January 2022 – House of Kyle

Media Diary (January 2022)

Some stuff I’ve experienced lately (and not necessarily only new releases):

Ozark (TV): Easily one of the best shows currently “airing”

The Last Duel (Movie): Really enjoyed this

Harsh Reality: The Story of Miriam Rivera (Podcast): I can’t believe this reality show ever aired (nah, of course I can)

The Righteous Gemstones (TV): This show has no right to be this great

The Tragedy of Macbeth (Movie): Beautiful and haunting

Public Speaking (Movie): Finally got around to seeing this, what a legend

The Gilded Age (TV): Definitely along for the ride

The Card Counter (Movie): Super compelling

King in The Wilderness (Movie): An unflinching look at a great man

Peacemaker (TV): Those opening credits!

Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street (Movie): I read the book years ago, and this was a great refresher

Somebody Somewhere (TV): I love its strange energy and on-target capturing of small Midwestern town vibes

The Super Bob Einstein Movie (Movie): This guy was the best

Snowpiercer (TV): TIME TO GET BACK ON THE TRAIN, FOLKS 🚆

Mr. Saturday Night (Movie): What a career

30 Years of Garbage: The Garbage Pail Kids Story (Movie): Was fascinating to see the motley crew involved in their creation

The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman (TV): I can’t believe how long this guy kept (and is still keeping!) people under his spell

Jagged (Movie): What an album

Pharma Bro (Movie): Man, this guy

Secrets of Playboy (TV): As you might have guessed, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses at the mansion

American Gadfly (Movie): Amazing how far these teens got!

The Murders at Starved Rock (TV): An interesting case that’s of special interest to those of us that grew up in Illinois

Auto Focus (Movie): Greg Kinnear was amazing

Punch-Drunk Love (Movie): I’d seen this before years ago, but enjoyed it a great deal this time around

Inherent Vice (Movie): This was fine (and had some light Lebowski vibes), but wasn’t mindblowing

Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer (TV): Gruesome, but offers a fascinating look at Times Square’s sordid past

Postcards from Babylon: Evangelicals in the Shadow of Christian Nationalism (Movie): Guys, I think Christian Nationalism might be bad

Doctor Who: Eve of The Daleks (TV): The holiday special was definitely an improvement from the horrible Flux series

Gentlemen Broncos (Movie): This got fairly terrible reviews at the time, but I found it to be pretty solid

The World According to Jeff Goldblum (TV): If Disney+ keeps putting ’em out, I’ll keep watching ’em

Children of Men (Movie): Thought this was fine, but didn’t get into it as much as I expected

Dead Asleep (Movie): What a wild case

JFK Revisited: Through The Looking Glass (Movie): I was obsessed with JFK when I was younger, so this was a welcome return

Warm Woolen Mittens: Return of The Favorites

A tradition I’ve had since back in the before times is a yearly roundup of my (current) favorite things. As a refresher, here are the past installments:

Raindrops on Roses: Some of My Favorite Things (2018)
Whiskers on Kittens: More Favorites (2019)
‘Rona Recs (2020, apparently the emergence of the pandemic sucked the joy out of the song lyric theme)
Bright Copper Kettles: More Favorites (2021, sweet, the theme came back)

Here are the latest additions:

TCL 4K Roku TV: I forget which exact model/size, but this is all-in-one screen is my jam these days

Bombas Men’s Sunday Slipper: These have already changed my life

‘This is Fine’ Dog Vinyl Figure: For quick reference during these troubled times

Apple Leather Wallet with MagSafe: Love this thing, and love the minimizing that it forces

Echo Buttons: I slam one of these at night to turn off all of our bedroom lights, clearly impressing my wife each and every time (sadly I think they’ve been discontinued)

Analogue Pocket: A dream device

Some Random Cheap Ring Light: Works better than I expected, and keeps me from looking like I’m Zooming in from the underworld

Melatonin: Seems to help with the pandemic of it all

Logitech C920x HD Pro Webcam: My lifeline to the world

Knockoff ‘Purple’ Seat Cushion: Works decently for these old bones

Birkenstock Arizona EVA Sandals: These have generally replaced my beloved Crocs, which makes me…cooler?

Pure Enrichment MistAire Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier: If the humidifier won’t bring in the ladies…

Honest Amish Classic Beard Oil: …then the beard oil will!

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Every year on MLK Day, like clockwork, we see a tidal wave of social media posts from people and institutions willing to check the “acknowledge a sanitized version of Dr. King” box without actually understanding and grappling with his radical and (to many, sadly) still uncomfortable policies. In other words, you’ll see black and white images overlayed with this old chestnut:

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

Obviously this is a fine sentiment, but in 2022, this “safe for all audiences” cherry-picked example has become the “I don’t see color” of quotes. If you’re going to say something, you can (and should) do better.

This year (and I’m looking quite strongly at you, conservative white Christians with “Thin Blue Line” stickers on your SUVs), take the time to share a different quote. Don’t worry, I’ve made it easy by creating some options for you to grab and post: