Weeknotes #15: Do you even know the difference between a swamp and an ancient bog?
I skipped a week again. Whoops! Overall I am still floundering around quite a lot. There's a lot of shit going on in the world and there's a lot of shit going on personally and blah blah blah. I'm not unique! Everyone's got problems!! I'm sure you've got problems too and they're probably worse than mine!!!
I had a bit of a "bitch you're depressed!!!!" moment of realisation the other week, which was probably a useful perspective check about needing to expect a little less of myself right now, but is also frustrating after feeling like I'd actually been doing well for a while. Oh well. I know the wheel keeps turning, and at some point, I will probably feel better again. But it's just a grind to get back to that point.
I'm still not sure if these new ADHD meds are working for me or not. Sometimes they feel effective and sometimes they feel bad and sometimes they feel like they're doing absolutely jack shit.
But hey, there was some Actual Sunshine outside this week. That was nice! It's gone now.
London, again
I had another overnight visit to London for a gig, this time to see Viagra Boys and Getdown Services (see the gig report page). I don't normally go to London this often. But these trips have probably been well-timed, because I definitely benefit from getting out of the house and out of my head a bit.
I'd never been to Alexandra Palace before. Bloody huge! I think I'm definitely more of a small venue girl – there is something slightly overwhelming about being surrounded by that many people at once.
I did have a fun time, and as always, going to one gig makes me want to buy tickets for two more. It's a slippery slope! I'll be staying closer to home for the forseeable future though.
(Also, to answer the title question... In a bog, you are pickled. In a swamp, you would decompose.)
I finished The Count of Monte Cristo
It took me more than three weeks, but I made it through this doorstopper of a book, and it was very much worth the time and effort. You can definitely tell that Dumas was paid by the word, but he still does a masterful job of tying all the different plot threads together, and seeing all those pieces finally click together as the lives of the Count's enemies spectacularly implode is enormously satisfying.
I was also glad to finish the book because I wanted to look at Tumblr shitposts about it. Thankfully there were some, but there could be more. The Count is such a weird guy!! He fucking loves fancy dress and he's just constantly doing this creepy smile and everyone thinks he's a vampire and they also all have a crush on him (except for the lesbians – also I love that this book from 1846 has a lesbian couple????). I might need to do a separate post or page about this where I can just let loose and not worry about spoilers. Shoutout to my fellow TCOMC-heads.
A good movie
I watched a few things this week, but If I Had Legs I'd Kick You was definitely the standout. An incredibly claustrophobic film. I know some people found it far too stressful to be enjoyable, but I actually really enjoyed it – even if I'm not dealing with anything near what the protagonist is, that feeling of being utterly overwhelmed and isolated by your responsibilities felt very relatable. Especially feeling like you're supposed to know what to do, and you don't know, and you just want someone to give you step-by-step instructions and hold your hand through it, but that does not happen.
Straight into my top three of the year, along with No Other Choice and The Secret Agent.
Pokémon Pokopia is going to ruin my damn life
I suspected as much when I saw the reviews, but I caved and bought it anyway, fired it up, and several hours later all I could think was oh no, oh no.
Brutally addictive gameplay loop. And it's cute, and I just want to be friends with all my nice Pokémon neighbours and find them comfy places to live, and maybe I should just tidy those cliffs up a bit, and–
Yeah. RIP any free time. We'll be lucky if I update this site at all in the next month.