February has, so far, been incredibly wet here in Salisbury. It’s been raining almost nonstop for what has felt like months - a lot of the city is underwater at the moment. It’s making my walks a little difficult. The gardens I normally walk through have become part of the river. Means I’ve been cooped up a lot more than I normally am, which has been a little hard for my body and my mind which is often prone to roaming.
Not that I’ve been actually able to do a lot of catch up on fun pop culture. I’ve been fighting against doom scrolling and sinking into the couch. But I’ve been clinging to sanity by one tiny little claw. I would say I hope I’m not alone in that, but I actually do hope you’re not struggling as much as I have been.
Anyway, let’s get into it!
What I’ve Been Writing
Still playing catch up on Incidental Mythology work. I’m almost there. Only one blog post behind where I should be. My February video essay I finished up on Monday this week, for the following Monday release - a small amount ahead of where it was before, but not by as much as I’d like. I was lucky this month’s didn’t flag any copyright issues or else it would have been a bit of a struggle against time.
If you’re a fan of New Girl, watch the YouTube channel on Monday!
What I’ve Been Reading
Reading has been a little all over the place. I’ve been reading the same fiction book for the last month or so - not that I’m not enjoying it. I read a huge amount when I sit down to, but then I just don’t feel like I have the energy for days on end. I need to just suck it up and keep reading, because even if I don’t feel up for it I often end up enjoying it when I do.
For nonfiction research, I’ve been scatter reading elements of the Taylor Swift research. Little bits here and there. I’ve been trying not to do too much, and let the participants guide me to the research I should be doing.
I’ve finally managed to start in on doing some of my 1-2-1 interviews! I’ve done two so far, and have one more scheduled just from the first 13 I reached out. In a week or two, I’ll reach out to the next group, and so on and until I’ve hit up at least everyone. I’ll also be continuing to send round the survey.
Speaking of which, if you or someone you know likes Taylor Swift’s music and hasn’t participated in the survey yet, feel free to do so!
What I’ve Been Enjoying
Oh boy.
There are a few times a year when reality television is on. And that’s where we’re at right now, so sorry for those of you who roll your eyes at this. But we’re reaching the final of Single’s Inferno, which is a wonderful Korean dating show - it’s crazy and silly and wonderful - we’ve got Love Island All Stars currently on, and Love is Blind is back this week as well. It’s… a lot.
I would suggest Single’s Inferno, though, especially if you’re not super keen on some of the more American style dating shows. Things are more demure, more toned down. Not a lot of sleeping together kind of things, and more attention is on the vibes between people and how they flirt.
To be honest, I’ve been once again hitting a rut of enjoying things. I’ve been defaulting to re-watching, silly shows that feel a bit empty in the mind like old CW shows and reality TV. I go through phases with this, and have the mental energy to dive into other things and new things, and sometimes really fail to be able to do that. I’m trying to not sink, though. It just takes a little bit of effort, and some kind of self reflection to be able to catch myself before I fall into the hole.
That’s unfortunately all I have this month. To be fair, February is a short month, so not as much to say. And being in a bit of a mental funk makes it harder to engage with things. But it is what it is. Anyway, I’ll be back at the end of the month with the February content wrap up. Until then, be kind to one another!
