The Stats Trap and a Heatwave Supper

6/24/2025

Collard greens, as part of a low sodium diet, may reduce the risk of high blood pressure.

The problem with studying website stats/traffic—unknown unique visitors, repeat visitors, and that mysterious bounce rate—is the risk of becoming almost obsessed. Like wondering what to write about tomorrow, or spiraling because a blog post you didn’t even pour your whole heart into gets more traffic than anything else. Case in point: that Easter Sunday blog in New York. I still don’t know why it resonated—but the numbers don’t lie.

Yesterday’s heat didn’t bother me much. I stuck to my routine while a friend of mine, skinny as a reed, looked like he was dissolving into the sidewalk. Sweat poured off him in rivers. Climbing the hill to visit me was like trekking through a sunlit hell, so I did what anyone with a fan and some greens should do—I took care of him and cooked us dinner.

Two options. First: collard greens and kale I picked fresh from Peekskill Farms. Stirred them slowly over a flame with both chicken and veggie broth, onions, garlic, and at the end—bright orange peppers, just for drama. Poured that over some macaroni-like noodles (don't ask me the name—I was low on the pasta I actually wanted). The second was meatier: chicken spiced with something on the “hotter than comfort” scale, slicked with sauce and spooned over the same noodles. The kitchen was quite warm, and for once, I did not place much importance on the presentation after completing all the cooking. He ate and liked both, and for someone barely tipping 120 pounds, he put it away like a competitive eater. Meanwhile, if I ate that much? Let’s just say I hate catching myself in storefront reflections—always takes me a second to register that the guy looking back is me.

This morning’s already warmer, the kind of heat that makes me nostalgic for San Francisco’s worst Indian Summer week, when the mercury hit near 100 and the fog went AWOL. No one had air conditioning there. Everyone pretended that was normal.

I had AC here last year. This year I do not. But weirdly, the fans and open windows are doing the job. I actually prefer it. AC gives me the chills, literal and otherwise. All that cold air just makes me sniffly, like I’ve caught a minor plague.

Anyway—I’m ready to write. Fiction, that is. Been waiting for a particular moment to return to it, but maybe the moment is now. I just need time. Solitude. And less “entertainment,” which lately has felt more like a distraction dressed in sequins.

Peekskill Regeneration Farm located between Hadden Street and Decatur Avenue, adjacent to Oak Elementary School at Lepore Park. It is open to the public free of charge, and individuals are welcome to assist with the farm they have the time.

At the summit of Fort Hill, the Abbey Inn & Spa offers a luxurious restaurant and bar, as well as an elegant ballroom, all featuring breathtaking views of the Hudson River and the city of Peekskill