Dreams, Rainbow Lights and Italian Cinema
09-16 February 2025
Hello my loyal subscribers,
This week is giving late stage capitalism fatigue. I’m a little jaded, a little morose. However, I watched a good film and read a good book, went outside in the cold and saw something new. I learnt Venezuela is a good place to go if you have dietary requirements.
Writing the newsletter each week shows me there is always good to be found even if my brain feels a little swamped. Let me know something fun you did too, I’d love to hear about it.
Happy reading!
Now That I Think About It…
Have you ever lied to yourself so well that the truth only comes out in your dreams? This week I wrote about two pieces of media - Giovanni’s Room (James Baldwin) and the movie Close (Lukas Dhont) - and how they reminded me of one of my most troubling recurring dreams: the one where I have (tw:death) become a murderer.
Both these stories show how easy it is to lose yourself to this process of trying to become palatable to the outside world. I have, on more than one occasion turned myself into something different in order to survive. It’s a troublingly easy process, one that erodes the sense of self and robs of the world of variety.
Read all about it on Medium for free (or click here if you’re a member)
Spectra Light Festival 2025
Aberdeen city centre suffers from something that I believe Aberdonians in general suffer from - a sense of trying it’s best but no one seems to notice. A gem of the brutal winter in this city is the Spectra Light Festival, created by local artists and funded through the council. It’s such a gift to the normally grey granite city - it feels fun and alive and best of all colourful. Yet this year I felt it lacked the variety and excitement from the year before, and I can’t help but wonder what it is that might be keeping the festival from expanding.
Aberdeen has had so much wealth through the years I am always astounded by the fact that more and more shops are closing and our sense of culture is almost non-existent. There are plans to open a market style food hall called Flint (something that other cities have had similar versions of for years) and people are strangely apathetic about it. Will Aberdonians ever be happy about anything?! Or do we fundamentally not trust our council to do the right thing?
I think there is unique grumpiness to my hometown - a strange, holier-than-thou sense of putting everything and everyone down - that frustrates me. We could do with an injection of enthusiasm, not just from our leaders, but from the average person. We are lucky to have things like Spectra, and if we don’t show our appreciation it might not last another year.
Consumption Corner
No spoilers :)
Cinema Paradiso (1988) ☆☆☆☆
I have never seen a cuter kid in my life than young Salvatore. I can’t get enough of him. I wish I had had a cool job like that as a kid (I do not condone child labour).
I liked this film because it was 1) very Italian 2) very heartwarming and 3) surprisingly risqué
Arm’s Length - Sam Fender ☆☆☆
‘Do you have to know me inside out?’
Sam Fenders reminds me of a northern-english Bruce Springsteen as his songs have that road-trip-looking-for-meaning drumbeat alongside lyrics that cut to the heart of what he’s feeling and the political landscape of the time. Sometimes they are same-y, but the few tracks released in anticipation of his new album People Watching (21st Feb, Polydor) show the depth of his song writing talent and I’m excited for its release.
(Every year I make a musical diary in the form of a playlist and title it based on what I want the year to feel like.
2025 is called ‘Cool’ as I wish to be more easy going. See what I’ve added so far and look at my other playlists here.)
La Tiendita Del Sabor ☆☆☆☆
This is a first for consumption corner - an actual food review! During Spectra I went to a new little restaurant I’d heard of that does Venezuelan food. I hadn’t realised that a lot of Venezuelan food is gluten free because they use corn instead of wheat as their main carbohydrate. I tried an arepa with beef, salsa, avocado and plantain. It was so delicious I AM OBSESSED.
Severance (2022-)
Just started this. Very exciting. Only seen three eps. Reminds me of Westworld a little.
Weekly Stats
Times I’ve thought about Kendrick Lamar’s boot cut jeans: 50
Poems that moved me: 1 (The Tent - Rumi)
Un-needed Valentines-themed purchases: 3 (rose fairy lights, pink sweets, cherry popcorn buckets)
Daily litres of water consumed: 2
Walks in the woods: 4
Red squirrels seen: 3
What to expect from the rickleverse week 4
Next week I’ll take you with me as I visit the big smoke (Edinburgh), try to explain why Twilight was such a big deal to me, and experience my first ever David Lynch film.
See you then!
Love,
Rachael