11/22 in the belly of the fish
rewatching some blockbusters, trying to reach my Goodreads goal, and other end-of-year shenanigans
Well well well, if it isn’t another DECEMBER 😱
November is one of my favorite months because it follows Halloween, features the birthdays of my two best friends, and is home to Thanksgiving, my second favorite American holiday. Plus, the anticipation for winter, cold weather, snow, hot chocolate, and all the other (rather mimetic, but undeniably good) things that this time of year has makes me feel so ALIVE. People have their Christmas lights up, I can turn on my fireplace, and yes the days are a bit shorter, but that’s all the more reason to appreciate the sun while it’s out.
This past month, I read a lot, watched a lot of movies, and started lifting more seriously. Also got to see my favorite comedian of all time in person… What more could a girl ask for? I am hoping to enter 2023 with a rigor that’s not unexpected but also still a bit surprising.
Let’s start with reading material:
4 3 2 1 by Paul Auster — Really long book (866 pages) but really good book too. One of those books that make you want to become a writer just so you can wield the power stories have.
Sketches of Beauty, Shades of Remoteness by Simon Sarris — I don’t know if you’ll believe me but I mention Simon Sarris maybe like a dozen times a week. I think about what he has written about owning a home and designing a home and making a home, I think about how he approaches parenting, and community, and work. One of the things I am grateful for in this season of thanks is being able to peer into the wisdom and lives of people like Sarris so that I can learn from them and question the principles that guide my material life.
Paywalls or Constant Intrusive Ads: Pick One by Freddie deBoer — I don’t really agree with this post but I found this one tidbit extremely funny, “Acura Avengers, Assemble!” I’d rather have the intrusive product placement than the incessant ads but I also think there should be a middle ground without having to subscribe to a thousand different streaming, reading, and other entertainment, art, and literature platforms.
Here’s a snippet from Oliver’s Devotions
Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
Some things to watch or rewatch:
I finally watched The Revenant (2015) and I thought it was a good survival movie. I have been in the mood for some of those lately.
I also rewatched The Hunger Games (2012-2015) movies and Avatar (2009). I think THG, as a series, is pretty underrated. The soundtrack for every movie is brilliant, and the story is touching. Especially with a railroad strike in the horizon, seeing movies where the working class unites and successfully organizes an uprising is good for morale.
Dark (2017-2020) — Finally finished this German TV show on Netflix about time travel, parallel universes, and nuclear power. Probably one of the best tv shows I have seen in a long time but also one of those shows where it’ll be awhile before I attempt to watch it again, if at all.
Mythic Quest, Season 3 — Currently airing every Friday on Apple TV+. The story of a bunch of video game makers continues. The cast is the selling point for me and this is coasting me along until Ted Lasso S3 comes up.
Paul Auster is one of those extremely well regarded writers I see mentioned but it doesn’t seem like a lot of young people have read him, so it’s encouraging to see you have. I think I tried reading one of his books, but it was a bit too NYC centric for me, so I stopped.