dip my tongue in and take a taste
It tastes like soap but it doesn’t really taste like soap
And then I lower in my whole mouth and take a gulp

…and start to feel mortality surround me
I close my eyes and think that I have found me
But life inside the music box ain’t easy
The mallets hit the gears are always turning
And every one inside the mechanism
Is yearning to get out
Is yearning to get out
Is yearning to get out…

David Mercado/Reuters

Evo Morales, right, donned ancient Indian garb for a traditional ceremony Saturday at the ruins of Tiwanaku, Bolivia’s pre-Incan capital.

From New York Times, 22 January 06

a book about beaches in Fairfield County

homages to many hours at Cove Island Park
remarks overheard about little Havana
access rights to Greenwich beaches
anthology?

Start: Sauté chopped onions in olive oil in a soup pot. Can also add some chopped parsnips at this time.

Step 2: Add chopped potatoes and a quantity of water. Add herbs as desired (marjoram, thyme, etc.) Boil until potatoes are soft. Mash slightly, leaving some potato chunks.

Step 3: Add chopped zucchini and chopped chard. Increase water if necessary until it looks like soup.

Step 4: Seasoning. May include some or all of the following: miso mixed in some hot broth; a dash of vinegar; curry powder; pepper.

Optional adjustments include a bit more mashing, or a sprinkle of grated romano.

A garnish with chopped scallions might have been nice, but I didn’t have any.