08/05/21: Out of sorts
TLDR
Update: Feeling a mess (FYI, TMI)
Reading: The Wicked + The Divine by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie
Watching: The Green Knight
End Notes: You can contact me at jadettman@gmail.com
THE UPDATE
I’m probably not alone, but I’ve been feeling a mess for a while now. I feel like I’m functional, maybe, every other day and, most days, I’m unambitious. I do my daily chores every day but I’ll spend the whole day playing Innovation on Board Game Arena or watching tv when I’m less functional or, the other days, I might be able to eke out a couple hundred words on one of my writing projects.
I put a certain amount of this down to uneven sleep though, of course, there is also the myriad looming other disasters (climate, pandemic, politics, predatory capitalism, etc) renting space in my brain. Oof.
This week, I’ve been trying to be more mindful and spend less time staring at screens and it has helped somewhat. I’m also trying to regularize my sleep schedule and keep to it which will also help. And, as you all probably know by now, I’m a worrier. But, overall, I am hopeful that collectively humans will figure their stuff out and that the world will get better, in the long term while wishing it was for the shorter term.
READING
I’ve spent the last couple weeks reading a comic book series called The Wicked + The Divine based on a recommendation from several years ago. I’m going to be honest: I think I’m going to be working through a lot of my feelings about the series here, as I write this.
The series is by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie. It’s about gods as pop-stars, or maybe pop-stars as gods. I’m honestly not entirely sure which way to look at it.
The premise is that every ninety years a group of twelve gods is reborn into the world and after two years they will all be dead. This cycle has been recurring for thousands of years but most of what we see in the series is a modern (circa 2014) incarnation of this pantheon and how the world and the gods deal with each other.
First, let me say that, overall, I think I liked the series. Many of the characters were likable and there were several interesting turns and revelations in the plot. I quite liked most of the art (though, I get thrown a little when there is a guest artist).
Now, I’m not a big music person but I do enjoy interesting mythological stories, so I felt like I had some footing in this story, and this did feel very much like it was in the vein of greco-roman myths. Lots of people (gods) using their power to do whatever they want because, you know, their gods. A+ mythology.
Where I feel like I’m less sure footing is with the pop-star allegory in which someone immensely talented rises to fame, it goes to their head, they burn out, and (often) they die too young. Used up for our, their audience’s, edification. I mean, I feel like that’s the allegory being handed to me but I guess I’m not sure.
You might have to read it for yourself.
WATCHING
Britt and I went to see The Green Knight at a matinee here in Beloit. Happily, there was only one other person in the theater, so I didn’t feel like I had to wear a mask.
In enjoyed it. It was trippy and very pretty. I would very much be interested in talking with more people about the experience.
In case you don’t know, The Green Knight is based on a the Middle-English poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It’s an Arthurian poem.
I hesitate to say much more. The movie was good and I encourage you to see it so that we can talk about it.
END NOTES
If you’d like to send me some feedback or discuss one of the topics I’ve talked about here (or even a different topic), email me at jadettman@gmail.com
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