Kim Mok-in's 'A New Language,' and Tangerines

20210104 Isn't there a way to speak without comparison? Can't I just say something new, as it is? Without any exaggeration, any rhetoric, without attack, without excuse, without excessive humility, without fear — with the mind's newness in full bloom. They say nothing's been new since the beginning of time, as if they themselves had never existed anywhere before, leapfrogging over every careless word, leapfrogging over every political line, without tired calculation, without suspicion — with the mind's newness in full bloom. As if there had only ever been stale, worn-out things, building imaginary houses out of every trivial word that can't speak without lumping things together, putting the whole world inside them, as if they alone were something new. Isn't there a way to speak without comparison? Can't I just say something new, as it is? Without any exaggeration, any rhetoric, without attack, without excuse, without excessive humility, without fear — with the mind's newness in full bloom. Leapfrogging over careless words, leapfrogging over political lines, without tired calculation, without suspicion — with the mind's newness in full bloom. A senior colleague introduced me to this musician years ago, and I even once sang his song 'A Thoughtful Night' at a concert. This morning's paper ran a piece titled 'Year of the Ox: Artists Who Plod Along Steadily,' and seeing him mentioned there brought the memory back, so on my first commute of the new year, I listen to his song. I relate to what he once said — that everyone likes musicians, but not everyone wants one living in their house — and still wonder what gives someone the strength to keep going anyway. On the first day of the new year, that feels like a pretty meaningful question, for office workers and everyone else alike. Radicchio and tangerine salad -Cut radicchio and tangerine into bite-sized pieces and plate with blueberries. -Top with pistachios lightly toasted in a dry pan, and cheese. -Finish with a dressing of whole-grain mustard, white wine vinegar, and olive oil, plus a bit of balsamic and pepper.