A Holiday Feast: Pleasurable Encounters
Pleasurable Recommendations by Yours, Truly
Welcome to the brand-new Pleasurable Encounters series, a way to share some recent Pleasures I’ve experienced, and a recommendation guide of sorts for Pleasure-seeking. I hope some of these Pleasures provide inspiration for you to go out and gather some of your own Pleasure, and guide you towards a closer encounter with personal joy. I hope to make these recommendations part of paid subscriptions in the future, so please do subscribe and upgrade as to not miss out.
These Encounters range the gamut Ω —from experienced Pleasure, to select objects that provide tangible Pleasure, to brushes with the the austere and the ostentatious. Some weeks may lean more practical i.e. things you can commodify and replicate, other weeks more personal, i.e. a peek into my diary, a moment shared. Let me know your thoughts, your Pleasures and more below. Just in time for the holiday season, I’ve curated a collection of the most pleasurable encounters I’ve experienced in the last few weeks.
This Week’s Pleasurable Encounters:
An interview with Sophie Calle in which the following quote comes to life:
“It’s not up to me to determine my category. I don’t really give a damn!” — Sophie Calle
I am completely and absolutely enthralled with the movie Maria starring Angelina Jolie. I went in to the iconic Angelika Theater at 4pm for a late afternoon screening, surrounded by old people and the smell of buttered popcorn. I left at dark, city lights twinkling, sauntering through the streets of quiet SoHo absolutely enthralled. You best believe I played the opera soundtrack blasting at full volume in my apartment the next day.
Like many peers I surveyed later that week, Maria Callas’ name is and was oddly unknown to a lot of my people my age (unless you are an opera aficionado or grew up cultured). I was first introduced to Maria Callas through a book I read and loved while in grad school, The Queen's Throat by Wayne Koestenbaum, which I highly recommend checking out. The film was the first time I actually heard Callas’ voice and music, an intoxicating, spellbinding aural sensation that snakes around and wraps you up with its bewitching melody.
The Craft Feast at Stissing House (Stissing World) with Clare de Boer of The Best Bit. A truly sumptuous, magnificent feast filled with artists selling the most beautiful ceramics, wooden spoons, handmade textiles like my friend Josie’s brilliant Studio Ford, a six-foot long basket of Clare’s famous Chewy Ginger cake and holiday celebrations to the umpteenth degree. I don’t know that another holiday gathering will ever trump the festive spirit of this two-day event.
A Sagittarius birthday dinner at Borgo in NYC where I had cakes aplenty
BOOKS! In no particular order, here’s my list of books I’ve read in the last 6 months:
Some I loved, some I hated, but you’ll have to message me to find out which is which.
So, what are your Pleasures, experienced and found? Do let me know below.
Coming Soon: Pleasurable Prescriptions…
…A new advice column in which I provide an Rx Prescription for those in need of Pleasure. Are you Weary, Lethargic, Lacking Vigor? Drop me your Pleasure queries below, and I’ll write a prescription to boost your Pleasure in forthcoming installations.
In Case You Missed It:
A Novelist's Personal Pleasures
She was moved to “set down a few pleasures randomly, as they came to mind.” —via
Pleasures, Curated
Each week a member from The Pleasure Lists community curates a selection of their Pleasures, along with a Q&A about what makes them tick. Become a paid subscriber so you don’t miss out!
The Pleasure Lists Q&A: Molly Young
We’re back with another installment of The Pleasure Lists: Pleasures, Curated.
Why submit a list?
Pleasure Lists are a summary of what you need, want, or have, or see at a particular moment in time. They are a survey, an overview, a summary of the crucial facts of the state of one aspect of your life. It’s a kind of blueprint that can be a guide to the future.
Mull it over and if you’re moved to, send me a list.
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Questions? Comments? Send any recommendations or suggestions for what you’d like to see in these newsletters my way. I’d love to hear more about what you’re currently finding Pleasure in.
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The dud Avocado forever!