What Rocks Roqué's World
What Rocks Roqué's World
5 Things that Melt my Face
Phew! It has been quite a week. I started to get a sore throat last Sunday night, and it got worse quickly from there. A runny nose, relentless coughing, chest congestion, fatigue, and a slight fever. It did not help that I have a show coming up this Sunday with my band in which I have to sing 11 songs in front of a crowd of people at the French House in Nashville. Thankfully, a COVID test gave me a negative result, but whatever bug I got has been quite formidable.
I have thrown everything I could think of at it. Acupuncture, pain killers, throat drops, herbal supplements, honey and lemon, mint tea, menthol chest rubs, vitamin C, warm showers, a ton of fluids, and lots of rest. Today is now Friday, and all of my efforts have proven to be effective. The congestion has decreased significantly. There is no more fatigue or fever. The only thing left is the coughing that seems to happen uncontrollably occasionally, but I have time to make that better. The show must go on, and I am on track to fully recover.
In my current state, I find it helpful to think about and do activities that give me joy. If I have to be physically miserable, my state of mind can heal in other ways. This week, I want to share five things that add value to my life and give me joy. This all might reveal that I am kind of a weirdo, but you may have figured that out by now.
Chopsticks
My chopstick set I take everywhere.
As often as possible, I eat with chopsticks. Yes, a spoon and fork are, arguably, far easier to use, but it is more about the tactile feel of using them that appeals to me. Each type of food must be addressed differently with chopsticks, and I also eat more slowly and mindfully as a result. (Pro tip: sticky rice works best with chopsticks. Anything else will make you want to strangle whoever invented the non-sticky versions.)ThriftBooks.com
I LOVE THRIFTBOOKS! If you love to read books like me and live far away from bookstores, this online site is a treasure trove of used books at low prices. I rarely, if ever, need to have a brand-new copy of a book, and I am often on the hunt for something more obscure. I have now been delighted many a time after finding something secondhand at ThriftBooks that I could not find anywhere else and at a good price. (If you buy a certain number of books in one order, the shipping is free.) This site is my go-to for books these days.
Recent purchases from thriftbooks.com. Survival of the Thickest on Netflix
I try to only binge-watch one show per month because I want to live most of my life away from a screen. This means that I must carefully curate what I choose to devote several hours to. Earlier this week during my sickly convalescence, I watched the Netflix show Survival of the Thickest, and I absolutely loved it. This show is the brainchild of comedienne and actress Michelle Buteau, and it documents the life of a woman in New York City who finds herself suddenly single after breaking up a ten-year relationship with her partner. As of this posting, there is only one season so far. It is not too much of a time commitment yet. The writing on this show is hysterical and watching it feels like eating comfort food. (Consider yourself warned. You may want to buy a Japanese toilet after seeing it.)Never Too Small on YouTube
These days, there are only two channels on YouTube that I tune into consistently every week. Never Too Small is one of them (the other one might be too silly to mention, LOL, sigh), and it is a series that showcases cleverly designed small homes from around the world. They have highlighted homes in Australia (where they are based), New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Japan, Spain, France, Italy, Brazil, and countless other places. Each episode averages around seven minutes in length. They are beautifully filmed and edited and provide a glimpse inside someone’s often renovated small apartment or house in an old, historic building. You also get to see the surrounding neighborhood. It is like visiting a foreign country in the comfort of your home. This series envisions a future in which it will be the common practice to renew and renovate older buildings for urban living instead of making new ones that take up more land and far more resources.
Here are some great episodes:
Japan . . .Australia . . .
La Califfa (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Ennio Morricone)
One of my favorite things in the world is to discover an obscure piece of music that simply blows my mind. A hunt on a streaming platform earlier this year led me to the soundtrack of an old Italian film called La Califfa. It has a film score by composer Ennio Morricone that is ridiculously gorgeous. Its main theme employs a rich, sweeping melody that supports an unusual but immensely effective piano riff. I wish I had written this myself. Listen to the track called La Cena from the soundtrack below. It will give you a lovely glimpse of the emotional musical landscape Morricone was trying to encompass.
I am thankful for my curious mind and propensity to seek out beauty, inspiration, and creative richness out in the world. This is certainly a healing practice as well as one that simply sustains a sense of joy in my life.
Before I bare my soul on stage and share more of what makes me uniquely weird this Sunday, I will keep working on getting better. If you know of anything that could cheer me up a bit, feel free to write back or leave a comment with something worth sharing that you love.
I can use all the joy I can get.
P.S. For those of you who live in the greater Nashville area or in Sarasota, Florida, here are my upcoming shows:
12/03/2023: the French House in Nashville, TN (w/ special guest Josefine accompanied by June Adam)
12/10/2023: Piano Sessions at Aviva in Sarasota, FL
Please mark your calendars and come out to a show!
Last weekend, I stayed at my Mom’s suburban home in Nashville to help with Christmas decorations. One evening, I decided to take a stroll by myself and walk to a drug store a mile away to pick up a couple of items. As a brown person, I do not usually go out walking by myself in the evenings anywhere, but it got dark so quickly that I decided to make the most of it. Walking alone in the nighttime allows you to see the world differently. I walked past homes in which you could see people watching tv through their front windows. One home was clearly having some sort of get-together. Lights were ablaze and lots of shadows were milling about. Everything always seems more ghostly in the nighttime. Signs for shopping centers and businesses give off an eerie glow and seem both lonesome and ominous all at once. I was happy to notice such strange beauty out and about.
To listen to my music, watch my films, or see my visual art, please visit:
WPR is my weekly labor of love. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber to receive a thoughtful, ad-free, and algorithm-free issue every Friday. Every cent supports all my creative work. Thank you for reading.