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Monochrome Memories
2022 January Input
In the early days of this blog (5 years and almost 400 posts ago) I used to do monthly roundups. I've fallen out of the practice but have decided to revive it for this year, having been inspired byJason Kottke and others. After all, what is a personal website for if not for my ill informed opinions on popular culture? So here is the media I have consumed for January 2022.
Accumulated Weight
Books of 2021
Last year I got through 65 books. (I've kept a list here) Because I'm not really using GoodReads anymore, I thought I would curate a few of my highlights:
2021 in Review: Who knows anything anymore?
Yet again, I sit down to summarize the year gone by and yet again I find myself struggling for words. It has been another year of chaos and contradiction, of pandemic and freedom, of confusion and connection. As I write, I am ill with COVID 19, somewhat inevitably being hit by omicron. Of course, I am lucky enough to be vaccinated, so I have avoided the worst of it. I started the year in lockdown and end it in isolation. Inbetween have been moments of connection and moments of joy.
Lost to Fog
Communion
Uncertain Art
I've been thinking about The Green Knight ever since I saw it a month ago. The film is a hypnotic blend of English myth, dream like strangeness and stiking imagery.[^1] . What has kept me returning to the film in my head is how little it explains for the audience. There is a clear quest with monsters and talking animals, but within this framework it resists easy interpretation. There's no simple explanation of what the different perspectives mean or why Gaiwan is on the quest. Instead, it leaves the meaning up to the audience.
Existential Horror Disco
The Tides of Time
