I had a fantastic time writing The Improbable Charm of Carmiña Vacaloura. But it’s been just as fascinating to hear from fans of this unique work.

If you haven’t read my original post — and equally important, watched the video — what follows may seem nonsensical at first. Ideally, though, it will arouse curiosity and send you back to check out the starting point.

If you have read the original post (and didn’t hate it), I’m pretty sure you will appreciate these updates, explanations, and insights.

A Note from Pilar

Up to December of 2020, fewer than a hundred potential readers had viewed The Improbable Charm of Carmiña Vacaloura. That’s a very small number — especially considering that the story was “chosen for distribution” by Medium arbiters, and appeared in a very fine pub like The Junction. …

No — that’s not a picture of my house. If only!

In fact “my” house is a vintage suburban ranch-style, with plenty of square footage. But as it works out, I can only live in a very small part of it.

Short version — I set out to restore my parents’ somewhat sprawling property, and two years later, I’m still stranded in a cross between Mr. Blandings Builds His Dreamhouse and Groundhog Day.

Both very fine movies, but you wouldn’t want to live in them.

There’s a surprise twist, though. I’ve learned to love my micro-kitchen. On the one hand, it’s amazing how much real cooking you can accomplish in such a small space. And on the other hand, it’s surprising how much cooking you can learn to do without. …

If you become disoriented by the experience of change,
just return to the form.

If you become overwhelmed by the potential scope of change,
just return to the form.

If you become discouraged at the pace of change,
just return to the form.

If you become afraid of the results of change,
just return to the form.

A couple of decades ago, I printed those four sentences on a sheet of marble-patterned paper. …

An interactive Tarot dance performance, plus some notes on Tarot and the “Christmas Star” of 2020

I’m constantly surprised by the Tarot-inspired projects I stumble over, in places I would never have thought to look. And this week’s newsletter starts off with the latest example . . .

Tarot on Stage

The goal of Aura CuriAtlas Physical Theater is to “find magic in ordinary situations, presented in unusual ways.” Blending dance, acrobatics, and visual art since 2013, the company takes its name from the combined qualities of lightness (Aura), strength (Atlas), and play (Curiosity).

Given the adventurous spirit of Aura CuriAtlas, it’s not surprising that in 2019 they decided to translate the Major Arcana cards of the Tarot into a work of performance art — bringing to real life the essential symbolism of the cards. …

Now

I wrote this story in stages over the first half of 2020. But worse-than-usual things kept happening in the world—and it never seemed like the right time to publish a story about sadness.

Now we are almost at the end of the year, and everything is much worse. It’s not just what has happened, or what might. It’s what we know.

So perhaps this may be the right time.

January

The luxury I’m thinking of is to be sad without having to explain — to yourself or to others. …

I’ve been in pursuit of the “perfect planner” for as long as I can remember. And I suspect a lot of other writers are similarly obsessed/perplexed.

Writing life just isn’t a good fit for standardized, calendar-focused planners — at least not usually. If you happen to have the sort of writing job that involves lots of deadlines and editorial meetings, you probably need an hour-by-hour daily view.

But.

If you are writing on your own — whether part or all of the time — you need a strategy that can combine big goals, small tasks, lots of notes, ideas to investigate or organize, and more. …

Poet Marianne Moore on the creative benefits of scientific rigor

Born in 1887, Moore became the most influential female poet of the modernist period. And at midcentury, an unlikely American celebrity.

Here’s a fascinating passage from her 1960 Paris Review interview . . . .

Interviewer: I wonder what Bryn Mawr meant for you as a poet. You write that most of your time there was spent in the biological laboratory. Did you like biology better than literature as a subject for study? Did the training possibly affect your poetry?

Moore: Did laboratory studies affect my poetry? I am sure they did. I found the biology courses — minor, major, and histology — exhilarating. I thought, in fact, of studying medicine. Precision, economy of statement, logic employed to ends that are disinterested, drawing and identifying, [can] liberate — at least have some bearing on — the imagination, it seems to me. …

If every president is either a Cat or a Dog — which species has been occupying the White House for the past four years?

Welcome to the Pets and Politics Forum. We have had many new visitors since the nation learned that an incoming Biden administration will soon restore the traditions of presidential pets.

But with the absence of White House pets for the last four years, we were forced to pursue alternative topics. And among the most frequently discussed:

“Is Donald Trump more like a dog or like a cat?”

In analyzing this question, we have focused on five key points:

1. Coloration. There are no orange dogs. A few golden retrievers have a slightly orange cast in certain lights, but it is not really worth mentioning. Certainly none of them could disappear in a pumpkin patch. On the other hand — cats come in every conceivable shade of orange, ranging from the deep natural hue of a tangelo to the neon brightness of a Cheeto. …