January 2026 R.E.P.O.R.T.
rabbit rabbit
Library of Minnesota Support Resources
It’s 0° outside and I can see Jupiter. As I write this, light from tonight’s full moon, aptly named the Snow Moon, is giving the world outside my bedroom window a silvery-blue celestial glow. The hard candy shell of ice, encasing a foot of untouched snow from last week’s storm, has made the familiar landscape of my backyard look like an alien planet.
Everything is little off-kilter (understatement) lately, but the weirdest part of it all is that I feel I’ve been able to sail through these changing ocean tides in relative peace?? My New Years’ Norovirus debacle transitioned seamlessly into a nearly 3-week tussle with Covid, which I finally recovered from juuuust in time to get into a car accident this past week. Despite these valleys, this month also had its fair share of peaks— I started a new job, visited old friends, made new friends, made lots of art, FINALLY deleted Tiktok, secured a couple photo jobs, discussed movies with my film club, read a lot, and wrote even more.
For what are usually the dead days of winter, I’ve managed to pack a lot into the past month. Through it all, every morning and every night, I’ve found peace in my writing.
At the start of this month, I happily accepted an invitation from one of my best, oldest friends to join her in Suleika Jaouad’s 30-Day New Year’s Journaling Project. Aside from the accountability of daily journaling sessions over facetime (or in-person when we’re lucky enough to be together!) I had no idea what I was agreeing to. If I’d known the profound impact these 30 days of journaling would have on my writing and my whole understanding of self-expression, I may have been intimidated to dive in. Luckily, I knew not what I was embarking on. Leap and the net will appear or something like that…
I could go on forever about how grateful I am for the creative framework Suleika provided this past month (and beyond!). I feel like I have gone on forever, by filling an entire composition notebook and then some in just 30 days. I’m grateful I took my friend’s hand and dove into something new and creative with her. I’m grateful I walked away from an icy car accident with nothing more serious than some rear-end whiplash, a broken nail, and repairable damage to my car. I’m grateful I’ve been able to process January’s big feelings and small moments alike in a way that feels true to me.
After all the writing I’ve been doing privately, this R.E.P.O.R.T. feels extra special and juicy. Thank you for being here. At the intersection of diary entry, listicle, wishlist, and acrostic poem lies the ~ R.E.P.O.R.T. ~
R - reading
True to my quarterly reading cycle, I’m currently tearing through books at a crazy pace after not reading much at all for the past month and a half. Maybe if I were a bit less voracious during these heavy reading periods, I wouldn’t go so long in my reading droughts, but if it ain’t broke...
In January, I read:
Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language — Adam Aleksic
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – John Berendt
Manhunt – Gretchen Felker-Martin
The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life – Suleika Jaouad
The Road to Jonestown – Jeff Guinn
Libra – Don DeLillo
Nana Vol.1-5 – Ai Yazawa
I’m going to start migrating my reading log off of Amazon-owned Goodreads, as a part of a larger personal detanglement with all things como se dice… spiritually rotted. At the risk of going full Kaczynski, I want nothing to do with all the AI bullshit that’s being forced down our throats by tech billionaires, manufacturing necessity under the guise of “convenience” while not-so-covertly aiding the US government in building their surveillance state as the country barrels toward fascism, at the hands of a depraved administration full of pedophiles siccing their secret chud police on innocent people. Don’t even get me STARTED on my war against AI-generated imagery. I’m feel like I’m going insane!!! But cancelling my streaming subscriptions, boycotting businesses that fund genocide, and generally being very mindful of who/what I support financially feels more important than ever to me. In some ways it seems like a natural extension of my veganism— an ongoing effort to do as little harm as possible to all living beings during my time on this earth. I’ll never be perfect but I’ll never stop trying to be better. Anyway, those are the books I read this month! <3
E - eating
Big ol tomato & basil slice from the pizza place underneath my bff’s apartment, enjoyed after a long day of gallivanting
Coffee date reunion with bestie on the UES
Table for 7 at our favorite river town bar & restaurant
Snowday home baking
P - playing
Lots and lots and lots of playing in the snow with my parents’ puppy. He loves the snow. Today, he dove headfirst into a snow bank and popped back out with a frozen bird in his mouth. He mistook my frantic chasing him (slip sliding on the ice) for a game of keep away. Eventually I caught him and had to peel a stiff lil birdie foot out of his mouth… truly repulsive. I love this dog so fucking much!
O - obsessing
I went to the New York stop on Jennette McCurdy’s book tour, her first project since her much-lauded 2022 memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died. With her debut novel, Half His Age, McCurdy solidifies herself as the reigning champ of provocative titles. The NYC stop on her tour was moderated by my for real forever fav, Lena Dunham. It meant a lot to watch these two women I so admire talk about sex, power, rage, accepting critique, and the evolution from weird teen girl writing in her bedroom to weird adult woman writing in her bedroom.
In addition to being a wonderful writer, Jennette is incredibly endearing. The way she navigates eating disorder talk in her episode of Last Meal means a lot to me.
R - recommending
I consider myself verrrrrry lucky that my new job allows me to spend a lot of time with plants. I’m learning a ton about plant care just through osmosis, and feeling more connected to the season changes in a way that feels kinda spiritual??
Speaking of, Happy Imbolc! Today marks the the halfway point between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. This Gaelic holiday is multifaceted, observed by neopagans, wiccans, and Catholics alike. I encourage you to look into the way this day is celebrated through traditional folk magic, it’s quite beautiful. Shout out Saint Brigid. Brighter days ahead.
T - treating
This gourmand is impossible to describe UNLESS you know exactly what a strawberry-scented plastic doll from 1997 smelled like straight out of the box, in which case you would know this scent intimately. The top notes are strawberry-sweet but it quickly settles into a powdery plastic orchid scent that lasts way longer than I expected. This mist is my olfactory finishing sugar. Gourmands make me feel so yummy.
thanks for reading. talk soon 🫶
xo mal
<3 <3 <3