January is already especially melancholic, but having no heat doesn't help. And no snow even! Just pure cold.
So lots of music that kind of has the feeling of a large black lake. The twinkling lights on the surface don't hide the depths beneath, you still know to be wary.
Comfort in the act of reflection, in awareness.
Jan 26, 2025
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it’s 4 am, there’s snow completely blanketing the streets of my neighbourhood, untouched by the footsteps of passersby or incoming cars.
it’s serenely quiet.
on a summer night, that kind of silence would likely startle me, but the snow brightens the night and makes the stillness feel welcoming. it’s a pleasant solitude rather than pure loneliness. i’m watching the flakes fall and melt as they touch the window pane of my room. it’s warm in here, but if you hover your hand close enough to the glass, you can feel the chill kiss your palm.
i know i should be asleep, but there’s a sense of peacefulness i only seem to get in these early morning hours that escapes me when the whole world is awake. i’ve been listening to this song on loop for the past half hour and it’s comforting to hear it in this cold weather.
Feb 16, 2025
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Start with “Winter is Blue” by Vashti Bunyan and you will be overcome by the darkness and beauty of the season
Jan 25, 2024
Top Recs from @greenstar
1d ago
Feb 8, 2025
Lately I've been spending too much time scouring every corner of eBay I can for the cheapest and most delightful soviet era porcelain figurines available
I didn't even realize it until diving head first into this rabbit hole, but I have had soviet era porcelain figurines my whole life (a bunny and a bull for those curious), so I guess I was always destined to develop a fondness for the form, and eventually dig a little deeper into it.
There is something so incredibly charming and also incredibly interesting about these porcelain pieces! These little guys!
There's a lot of history to dig into that I've barely scratched the surface of AT ALL, but I'm fascinated by how porcelain reflected the common sentiments* of the times, the economic conditions, the artistic movements and ideas of the day, and also the ability (or lack thereof) of people to stay in one place and hold onto something so "useless" and easily broken.
I have very, very few things from any of my ancestors. Figurines like these make me think about the way history and art are passed down to us, forgotten, broken, left behind, sold in thrift stores and online, if they survive at all.
Figurine collections are kind of a barometer of safety and stability, or at least how dedicated to the illusion of it you might be.
They also make me think about how useful "useless" things can be. How even art that is purely decorative can be thought-provoking (by for example valorizing "folks"), or just make you happy (via being very cute! Or expert use of color and form!).
Grannies collect this shit for many good reasons and I'm starting to catch on.
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* Notably the $$$ collectors type ones are the ethnographic figurines, something I NEED to read an academic paper about.
Especially, because Ive noticed some of these figurines depicting "ethnic types" are inaccurate copies of earlier prints, which themselves should be placed under immense scrutiny! This is all extra interesting in the context of the porcelain industry transitioning from imperial rule to the soviet era. The ways of talking about ethnicity changed, (in addition obviously to y'know, everything!) but the products produced largely remained the same. Lots to think about!!!
Jan 31, 2025