THE WEAKLY 157
The Weakly number one hundred fifty seven.
Welcome friends, foes and people with ugly toes.
What have I gotten myself gotten in to… well.. Happy New Year you wonderful people of the Interwebs. Last week I said I wanted to do a bit of a recap of 2025 in terms of Photos, Movies etc… So strap in, grab something to drink, maybe something to nibble on and let us see where we go from here. So I hope that 2026 will be a good and better year for all of us… really all of us. Times are hard all around, a lot to be sad about, lots of hate- and stressful things happening all the time. So .
My weekly reminder about the Genocide in Gaza and against the Palestinian people, want to keep asking everyone, at least when you can and if you haven’t lately to give some money to either one of the great organizations that do so unbelievably much, not only in Palestine, but also all over the globe or if you want to put in a bit of research and find one for yourself or specific people who still are alive down there and need our help. As always with these things, it’s only for those who can afford to to give, but here are my two recommendations: Doctors Without Borders and World Central Kitchen. Two amazing organisations, that as I mentioned not only support and operate in one place but really everywhere. These are strange times, where after nearly two years, in the case of the Genocide in Palestine, those who have been there from the beginning, supporting to stop the violence and slaughter need to resort to mostly refering to the children and elderly or sick and wounded, instead of talking about Palestinians as a whole does not penetrate the cruel racist, islamophobic rhetoric and propaganda about them. At least now, more and more people find the courage to speak up and we as humans need to do more and better. We all. And look find someone you trust and like who speaks about these things and see what they share and talk about. Maybe find some literature and read up about the history of all of this and not only rely on what school taught you… or the media. I know I learned about all this way to late in my life and ages and ages of a very very one-sided view of things that was taught in Germany.
The Photo Post for this week brings Pauline back one last time.
Like for so many industries 2025 was the worst I have seen so far in my professional career. Not only for me obviously, but really for a lot of people. A lot of people looking for alternatives, getting out of the business and so on. I am in a shitty situation as a lot of personal change has come along as well this year. Every shitty situation also can bring some good with it as well. I also got diagnosed with AD(H)D and depression this year and withing all this chaos I do not have a therapist I can see right now which makes staying on track a lot harder that I felt it would be, as when I started therapy even-though it still was hard, there was an outlook. I keep going back and forth on whether to be open in these posts about it all or not and really in the end it does not really matter. I am lucky that, I have good people, friends, around me and no matter how alone and lost I feel, they keep showing up and being there for me. I am 47 years, old, single, my business is in shambles and the road ahead does not look rosy for the short-term, but I am so so lucky, not only with my friends, but my ex-partner, that I am healthy, though I need to work harder on my weight for sure, that I live in a country, that at least for now is safe. Safe from the inside and outside. Who knows for how long, as this mad mad world is going down a path that was foreseen by some, but one it also will not be able to get off of very easily or quickly. And as we can see in the US now, when the wrong people are at the top of your country, it does not matter what Passport you hold, where you were born or who you are, it just matters how you look to them. Right now, without any doubt there is more wrong with the world than is right and that wasn’t the case not too long ago, which only shows how quickly things can change with the smallest shifts. Just with the way people interact with each other, which then snowballs over a few years into total chaos where most institutions you once relied on have changed so much you do not know what the future actually could be. And yeah I went on a major tangent here from talking about photography and how fucked the industry is right now. Funny enough the least important thing for it is AI, contrary to so many people talking about it. I at least do not see the threat for the whole industry. Here and there maybe, but it for sure has fucked up the Job market, no matter in freelance or with companies, the buyers and agencies know less and less, want more and more, to a degree where expertise in your field is not necessary or wanted anymore as the those who normally paid for it do not even understand the concept of said expertise. A crazy spiral we are riding downward. And interesting to see when it will stop. As at least that I am quite certain of, it will shift back. Just not sure if I will be part of it. If I can stay part of it until then. 2025 was the hardest year of my life I think. And it all is a culmination of not taking care of my mental health from the time my parents passed… over to Corona and Lockdown and by all that also not being a good partner to the one person I loved (and no I do not think it was only my fault the relationship failed, but I can and should only analyze my faults and problems at this stage). On the one hand good fodder for self-loathing and self-pity on the other… a good thing to learn from. Through the pain. As I might still have enough years left to actually be a good productive helpful person to others. And I do not mean a good worker be that pay his taxes and all that bullshit. I mean on a human level. Help other humans.
Aaaaanyways.
My plan of less Podcast listening has not gone so well, just more switched to Youtube somehow. I will still try, but fining lots of new and interesting things… Update on that in a bit as get into my new findings more.
Podcasts & Livestreams.
.
Youtube Random Selection:
A bunch of Movies this week. Still from last year so to Speak I finally got to watch Mad God. From Special Effects Supervisor Genius Phil Tippett comes this crazy fever dream Horror Stop Motion Extravaganza. Not for the faint of heart, but very good. And I am not even a Horror Fan.
Chungking Express was up next. This time I did put the Audio Commentary on, which was very cool and interesting. And I could watch most Wong Kar Wai Films again and again anyway. The Irishman was not what I expected… way too long for such a slow burn in my opinion and the constant de-aging stuff unfortunately took me out of the story again and again. Still a good movie, but… yeah. New Years Eve was time for something for the heart and the soul. My Neighbour Totoro, don’t think I need to say much here, its just the best. Up next was Sketch, by a filmmaker I have followed for a long time on Youtube, always making the funniest and smart short films and tutorials over the years. This is Seth Worely’s first full length Movie and that really is a shame. Sketch was a lot of fun and so well done. Also finally got to watch the latest/last Mission Impossible, which was, if nothing else a lot of fun. Last night before bed I also checked out Kumail Nanjianis Standup Special. And somehow I am all caught up on Fallout. Man I love this show and the universe. I so hope we get a look at the Commonwealth at some point in this Season.
Just a quick overview of the year in Movies. I wanna get my Average and total higher this year. Somehow. Not sure if it’s possible, but I can try.
As for the Shows of the years, its a bit too complicated to get them all in an overview without paying for some shitty service, so I am gonna let that one be. Sorry.
Some new stuff in terms of music but as always, check my Apple Music Profile, but also check the Video below maybe!
I did not really play any games this past week, tried to, but my concentration was not there I’m afraid, which is a shame as gaming normally is a good way to take my mind off things and calm down a bit, but it was in general a great year in gaming. Lots of fun with friends, on my own and just some great great games. I did buy though in a sale Star Wars Outlaws, which after it was released a while ago got a lot of heat for unfinished and buggy gameplay, graphics, whatever… and before I bought it in the sale for 20.-€ I did watch a few recent reviews, as they did bring a ton of updates. Gameplay wise, technical stuff and so on and yet, the little bit I checked out I fell through floors three times, got stuck, textures or NPCs didn’t load and so on. Crazy, as I don’t even want to imagine how it was before. I did not return it though as I hope to play through it, as the world, when it works, feels great. And a shame really, as I could have seen myself getting hooked on it for a few days and get to relax with it.
I did read a few books last year, more than the year before, but here also I hope I get to read more this year, especially as my reading list grew a whole bunch.
I have been pondering how to gather all these photos here, but really, and I am sorry for that, there is just this one long gallery stream to with I guess. In good old Teymur fashion.
Have a beautiful Sunday and…
stay safe out there, be kind, to others, to yourself.
T.
Also here you can find my friends post of this week with whom?(!?!?) I entered into this weekly arrangement. It will be updated as they link their posts. Some are in German btw.
AND AS MY EMBEDD DOES NOT WORK ANYMORE I WILL DO THIS MANUALLY NOW.
Dominiks LOST FOCUS
Martins DER TAG UND ICH
Saschas BLOG
