January Field Notes

A custom envelope designed for a penpal of mine :)

I often find myself listless. More focused on the dead skin beneath my fingernails, or the give of a velvet sofa under my legs, I struggle to buckle down and do something purely for leisure’s sake. What that means is that when I do consume media, it needs to be worth it. These were my January picks.

Literature

I only read one book in January, despite intending to get through more. That book was Man and His Symbols by C.G. Jung — a collection of fascinating essays comprising not-so-empirical ideas about the unconscious, our dreams, and those persistent symbols that so often wake us in a cold sweat.

Picnicking under an unusually mild Australian sun, I read most of it while watching the trees sway above me and listening to the da-ding of a bicycle rolling down the backroads behind me.

The book interested me not because it proved anything, but because it offered an enhanced lens through which to consume other media. Symbols of cycles, wholeness, and duality consistently present themselves across film and television, often accepted without interrogation. It also becomes a slightly ridiculous but enjoyable game to play after waking from a strange dream. Every character wearing black must be my Shadow. Or something like that.

I liked it enough that I’m now moving on to another collection of his essays for February — Modern Man in Search of a Soul. I enjoy most critiques of why we are always so bored (or maybe just why I am) and why things can feel so aimless. It might just be my 20s speaking. Still, there’s a certain party trick quality to saying “I’ve been flipping through some Jung recently” and watching everyone groan in unison.

Film

In January, I found myself wanting to explore older, classic films. I watched Hitchcock’s Rope (1948) and the iconic Some Like It Hot (1959) with Marilyn Monroe.

Since most people already know the plotlines (or at least recognise clips), what struck me most was form. Watching older films makes you acutely aware of how much newer releases can be simplified for distracted viewing. Contemporary films often operate under the assumption that you may be on your phone, so obvious plot elements are delivered through both showing and telling.

Older films are not necessarily harder to follow, but they feel enriched by every second of movement, colour, and sound. Attention feels rewarded because it is expected, rather than merely suggested. Both films felt genuinely exciting, and it is easy to see how they have endured.

I also watched Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film while staying in the countryside. Despite its dense four-hour runtime, it felt packed with detail, energy, and a smorgasbord of artistic interpretations.

I am personally more interested in Warhol’s life than his art, and some pop art interpretations felt extravagant — occasionally more speculative than necessary — but it was still compelling to see what others derive from his work. I was especially intrigued by the idea of Warhol capitalising on “crisis” — Jackie Kennedy after JFK’s assassination, Monroe after her death — and how this parallels a continuing fixation in the art world: political relevance.

All work exists within a context. That is inevitable. But sometimes work is produced primarily to shock or capture attention rather than to express something deeper within the creator. This is not inherently a fault — plenty of excellent work emerges from this — but it can occasionally come at the expense of broader thematic exploration.

Gaming

I am not a gamer, but I do really enjoy Stardew Valley. In fact, what if I told you it transformed my view of nutrition?

Stardew Valley changes with the seasons. The world changes, and the produce changes with it (unless you use the greenhouse) — much like the real world. But is that how we experience the real world anymore?

In a supermarket, we can choose seasonal foods, imported out-of-season foods (for a price), and ultra-processed food that won’t even mould or melt if left out on the kitchen counter. The supermarket lacks a sense of time. It is disorienting in more ways than one. Sometimes it will be mid-autumn and I know things are “in season,” but I don’t feel it.

In that sense, Stardew — with its heavy focus on seasonal farming practices — made me want to live seasonally too. To eat beloved Australian summer produce. It grounds me.

The New Year can feel terrifying and liminal — a strange space where you want to uproot your life and cement it permanently at the same time.

So. Just eat your mandarins. My advice.

Music

During the brief period where I redownloaded TikTok (do not do this), I discovered the concept of “Evil 80s Music.” Think the recently viral Fire in My Heart by Escape From New York.

Broadly, Evil 80s Music refers to that synth-heavy sound that could easily underscore a villain entrance. It might provide a confidence boost. At minimum, it enables a good daydreaming sequence.

I have embedded a playlist below (title borrowed from S2E5 of Interview with the Vampire, my love) if you want to explore it yourself.

Television

Yes, I watched Heated Rivalry. No, I don’t have much to say about it.

I do, however, have thoughts about The Pitt. If you don’t already know, it is an ER-style show set in real time (every hour in the show is an hour of your time), and it is one of those productions where the technical accuracy is genuinely striking.

I am not a doctor, but I do have an acting background, and you can tell when actors have studied real procedures. The confidence visible in their dexterity — suturing, repositioning, communicating — is quietly impressive and likely very difficult to perfect.

It is also a show unafraid of controversy. Since medical systems are always intertwined with broader social conditions, I appreciate when that relationship is explored in ways that are provocative but still sensitive.

Watch it.

Conclusion

While it is true that I could read, watch, and play more than I do, I value intentionality. I prefer to engage with leisure when inspiration strikes. This is why I routinely fail the Goodreads annual challenge. I don’t like turning leisure into a chore, and gamifying it can do exactly that.

No judgement if you enjoy that approach. Encouraging reading in any form is valuable.

In February, I hope to introduce more fiction into the mix and continue broadening my horizons.

If you have read this far — thank you. Love you.

Whether you are experiencing sweltering months or colder ones, stay safe and healthy. I hope to post more here soon.

— Dorian