The holidays are upon us. So is the rush to tie up loose ends by the end of the year, both at work and at home. The weather can’t decide whether it is hot or cold, and I keep putting up and pulling out my winter wear. Jerked around and busy. But thankful for a month packed with time spent with friends and loved ones. Especially for those who love you enough to both advocate for you and hold you to account.

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This month’s playlist:

Angel’s Egg

I have forgotten how I first saw this movie. Or how I even heard of it. I feel it may have been during the restless malaise of lockdown. Viewed on a friend's Plex server or a dusty page of the Internet Archive. It was strange. Mysterious. Unhurried and beautiful.

Angel’s Egg was released in 1985, direct-to-video in Japan. It has only been available on VHS--DVD and Blu-ray in later years--and received sporadic, limited stints at theaters in its country of origin. This year, the movie was distributed internationally for the first time. It was wondrous seeing this avant-garde dark fantasy on the big screen. Our viewing was introduced by an animator. He spoke of how there is no consensus on the meaning of this work and he argued that possibly understanding is not the point, but feeling. He compared it to Lynch’s sentiment that his work didn’t require rational meaning because all he was trying to evoke was emotion. I appreciate his perspective greatly.

Fouuund.it

I am not a poet. I haven’t invested the time to read poetry, so writing it is beyond me. But I was delighted to learn of these poetry “games” at fouuund.it--a project by Emily Edwards. Every day, the site presents a passage from public domain literature and invites you to create a blackout poem or haiku from its words. Finding the poetry in the prose has become a creative practice I thoroughly enjoy.

Lirael

I remember being very put out as a kid because the sequel to Sabriel switched protagonists. I didn’t particularly like Lirael or Sam, and we only received a morsel of Sabriel and Touchstone. But I’m wiser now. This is a good sequel. It adds richness and mystery to this world I love. The new protagonists bring new complexities and personal challenges. It’s a very entertaining adventure. I can’t put it down.

Over the Garden Wall

I asked for this hat last Christmas of a very anxious gnome. People keep asking if he’s Wirt. My response is, if anything, this creature is one of The Hidden People. But the questions prompted me to finally revisit the limited series. I loved this animated tale suffused with charm and whimsy, and a shade of darkness, when it released. I was impressed the show was allowed to be a single, encapsulated run and left unmolested by endless sequels and spinoffs. Its potency has not been diluted as a result. But only grown richer with time.

Arcologies

I was poking around Bandcamp for some Jungle and stumbled upon this band. Great tracks to work to, or fall asleep.

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This month I also spent nearly a week in San Antonio and went on several photowalks around the city; I took photos for my friends celebrating pregnancies, anniversaries, and leavings, and I was asked to read some of my writing for a small audience.