The summer months are upon us. As May winds down, many are making plans for the next three months to gallivant and enjoy life. Given that 2022 has barely felt like it existed, often sprinting from moment to moment, I encourage everyone to slow down and take appreciation of what is there. As Evan Hansen would say about the end of May or early June, sometimes we just need to stop and take in the view. For me personally, the next month is going to be jam-packed with activities that include live theater and my first of three WNBA games this season (Go Aces!). But before moving forward, I want to take some time to reminisce.
I suppose that the easiest place to start is that near the beginning of the month, I completed my third full semester of university at Cal State Long Beach. Considering that it was my first fully on campus semester, I consider it to be my most challenging for a variety of reasons. While it meant that I got to take a really fun class on James Joyce that culminated in reading “Ulysses” (and yes, that Alan Sherman joke does get funnier with context), it was also a period where I studied some of my weak spots in literature focusing on Pre-19th century works that were largely about knights and religion – topics that I’m not particularly enamored by. Outside of making me appreciate The Green Knight (2021) more, it was a real shoulder shrug of an experience. Though, before I get off the subject, I want to thank the creators of Overly Sarcastic Productions on YouTube for their hard work. It saved me on so many occasions.
Even as an English major who is now less than a year away from my cherished B.A., there are certain limits I can take with reading. Most of my Tuesdays alone were 4-6 hours of reading outside of class and maybe a little extra just to understand what I just consumed. To be fair, my tolerance level is very high, but mostly when it’s stuff that I can appreciate and recognize. What is especially interesting is in the time since finishing class, I have read more impulsively. I have gone to used bookstores to perform my annual tradition of celebrating the end of the semester by hauling as much of a good deal as I can. This time around included 9 books at under $10, including E.M. Forrester’s “Passage to India” and Eudora Welty’s “Thirteen Stories.”
My time away from class has mostly been spent unwinding. I’ll admit that while I’m young and mobile, there are certain limits to walking around campus four days a week. CSULB is on an incline, and 2 of the 3 classes are on a higher floor. Besides the class itself, I did get exhausted more than once, which didn’t help on hotter days. I did make the mistake of walking down the stairs by our famous no bell belltower which hurt my thighs for a few days, but it was worthwhile. If anything, working off that soreness was a fun symbol of where my summer could go.
A lot of the time has been working through television shows that I fell behind on. I am proud to say that Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is another top notch season of expertly written comedy and drama. Elsewhere, I am enjoying Conversations With Friends and am always happy to see Jemima Kirke and Sasha Lane working. However, it would be wrong to not remind everyone of one show especially. Our aro-ace icon Alice Oseman is the showrunner of Netflix’s new series Heartstopper which has gotten deserved acclaim for its wholesome depiction of queerness and the idea that somebody could be gay AND happy (imagine!). It’s a typical coming of age drama otherwise, but between Heartstopper and Crush (2022), I’m a tad jealous of how Gen-Z is handling their discussion of queerness. They just seem so happy. If you need something to give you a warm hug and remind you that you’re valid, why not watch it?
I am aware that this may be conflicting with some other ethics around the streaming service. As it stands, two high profile cisgender stand-up comedians now have come under fire for using transphobic humor. Given that one of them was bum-rushed at The Hollywood Bowl and joked about the perpetrator being trans, it’s a bit toxic. I understand that the most recent example is a “fair game” insult comedy approach, but I still don’t find it funny. To jump to a different medium real quick, it’s funny how Kendrick Lamar came under fire for his song “The Auntie Diaries” which used questionable language as well. The difference is that I do believe that Lamar is being sincere and that he is searching for empathy. He’s still trying to find the right words and I think it’s what keeps me from hating it. If anything, of the three men I’ve listed he’s the one I’m most likely to believe will listen. Also, “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” is a very good album and I’m happy that the five year wait was worth it.
Again, I have no good answer for the Netflix debacle. If you’re willing, Heartstopper is very much worth your time. Also, I am happy to report that for as much as I feel there’s more to supporting gay rights than rainbow capitalism, I did discover that the Target’s in my area already had Pride™ merch out. Given that I came out as queer and asexual last year, I was still too shy to really indulge in everything. While June hasn’t really kicked into gear yet, I am happy to say that I have bought a progress flag along with miniature ace, rainbow, and trans flags to proudly display in my room. I’ll admit that sometimes I feel out of this community when I don’t recognize most of the celebrities on the shirts (I guess I recognized Lil Nas X, and hey “That’s What I Want” still gets me when I hear it on the radio). I know that buying stuff isn’t supposed to feel like validation, but as someone coming up on a year since I first hung up an asexual flag, there is some comfort in having those reminders.
On a side note, I’ve kinda fallen in love with Kate Jean Hollowell’s Number One Popstar. The music is catchy and endearing as all get-out and I can’t stop watching the videos for “I Hate Running” and “Dance Away the Pain.” Maybe not a visionary, but definitely someone who really speaks to me.
Another great positive is that for the first time in several months, the end of May brings with it the first time that The Memory Tourist’s front page is exclusively from the past month. While I cannot promise that every month going forward will have that, I plan to make up for lost time over the summer and produce a lot of great content. While many columns have already made their return, A24 A-to-Z will be making an appearance very soon and hopefully a whole buffet-full of William Faulkner. I cannot promise this to be true, but one of the things about finishing school is that I feel motivated to work on personal projects. This includes the E-Book for my novel “Downtime” and hopefully getting a handful of short stories out sometime in the middle of June. Whether we like to admit it or not, writing has a catharsis to it.
Speaking of, one of my biggest accomplishments of May 2022 is getting a chance to see Hadestown. I plan to share a full review later, but for now, I will say that the story has been significant to me as an artist. Back in Summer 2007, I worked at The Long Beach Opera as a temp when they were putting together a production of Orpheus & Eurydice with Michael York (yes, that one). I helped with research and mailing among other things. On top of that, the first time that I listened to the OBCR was in July 2019 on the night when I put the finishing touches on “Apples & Chainsaws.” I found it to be significant enough that I have made it a ritual every time I publish a novel since. Add in that Anaïs Mitchell spent over a decade perfecting the show in different forms is a reminder of what hard work and dedication can achieve. I was originally planning to read “Working On a Song” prior to seeing the show, but by luck, I got to see it at The Ahmanson Theater before it stops over at The Segerstrom Theater, where I had intended to see it in a few months. Still, it’s a show that beyond story is something that I relate to on a personal level.
With that said, it IS funny that I eat up Hadestown while I struggled to appreciate even a chapter of John Milton’s tiresome “Paradise Lost.” Though what do I know? I’m a week away from reading Dante Alighieri’s “Inferno” for fun. I have no idea what my life is anymore.
I also am proud to say that I saw 3-D Theatrical’s production of Newsies which is among my favorite performances of the year. I love how the actors can dance, sing, and act so effortlessly with such upbeat force. I also wish that the pro-shot was better made because it doesn’t do the story justice at all. Finally, Rose Center Theater (which is quickly becoming a favorite venue) had a high school production of Les Misérables, and it reminds me of how great that show is even with limitations. The cast used the stage very well and really makes numbers like “I Dreamed a Dream” a tad more surreal if just because they seem too young to be crying about how terrible the workforce is.
As most basketball fans will know, this is also the period of NBA Playoffs. Since the month has started, the majority of teams have whittled down. This is being published on the day of Game 5 for the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics match-up and the day after The Golden State Warriors staged an amazing comeback worthy of celebration. Not only is he great on Holey Moley, but Steph Curry has proven to be an evergreen freak of nature. He’s broken a curse that was put on the team in 2019 and showed the value of rebuilding a team patiently. Jordan Poole has impressed me since the beginning and while I haven’t enjoyed everything they’ve done this playoff season (I find that one loss, and you know which one, against The Memphis Grizzlies to be very offensive and turned me off the team briefly). Still, it’s been a wild period because my whole bracket has been undone by bad predictions. My beloved Los Angeles Clippers couldn’t get past The Play-In Tournament and anyone betting on The Phoenix Suns or The Milwaukee Bucks is sitting bitter right now. Anyway, June is Finals, and I’m ready to see if Dub Nation can win their fourth title. As a long-time resident of Los Angeles, you understand why I’m rooting against The Celtics.
To jump across the court for a moment, The WNBA has also kicked into gear and the early run has been promising. I haven’t seen a lot of games due to scheduling conflicts, but I have seen a few by my beloved Las Vegas Aces. They have been putting up insane numbers and are getting me excited for my game next month against The Los Angeles Sparks (my first time seeing them in over five years). I wish that they had greater competition, but at least I get to see them at the top of their game. I’ll also be seeing The New York Liberty (Sabrina Ionescu!) in July and The Atlanta Dream in August. Fingers crossed that they’re all good games.
With that said, I do want to say that Brittney Griner is still detained as a prisoner in Russia and deserved to be freed. Let us not forget until the problem is resolved. I am happy to see every court emblazoned with her number, serving as a reminder of the work that still needs to be done.
I am also happy to announce that my sister has graduated with a bachelor’s in business from Cal State Fullerton. She definitely worked hard for it and I’m proud of her. I bought some school merch and am looking forward to what their next basketball season looks like. They may have never stood a chance against Duke, but I’m happy they got to March Madness at all (CSULB wasn’t going to do any better). Also, they have E.J. Anosike, and I cannot wait to see that kid in person.
There’s a lot that I’m looking forward to about June. I suppose the most obvious is starting my tradition of watching Dear Evan Hansen (2021) in the next week. Beyond that, there’s a lot of great stuff going on. If you stay tuned in here, there’s a good chance that you’ll find out what that is. For now, I’m just enjoying the relaunch of The Memory Tourist and the summer months of freedom. Hopefully, you’ll be involved. Given that we’re coming up on Pride Month, I also hope that there are plenty of gay festivities. I don’t know what, but hopefully, it’ll be a peaceful time for you. So celebrate however it is you do and I’ll talk with you soon.
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