"I have just realized that the stakes are myself"
"Revolutionary Letter #1" - Diane di Prima | Ginger-Rhubarb Spritz | Clue Dandelion Butter
Poem
Revolutionary Letter #1 - Diane di Prima
I have just realized that the stakes are myself
I have no other
ransom money, nothing to break or barter but my life
my spirit measured out, in bits, spread over
the roulette table, I recoup what I can
nothing else to shove under the nose of the maître de jeu
nothing to thrust out the window, no white flag
this flesh all I have to offer, to make the play with
this immediate head, what it comes up with, my move
as we slither over this go board, stepping always
(we hope) between the lines
Beverage
Ginger-Rhubarb Spritz
Over Memorial Day weekend, I bought four pounds of rhubarb at the greenmarket. I made a lot of compote and syrups and put two pounds in the freezer. I made beach cocktails on Memorial Day from canned seltzer and rhubarb syrup along with some vodka my friends brought, but the real winners have been a rhubarb matcha latte and this little rhubarb spritz.
The problem is the recipe requires you to make rhubarb syrup, but then you just need ice and ginger beer and to put those all together.
You can also make a different really nice zero-proof sip with tonic, Seedlip Garden 108, and again, the rhubarb syrup over ice. It's like a little highball.
If you want to make the rhubarb syrup, it's just rhubarb, sugar, and water. Simmer it down, strain out the solids, and eat those on yogurt or oatmeal. Then you have the syrup to make so many fancy drinks.
Scent
Clue Dandelion Butter
Last year, I was intrigued by Clue, ordered samples, enjoyed them, and then learned that the perfumer was once the student director of the same student committee I was director of in college. Since then, they've released a fragrance called The Point, which I only recently smelled, and a new one called Dandelion Butter will be released next week.
Anyway, they had a little launch party for the new fragrance on Friday, and I sent a little email RSVP for the event after seeing the details on Instagram. I am extremely into the new scent. Dandelion Butter is listed as having top notes of pollen and dandelion greens, middle notes of yellow dandelion, snapped stem, and milky sap, and base notes of salted butter and dandelion-stained chin.
It is so lovely. The scent starts out very green and almost vegetal before mellowing into buttered popcorn and skin—which I guess is that chin note.
I also smelled The Point on a little piece of cardstock, and I need to get my hands on a sample of that—jasmine and ocean water!
Now playing via Spotify "daylist"
Other notes
Found a draft of a basically completed newsletter from November that I never sent. I can send it next November, I guess.
Anyway, I have been in the mood to write the newsletter every week for many weeks but then just forget on Sundays. God forbid I write in advance. I promise I won't.
A few notes on tennis
Here are some Roland Garros matches I recommend going back to watch, if that's what you're into:
Arthur Fils v. Jaume Munar: We've got the French fans singing the Marseillaise on Court Suzanne Lenglen, where the seats are right up to the clay, and two players leaving it all on the line, one of whom is maybe the most charismatic young player on the tour, which I say after watching five and a half hours of Carlos Alcaraz today.
Loïs Boisson v. Jessica Pegula & v. Mirra Andreeva: gosh, do I love a good underdog story. Boisson tore her ACL right before last year's French Open, and she dropped in the rankings to 361 or something similar. I am not looking it up, of course. But she made a beautiful deep run to the semifinals, where she lost to eventual champion Coco Gauff. She is now ranked 65. She is truly an excellent player to watch, and I do not think this performance was a fluke.
Jack Draper v. Gael Monfils: Monfils is a delight to watch, this match was electric, and Jack Draper will win a Slam someday. Monfils was asked if he still dreams of winning a Slam or something similar, and he said something along the lines of no, I dream about being old and healthy with a lot of kids.
Alexander Bublik v. Jack Draper: Bublik is one of my favorite weirdos on tour in the company of other outliers like Adrien Mannarino. Bublik will underhand serve, like, often and talks about how he won't sacrifice his life and body for the sport. In the last year, we've heard Juan Martín del Potro talk about being barely able to walk because of what the sport did to his body, and Rafa's son apparently says ouch ouch ouch going up the stairs to imitate his father's struggles with his foot. And to say nothing of Andy Murray's bionic hip. I think Bublik is onto something: treating his tennis career like a job, playing in his own style, and knowing his limits. If Bublik played every match like he did against Draper, he would win a Slam. But he won't. And I respect that a lot.
Elina Svitolina v. Jasmine Paolini: I love watching these two women. Svitolina isn't much older than Paolini, but I've been watching her for a decade, while Paolini was barely on my radar before her meteoric season last year. They are both excellent sportswomen, seem to have really balanced approaches to life and tennis, and can be extremely dynamic on court. And have you seen Paolini's grin? She's adorable, and it's infectious.
Carlos Alcaraz v. Jannik Sinner: This match was five and a half hours long, as I mentioned earlier, and every minute was worth watching. But in case you are a normal person, the fifth set alone is worth turning on. I really hope I get to watch these two play each other for the next ten years at least. Fifteen if they've got Djokovic's ...whatever it is that keeps him playing.
I have a weird desire to see Djokovic win Wimbledon, and I say this as someone who sent a number of texts last season reading "novac djokovic, retire, bitch!!!" which feels really excessive now. But something about an aging player still performing at his level and seeming to have more fun than ever, it's getting to me. I still think he has many terrible opinions and am squinting my eyes at him becoming some kind of politician in Serbia when he actually does retire, but right now, I actually want him to get the 25th Slam he so clearly desires? Then he can retire. He got his gold, he got his 100 tournaments, let the man finish the job. The US Open would also be okay, but I want Frances Tiafoe to win that in an absolutely shocking turn of events. Can you even imagine!! I think I'd climb the globe statue at Flushing Meadows! I just looked, and it's called the Unisphere. I actually laughed at that. But Frances looked good enough on clay to make me a little insane.