Annotations — Week 06
Dandelion Wine, the Psychopathology of Dale Cooper, and Severance green.
Annotations is an undefinable, amorphous collection of marginalia—notes, fragments, and observations I’ve dog-eared throughout the week. It’s not a summary of what I consumed, but rather a record of what stuck.
I am unbelievably tired. There may never be a ‘right time’ to take six classes in a single quarter, but this was certainly not it, and I shall never attempt to do it again. Every fifteen minutes, my phone lights up with a new headline: another racist/ableist/misogynist executive order, another federal agency dismantled, another explosive aircraft crash, or a non-elected billionaire who now has access to the US treasury funds. Several of my classes deal with the heaviest topics—trauma, aging, abuse, grief—all of which are weighing on me. I have also started my practicum, which I am very grateful for and thrilled about, but is unavoidably another responsibility added to my already overflowing plate. But in just five weeks, this quarter will end and I can finally let out one long exhale and rest for three weeks before diving headfirst into another quarter.
Our country is in the middle of a downward spiral. Whenever I think we’ve crashed and hit the bottom, it drops out from beneath us again—so this letter is easy on the eyes, the heart, and the mind. This is also the reason why it’s late this week. The residual effects of school, work, and the news cycle have made me feel like the Mr. Krabs meme 24/7. It’s a miracle I’m producing anything at all. But writing this letter is important to me, so I’m making sure it remains a priority among everything else. I appreciate your patience while I iron out these wrinkles.
a piece of art:
I often think about this Hussein Chalayan piece, and it resurfaced in my mind this week. I love Chalayan’s work because it’s about clothes, but it also isn’t. It’s a conversation with and a critique of the culture through the language of clothes, which I find beautiful.
“For Hussein Chalayan’s NºC, each contribution touches on a key nerve of human experience, with an empathetic view and soft touch. In one of the most special projects for the magazine, Hussein paired with British photographer Marjolaine Ryley to shoot seven children who live in an asylum centre in St Niklaas, Belgium.
The jacket acts as a common denominator for a group hailing from across the globe, and a metaphor for the adult responsibilities and concerns that fall upon the shoulders of the young and innocent in difficult times.”
a quote i love:
After searching forever, I finally found a copy of Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine last weekend. Every bookstore I went to either didn’t have it, or it was only available in a Bradbury collection that was way too expensive. I found a Bantam Books paperback copy at Book Alley—one of my favorite local bookstores. The copy is small, perfect for slipping into a purse or bag, and unbeautiful enough to encourage uninhibited annotations.
I only had to read a handful of pages before encountering the kind of beautiful prose that leaves you speechless. I am in love with Bradbury’s writing, and I think he might be one of my very favorite writers—the sharp, cosmic devastation of All Summer in a Day is my Roman Empire, after all. I found this quote from the introduction of Dandelion Wine to be a sensory feast:
“It became a game I took to with immense gusto: to see how much I could remember about dandelions themselves, or picking wild grapes with my father and brother, rediscovering the mosquito-breeding ground rain barrel by the side bay window, or searching out the smell of the gold-fuzzed bees that hung around the back porch grape arbor. Bees do have a smell, you know, and if they don’t they should, for their feet are dusted with the spices from a million flowers.” — Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine
an interview clip with poet David Whyte:
Stumbling upon this clip of poet David Whyte was particularly comforting while experiencing a school-related meltdown a few weeks ago. It has since taken on a new significance in our tumultuous world—his words are like a balm to the soul. I highly recommend listening to the full interview if you can.
“How do you know that you’re on your path? Because it disappears, that’s how you know. How do you know that you’re really doing something radical? Because you can’t see where you are going."
something i’m watching:
I felt the pull to re-watch Twin Peaks, as I’m sure many others did, following David Lynch’s passing. For one of my classes, I wrote a hypothetical case conceptualization for Agent Dale Cooper as if he were my patient, which led to some interesting considerations. I ultimately diagnosed him with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD). If you are in the mental health field, I would love to hear your thoughts and discuss this further.
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I am also watching Severance, which I don’t need to tell you is very good. I distinctly remember thinking, ‘this is one of the best shows I’ve ever seen,’ after the season 1 finale aired several years ago. Unfortunately, I have forgotten almost everything that happened in season 1, so I need to rewatch it. I found this Curbed article about the set design process on the show particularly fascinating. It explores the ‘horror of utopian office design,’ which the show has knocked out of the park. Now I want to write an entire piece on ‘Severance green.’
“Because so much of the show involves formal workplace etiquette and protocol, Hindle instantly pictured postwar offices on his first read of the script. During the 50s and 60s, there was a clear division between your work and your personal life — a less extreme version of what’s happening at Lumon.”
Also, I just found out the Lumon building was voiced by Keanu Reeves, which I did not clock at all while watching.
a note to self:
You’re going to encounter a lot of pushback throughout your life. Often, it reflects someone else’s insecurities and projections, not a measure of your worth. Not everyone will understand you, and that’s okay. Your job isn’t to be universally accepted—it’s to keep going, to keep showing up, and to keep doing your best work.
closing notes
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I have a special Valentine’s Day themed letter heading to you very soon. It will have a mood board and some fun links to gift ideas, among other fripperies. x
Keanu Reeves and Severance!!! I totally missed that too. Loved your deeper reflections on this program. I will continue watching in a more informed light. Thank you.