Frosty Reflections

The world might be on fire, but it is also very cold lately.

(You’re reading my monthly roundup post for January 2026. Subscribe to get regular updates on what I’ve been up to the previous month and catch up on my recent uploads.)

Well, I suppose I don’t need to provide any further commentary. I’m sure you have enough things to worry about, so I will focus on the positives. I’ve had a pretty good month – read some good books, made great meals, had a couple fantastic Balatro runs, and got a lot of work done on a video essay. We’ve had some icy cold days in Poland recently, which prompted some nostalgia for me. Negative fifteen Celsius might be highly inconvenient for people in the city to deal with, but it does take me back to my childhood, when school would get cancelled because of the low temperatures and we would go sliding down the snowy hills instead.

I’ve also been reflecting on my life and plans for the future. My autism is always fighting with my ADHD, trying to create a balance of structure and chaos. On one hand, I am enjoying my aimless existence at the moment; it’s nice being able to pick whatever project I feel like at the moment without sticking to any grand plan. On the other, I also crave routines and predictability. Do I want to focus on one specific avenue and try to make it a job? Do I want to get another degree? Do I want to apply for every opportunity I see and let the randomness decide?

For now, the chaos is winning, so I’m living day by day. But I am very excited about the range of projects I get to pick from. Anyway, let’s take a look at some of the things I enjoyed in January.

(As usual, the media reflections are highlights, not a full list.)

What I’ve posted:

An overview of all the books I’ve read in 2025. I’m still considering writing longer reviews for my top three, but other projects are taking priority at the moment.

What I’ve read:

Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber

I’ve listened to the audiobook as part of my research for the bureaucracy video essay I’m working on. It’s definitely a compelling narrative, though it does seem overly simplified at times. I don’t think the situation is as catastrophic as Graeber describes (and empirical evidence seems mixed in terms of estimating the proportion of bullshit jobs) but it is a crucial component of the current economy and societal structure. It’s really tragic that David Graeber has died in 2020 – I feel like he would be uniquely positioned to make sense of the current AI craze.

Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang

A visceral, morbid take on the beauty industry and how it disproportionately harms women, especially non-white women. The cross-section of body horror, body image, and ethnic/cultural identity works really well in this story. If you are also quietly fascinated by the ever-increasing popularity of excessive skincare, wellness lifestyles, and attempts to achieve immortality by the ultra-rich, this book is for you.

There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm

This book was my first proper dive into the SCP fandom, and I left with mix feelings. The idea at the core of this story was immediately compelling to me, and I really enjoyed the first few chapters. Then the novelty began to wear off. I feel like the chapters are too disconnected to form a cohesive narrative, but too similar to be a short story collection. I think it might have been more effective for me to read a much wider variety of stories, to not get tired of just one class of anomalies. Still, I basically inhaled this book, so it is worth a read, especially if you’re looking for something unusual and maybe even a little ergodic.

Sealed by Naomi Booth

I don’t remember why this book ended up on my TBR, but I picked it up last week because a video essay about reproductive horror got me curious about this subgenre again. Turns out, this story is less about pregnancy and more about climate collapse, pandemics, and the tension between reasonable fear and obsessive anxiety/paranoia. It is also body horror about being trapped in your own skin. While the plot and the narrative are fantastic as well, what really stood out to me was prose, especially in the last third (last 2 chapters) of the story. The long, meandering sentences reflecting the horror and desperation of the protagonist got properly under my skin.

What I’ve watched:

Movies and TV shows:

The Summer Hikaru Died

A fairly new anime series (released in July last year) based on a manga of the same name. It is a mix of supernatural/folk horror and a coming-of-age love story, though the love in question is not of a typical YA kind. I love the art style and the atmosphere of this show, as well as its exploration of grief, faith, and life in small, tight-knit communities. I’m really looking forward to season 2.

Blackpool

This was a rewatch, since my partner wanted to check it out after seeing the OST playlist on my phone. “Blackpool” is an old miniseries, and an odd one too: a mix of drama, comedy, crime/mystery, and musical. I watched it because, at one point in my teenage years, I was watching anything and everything that had David Tennant in it. I’m still fond of this series; I love how unapologetically weird it is. If you’re a fan of unlikable protagonists and 70s music, definitely check it out.

Video essays:

The Mundane Misery of MAGA’s Bluey Copycat by Lola Sebastian

I don’t watch almost any children’s media, but even I have heard both about Bluey and its American conservative knockoff. Though the knockoff show is somehow both boring and embarrassing (sometimes painfully so), Lola’s discussion of it was very entertaining. There is an element of morbid curiosity in seeing reviews of really bad works. It’s like watching a collapse of an old, dilapidated building… a weirdly misogynistic building.

We Don’t Know How to Talk About Problematic Stuff by LegalKimchi

There are countless pieces about engaging with your problematic faves, but few as thoughtful and eloquent as this one. LegalKimchi highlights how we can strike the right balance between appreciating a creative work while still thinking critically about it, especially when it comes to representations of marginalized groups, especially groups we belong to. I feel similar about some disabled characters in media – the representation might have been questionable, but it was, at that point, a choice between questionable and nonexistent. And that is an interesting thing to discuss.

Reproductive Horror (On-Screen and Off) by Yhara zayd

This is the reproductive horror essay I mentioned in the book section! Though it is mostly a look at horror movies and other visual media, the ideas discussed in it can be easily applied to written mediums as well. A well-written, engaging discussion of several iconic movies and the sociopolitical climates in which they were made and viewed. This was my first video of this creator, and I subscribed immediately.

Millions of Dead Genders: 5 years later by Lily Alexander (on AdditionaLily)

Lily Alexander takes a look back at the video that made her channel go viral 5 years ago. It’s always interesting to see how a creator’s perspective changes overtime. I’ve changed my mind on the topic of microlabels countless times since the heyday of MOGAI on tumblr and my opinion continues to evolve. I’m thinking of writing a short piece about it, since I feel like the topic of hyper-specific labeling is also relevant for science, and as someone who did research on introgression, I have a lot to say about biological categories such as “species”.

What I’ve played:

The Roottrees are Dead

I loved logic puzzles when I was a kid so it’s no wonder I enjoyed this game so much. It’s a very satisfying puzzle with little to no “moon logic” and a pretty accurate (I think?) representation of what the work of a private investigator can look like. The whole story takes place in front of an in-game computer and involves a lot of googling and taking notes – and it is riveting gameplay. The fact that the Roottree family is pretty damn fucked up helps make it compelling as well.

Mio: Memories in Orbit

It’s surprising, considering how many hours I’ve put into Hollow Knight and Silksong, but I don’t play a lot of metroidvanias. I picked this one up because I was really drawn to the aesthetic and I’m really enjoying it so far! The art style and the music are delightful and I love how smooth the platforming and the fights are. Mio is a little weightless leaf on the wind and while her combat is pretty bare-bones, the flexibility of movement makes it versatile and fun.

Balatro Cryptid

Yes, I am not immune to Number Go Up. Balatro itself is already addictive enough, but the various mods that my partner has installed have taken over my leisure gaming time. I’m particularly fond of the infinite deck because “clusterfuck” is just the best name for a poker hand ever. My personal best so far has been ante 15.

What I’ve worked on:

Pretty much my entire month was consumed by the video essay about failure that I’m hoping to publish very soon. I just need to solve some audio issues and do some other final touches and it will be ready to go. I’m properly anxious about this one, first of all because it’s been so long since I’ve posted anything, and second because it is so personal and vulnerable. But I’ve enjoyed working on it, and that alone should be reward enough.

I’m also slowly chipping away at the research for the bureaucracy video – hey, I can finally spell that word without spellcheck, so that’s progress! This is definitely going to be the biggest video project I’ve ever tackled and it’s wonderful to be able to dive into so much research on one specific (though very broad) topic I am not particularly familiar with.

Other than that, it’s pretty much been home and personal tasks, though I have done a little bit of work on the long furby that I’m making with my best friend. Who knows what I will get done this month. Hopefully it will be interesting.

You’ve reached the end of the monthly roundup. Thank you so much for reading and subscribing! Let me know what you think about anything in this post and I will be back next month with another installment.