19 — the lazy edit
on what I've been into lately
I turned 31 this month. I’m now the age my mum was when she had me, something I’ve been reminded of an awful number of times these past few days. “And how does that make you feel?” October was exhausting. I was jumping from one thing to the next, spending my days on autopilot, no compass, no brakes. And yet, I didn’t crash.
But I also didn’t think, and so I’m a bit empty of thoughts and whatever it is I make this letter out of. So I’m copping out. It’s been a few months since I last did a roundup of things I’ve been liking, and I’m pretending that’s enough time to do it again.
The Forest Jar Instagram
I came across a cute animated video the other day that started with the sentence “poverty is man-made”. In one minute, this video essentially explains how poverty is no longer rooted in the scarcity of natural resources, but in the distribution of those resources. I tapped the follow button and spent half an hour watching clips from this page. The Forest Jar is also on YouTube where the clips are collected into series, but I admire the ability to turn important ideas into bite-sized pieces. I love a good metaphor, so one of my favourite episodes is this one about private property. These clips are obviously not deep enough to cover a subject fully, but they don’t try to anyway. They’re just unpretentious delightful bits on the mechanics of the world.
Le Grand Cahier by Ágota Kristóf
I’ve had this book on my shelf for two years, and I didn’t pick it up because the friend who gave it to me said it was beautiful, and beautiful doesn’t always appeal to me. I don’t know what he was thinking though because there’s nothing remotely beautiful about this. It is bleak and ugly and sad. And it is brilliant. I couldn’t help but feel this mix of disgust and nausea and curiosity and excitement, all at once, non stop. Kristóf’s writing is bare, but not in a clean, pretentious way. No. Her writing feels like simple food — it’s potatoes and eggs. And so the writing becomes a huge contrast to how the story unfolds. Kristóf destroys and burns our reality, only to put it back together in the most devastating way. This might actually be the best book I’ve read all year. As someone on Pagebound put it, traumatisant, mais brillant.
Pagebound
Do we need more apps? No. Do I dislike the book apps we have? Yes, and it’s why I get curious when something new pops up. At least curious enough to give it a try. I’ve been using Pagebound for a few weeks and it’s pretty cool. There’s a forum side to it that reminds me of the old internet and I’m weak for nostalgia. You can track your books and your reading goals, and you can read comments and reviews about any book in a way that feels more flexible than Goodreads. Sometimes I get the feeling that I don’t align very well with the audience there, but it’s still a lot of fun.
The Morbid Zoo’s video essay on Sinners
I loved this so much. I didn’t know this channel before coming across this essay but sometimes YouTube is really good to me. It recommends the wildest things, but when it’s right, it’s right. Mariana basically uses Sinners to talk about the direction art is taking these days, especially cinema, and why this film is different. I’m very interested in this topic, but I often feel that the conversations around it don’t really go anywhere. Hollywood, bad. Old cinema, good. Now what? She talks about this and how money is manipulating creativity and what that will do to art and ultimately, to us.
Miyoo Mini +
I got a little game console and I take it with me everywhere. If you’re into retro gaming, you might like it too. That’s about it. I love old games, sometimes more than new ones. I like the level of challenge and the graphics, and that you can just pick them up and play, no fuss. They spark something different in me. And this console has been my ride or die for the past few months. I’m currently making my way through Pokémon Platinum.
Berrohn’s video on Authenticity
This is so short, there’s no point in overexplaining it. But Berrohn talks about how authenticity online is really just another performance. My experience with instagram is very similar to his. I started out posting aesthetic photos, then moved on to a crafted grid, and ended up with natural photo dumps because they were easier and more authentic. But are they really?
Bisous bye bye xx
I've been looking for a reason to download Pagebound and I fear this is it!