january recap: articles, books, movies, & life updates

Whoaaaa would you look at that, it’s my first paid post!

I’ve been brainstorming what sort of perks I can offer paid subscribers and what kind of pieces I want to put behind a paywall vs. what I want to leave freely accessible. I’ve also struggled with the idea of monetizing this publication in the first place. I started writing because I wanted to explore a new form of creative expression and experiment with putting my thoughts out there in a space where they can be publicly perceived. I think there’s something very special and sacred about a hobby that stays a hobby—I resent the capitalist idea that any activity we do can or should be monetized. But alas, I do need to keep the lights on.

I thought a monthly round-up of media recommendations paired with some life updates or whatever random musings I choose to include would be a good place to start my paid content. I may throw in a few more paid posts here and there, or maybe even start a subscriber chat! Let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions for things you’d like to see from me.

Before I get into what I’ve been watching/reading/eating/listening to, let me tell you what’s been happening in my life this month!

I’ve been enjoying this poem, per recommendation from John Green, called Wild Pear Tree by Kaveh Akbar. Its opening line reads, “it’s been January for months in both directions,” which, wow, is so true. I know it’s only 31 days, but I do think January is the longest month out of the year. I’ve really been trying to savor it, as evidenced by my piece on how to survive the winter months, but I’m feeling ready for the red and pink palette of February. Valentine’s post coming soon!

Wild Pear Tree by Kaveh Akbar

My January has also been marked by dozens of job applications, a handful of interviews, and more rejections that I care to say. I’m still amid an existential crisis, contemplating what I want to do with the rest of my life and if it would be worth it to go to grad school. I’m really not in the mood to put myself back into the throes of academia, but most of my current career prospects—sex and relationship therapy, museum studies, journalism/writing, urban planning???— would require a master’s degree. Whatever. For now I’ll trudge along through the full-time job hunt so I can have something to sustain myself while I figure my shit out.

In some happier news, my girlfriend and I signed a lease on a new apartment! It’s twice the size of our current place and full of historic charm—A fireplace with the original tile, hardwood floors, and stained glass roses on the front door. I’ll be taking lots of before-and-after photos of the moving-in process. My girlfriend’s got a whole spreadsheet of furniture to buy, along with some 3D-renderings of where everything is going to go—she’s very organized—but I think I’ll also be sharing my personal new apartment wish list with you all shortly. :)

What else have I been up to? Well, working on this blog! I started letters from the library in November, but I’ve finally gotten serious about publishing regularly this month. My aim is to post something once a week, plus the monthly recap posts for paid subscribers, but we’ll see how well I can stick to that schedule. :,)

Phoebe helping me write :) ...and then Phoebe NOT helping me write

And for my final life update, I wanted to revisit my new years resolutions and assess how they’re going so far. I’ve made exactly no progress on Spanish, journaling, cooking classes, or pottery (those last two due to financial constraints), but the rest are going okay! I started anxiety meds last week, though I don’t think they’ve really hit me yet. I’ve also knocked an hour off my daily screentime after deleting TikTok following that egregious political stunt where the app went dark for 14 hours, only to come back and give Trump full credit. Yeah, I’m not redownloading that shit. I’ve also read three physical books, albeit two of them were children’s picture books and the other was a graphic novel. We’ve all got to start somewhere.

Now that that rambling diary entry is out of the way, let’s get into my January media consumption! This month’s topics span from loser billionaires, to eldest daughter syndrome, the scam of wellness industry, nostalgic movies, cozy dinner recipes, and other random recommendations. I hope you enjoy <3

articles:

24/7 baby machine by what ac writes - An excellent dissection of Project 2025 and its implications for reproductive rights.

Being ugly will set you free by Paris Mwendwa - A short and sweet essay on how beauty is used as a patriarchal tool of oppression and finding liberation in rejecting it.

Evangelical MAGAS Want an Apocalypse to Wipe out Unhumans by Tia Levings - An explanation of Christian dominionism and why evangelicals think the LA fires are a sign of Revelation.