Smorgasbord #19

Fellowship, bees, fiction & an instant

Aperitif

We went to our parish’s fish fry because of Lent, and it did not disappoint. Diana and I enjoyed the fried flounder, baked cod, and fried shrimp while the kids ate fries and sweets. It doesn’t feel penitential, to be honest with you. Unless you count as penance cleaning the kid's shoes, which they caked in mud by playing in the square foot of the courtyard that had mud, Diana cleaned it; she’s a saint.

We hosted our second happy hour of the year, and even though some people gave up alcohol for Lent, I want to think they still had a good time. We had a swarm of kids running from the kid’s bedroom to the trampoline and back, taking snack breaks occasionally. Observing how they interact and make their own games is very fun.

There was no punch this time; I made two cocktail batches: the Aviation and this Mezcal cocktail I told you about a few weeks ago. It was great to see familiar faces and newcomers. Everyone hung out around the kitchen, where we had the cocktails, which made me think that if I moved the bar to the backyard, we might get a better flow of people throughout the house.

I published essay 35 of “Forty Before Forty,” the memoir I was trying to finish before my birthday. The piece is called “Suffer Well,” and y’all seem to like it when I talk about heavy topics. There’s five more essays to go and then I’ll probably write a post-op of the experience before I move on to the next thing.

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Soup du jour

I was talking with a coworker, and he told me how bees are trained to detect bombs. I was incredulous at first, but then I watched this video explaining how this technology works, and I was blown away.

Photo by Damien TUPINIER on Unsplash

The bees are trained to identify explosive gases, which they can identify with their tongues. Once trained, half a dozen bees are arranged into a cartridge, and several cartridges are loaded onto a vacuum cleaner-looking thing that can read whether or not the bees are reacting to explosive gas. Based on the consensus of the bees in the cartridges, they can know if explosives are present.

After a week of working as mine sweepers, the bees are returned to the hive—the stories they must tell their fellow worker bees.

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Hors d’oeuvre

• I’ve been talking to

  Scoot
  about fiction, and he recommended two Arthur C. Clarke stories: “Rescue Party” and “A Walk in the Dark.” I enjoyed them both a lot. I didn’t grow up reading fiction except for my high school world literature classes, and I’ve spent my adult life reading books that would make me a better person (as in the self-help section), but now I’m rediscovering the joy of reading for fun.

• I saw that M.E. Beckley (

  The Chronicler
  ) published the last episode of her Project Blackwater serial, which I had been eyeing for a while but hadn’t had a chance to read. Long story short, I binge-read all ten episodes this week, and I have to say I’m glad I did. Here’s a taste:

  Agent Jack Osborne is good at his job, good enough to make the lead on an investigative case into a private company led by the strange and charming Dr. Karasevdas. But is he strong enough to dive into the black waters of his subconscious and navigate Elysium’s strange facilities?

  But wait, there’s more! 20+ fiction writers on Substack have written stories in the Project Blackwater world, and you can find them all in The Blackwater Files. I think it’s a clever project, and you should check it out.

• You may have heard of a trend where women ask men how often they think about the Roman Empire. If you’re

  Andrew Smith
  the answer to this question, at least this week, is two. Speaking of number two, he wrote Doodoo Diligence, discussing how the Romans handled human waste. It is a worthy read on your next trip to the throne.

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Digestif

This week’s Spanish lesson is “En un santiamén.”

Meaning: In an instant.

Origin: It comes from the last part of the sign of the cross in Latin: In nómine Patris, et Fílii, et Spíritus Sancti. Amen. Sancti Amen got mushed together and we dropped the n to get santiamén.

Example: Breakfast will be ready in a santiamén.

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Sobremesa

1. Does your parish have a good fish fry? If not, what’s your go-to Lenten meal(s)?

2. What other animal/technology would you like to see?

3. Do you have a favorite fiction substack/author/book?