Sunday Desk | Went to See a Man About a Bridge

Chicken and dumplings, a hive-mind TV show, and trusting the process.

I have been going non-stop since the week before Christmas. I thought I would be jumping back into my regular routine when I got back from Puerto Rico—Tuesday at 3:30 a.m.—but then, on Friday that week, I got a text message from my podcast co-host Rachel summoning me to Washington, D.C., with podcast recording equipment in tow. So my weekend was spent unpacking, running errands I ignored, and researching how to record in person in a room where you have no control over the sound.

In addition to having to prepare for the trip and driving 8+ hours to Northern Virginia, the technical challenges over the next few days would drive a person to drink. But we got it together and in the end produced a great episode. We even figured out how to go LIVE on Substack and still get a podcast episode out of it.

Ep. 202 | We Got the Playbook: Inside the GOP's Plan to Make America Affordable Again

Anyway, if you are a paying subscriber to the Rivera and Reeves Substack, come hang out with us the last Friday of the month at 11:30 a.m. for Unfiltered Live!

If you want to hear details about our trip to meet and interview four members of the Republican Study Committee, I recommend you give the podcast a listen—you’ll learn a lot directly from the members. But after our whirlwind visit to The Hill, I promised myself that I was going to take it easy this weekend and get my life back in order. Which means an exciting weekend of laundry, cleaning, organizing my office, and reading. I’m in the homestretch of The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek, and I am determined to get it finished.

Speaking of books, a video recently came across my feed about the dystopian novel by C.S. Lewis, That Hideous Strength. It is the third part in a space trilogy about how the intellectual and technocratic class seeks total control through science, bureaucracy, and occult forces, aiming to transcend human nature by abolishing the body and organic life. I immediately added them to my shopping cart. But I need to know—has anyone read this series? I had no idea that C.S. Lewis had written dystopian space fiction!

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I Recently Watched

Have you seen the show Pluribus on Apple TV? I have come to realize it triggers some strong responses—love or hate—from viewers. Spoiler: I loved it. Although I failed miserably when I tried to explain the show to my friends. Because, well, it is weird.

Pluribus is created by Vince Gilligan, the creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. The protagonist is played by Rhea Seehorn, the same actress who portrayed Saul's attorney friend/girlfriend. (I can never remember the character’s name.)

Pluribus stars Rhea Seehorn as novelist Carol Sturka, one of only 13 people immune to an alien virus that turned humanity into a peaceful hive mind called the “Others.” She resists assimilation while grappling with isolation and moral dilemmas. The show is set in Albuquerque, like all of Gilligan’s shows.

The show is funny, legitimately entertaining, and if you are a fan of the cinematography and framing that Gilligan’s shows have become known for, this show delivers. While it’s entertaining, it’s the commentary that I was most intrigued by—especially considering the time we are currently living through.

The “Others” are a hive mind that cannot hurt anyone and live and work together as a collective. Any and all individuality and autonomy that these people once had is gone, taken away by the alien virus that has infected all but 13 people on the entire planet. But 11 out of the 13 show little interest in finding a solution to restore humanity to the world's population, including their loved ones, because they now live in a world where everything is provided. They no longer have to work, and there is no danger or violence.

Only two of the 13—including the protagonist, Carol Sturka—oppose the “Others,” holding on to their independence and individualism even in the face of extreme loneliness.

Remind you of anything?

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What I’m Making

I don’t know how the weather is where you are, but it is freezing here. While normally on a cold day I make a simple whole-chicken soup, I was craving something more comforting—so, obviously, it needed to be chicken and dumplings.

Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings

Soup

• 2½ lbs chicken thighs

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 large onion, cut into large chunks

• 4 cloves garlic, sliced

• 2 celery stalks, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 chicken bouillon cubes

• 4 sprigs fresh thyme

• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

• Salt to taste

• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces

• Ground black or white pepper

Dumplings

• 1½ cups flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• ½ cup coarsely ground cornmeal

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1¾ cups heavy cream

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and brown. Arrange chicken in a large kettle or pressure cooker.

2. If you are using the kettle, place the chicken, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaves, bouillon, thyme, and sherry vinegar in a large pot.

3. Add 4 quarts of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

4. Simmer the chicken until it is tender and the thigh juices run clear, about 2 hours or until chicken is very tender. Add carrots during the last hour.

5. If you are using a pressure cooker, place all soup ingredients in pressure cooker, add enough water to cover chicken and vegetables, bring to 15 pounds pressure, cook for 35 minutes, and let pressure fall naturally before removing lid.

6. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones and shred.

7. Meanwhile, mix the batter for the dumplings. When chicken is cooked, place dumplings over the top of the chicken and vegetables, turn on heat once more, and cook covered for 12 minutes or until dumplings are puffed.

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Went to See a Man About a Bridge

You would be amazed at the things you can find on Facebook Marketplace. Seriously.

Regular followers on my IG know that the husband and I have some off-grid acreage up on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee. The only way to access our tent site is to four-wheel our way through the woods and across a creek. We have been four-wheeling across this creek for four years.

But on Saturday, we bought a 34-foot bridge on FB Marketplace made of I-beams and wood planks. I am currently trusting the process. Husband says it will work, even though I am not sure exactly how we will get it set up.

We are headed up to drop it off this morning. Stay tuned, because I suspect it will be an adventure.

Yes, I will absolutely take pictures.

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My Current Obsession

I have discovered Japanese stationery, and I may never recover.

With the start of the new year, I needed a new “thinking notebook.” This is a notebook I carry around as a second brain. It holds everything from random lists to reminders, content ideas, and whatever else is occupying space in my brain.

I have long used a Moleskine or Leuchtturm notebook as my “thinking notebook” out of habit and not love. Then I stumbled upon a cute little store here in Chattanooga called I Go Tokyo. Think gift shop, but everything is from Japan. Their Japanese stationery in the back corner of the shop is my current obsession—and it was also where I discovered my 2025 “thinking notebook,” the Midori MD Notebook Journal.

Ignore the coffee stains on my brand-new notebook.

In my search for more Japanese stationery, I discovered JetPens and have been on a constant algorithm feed of Japanese stationery content. It’s a problem. Please tell me I am not alone.

Thankfully, I have only gone on a very small shopping spree, which included highlighters with “training wheels”—and yes, I love them.

My wishlist is growing.

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That’s a Wrap

If you’re new here, welcome to Sunday Desk.

If you’re used to my news coverage and media analysis, think of this as the other side of the coin—the slower, more personal stuff. Sunday Desk is where I share what I’m reading, where I’ve been, what I’m cooking, and whatever else is on my mind that doesn’t fit neatly into a news cycle. It’s the newsletter equivalent of a long Sunday morning with a good cup of coffee.

My goal is simple: to create a space where we can step back from the chaos of the week and just... be. Talk about books. Share a recipe. Recommend a 34-foot bridge on Facebook Marketplace that you absolutely have to see.

If this sounds like something you want in your inbox, make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next one. And if you’re craving comfort food for a cold day or need a new show to binge, save this post—you’ll thank yourself later.

Thanks for being here. See you next Sunday.