Despite being a Cancer, I don’t know that I’ve ever prepared myself for what a summer month could contain. Every year I reach the end of the spring months and find the slight acceleration catching me off guard. Whereas I’m bombarded the first five months with school work, suddenly I have this strange mix of free time to relax with almost too many activities to work around. At least for June, my time so far in 2022 has felt surprisingly full, giving me everything that I could want in a month that is meant to blow off steam and recharge my batteries. Sure, the heat is unbearable on some days, but given everything else going on I’d say that this is one of my favorite months of the year so far.
I think on some level it’s because of what it symbolizes in relation to last year. In June 2021, I was coming off of a depression and still had those final ripples of anxiety wafting through me like a current. I could manage them, but along with my friend’s funeral and a few unfortunate deaths, I was still in the aftermath of uncertainty. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do with my summer, itself feeling reminiscent of a pandemic where I didn’t feel comfortable going to too many social venues. Sure, I eventually got double-vaxxed and saw In the Heights (2021) and Zola (2021), but it felt like a muted celebration compared to this year.
Part of that is simply having a better outlook on life. Having spent a full semester of university in person, I am not nearly as shy around communal gatherings as I once was. I’ve remembered the joys of human interaction over Zoom calls. Even with the exhaustive additions of having to drive somewhere or possibly be a bit more self-indulgent, I am having the time of my life this summer and this June has been one for the books. I am happier and more optimistic, trying to fit in as much as possible without overheating.
Speaking of “for the books,” I will begin with the best news. With my extra free time, I have finally put in the effort to create an E-Book edition of “Downtime,” which you can buy on Amazon and Smashwords for $6. I have also edited an improved version of “Apples & Chainsaws” available for $8. I am happy to have those out on the market, if just because of their potential to expand my exposure and have my stories reach a wider audience. I’m still editing short stories for a potential summer release, but nothing I care to comment on at this time.
Where better to begin than by sharing the joyous proclamation: Happy Pride! While I was able to appreciate it last year, this is the first where I’ve felt comfortable actually indulging. This isn’t to say that I’ve been to parades or really have a strong in-person community, but I’m trying to move into being more comfortable with my identity on a social level. On the one hand, I’m still sheepish about telling people I’m asexual for the amount of educating that potentially holds (it’s more why I keep demisexuality quiet). With that said, I watch Heartstopper and feel my heart fluttering at it being created by aro-ace Alice Oseman, or that Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (Deal With God)”* has caught on with a new generation. While Bush didn’t write the song as an ace anthem, there’s a theory out there suggesting how the disconnect between two parties could reflect that.
*While I don’t love Stranger Things nearing feature film length, I will say that it’s been an enjoyable season so far and an improvement over the past few. Also, Maya Hawke shares a birthday with me so she gets a pass. I hope Part 2 of this warped season gets her a great birthday present next month.
Though if I’m being honest, one of the most uplifting moments I’ve experienced this month was a special Q&A that I attended around the upcoming film Dear Luke Love Me. I won’t share too many details other than it continues to look like a promising indie and the crew has their heart in the right place. With that said, having almost 100 people invested in asexuality on one Zoom call sharing their love has done plenty to make me feel less alone. I do get the sense that for some this movie will feel significant as far as representation. Truthfully, I’m an advocate for good representation so I only hope for the best from director Guillermo Diaz and company.
On another note, I cannot really claim to have had a major Pride Month. It was a decent month to the extent that I even bought my beloved Progress Flag in May and haven’t really kept up with watching totally queer cinema. Sure I watched The Hunger (1983) and appreciated the eroticism of a David Bowie vampire, but otherwise I do feel like I haven’t done enough besides rewatch stuff I love like Princess Cyd (2017) and Milk (2008), if just to assess how far I’ve grown in my understanding of queerness as an identity. I made the mistake of watching a YouTube video of drunk lesbians hating on Princess Cyd, but otherwise I’ve been kind to the community where possible. Not sure if it’s the desired effect, but I also ate those grey Skittles and the underwhelming gay Oreos who didn’t have much going for them except a hidden demisexual flag that I’m sure the designer didn’t even know what it was.
(I also drank a Dark Berry Dr. Pepper which I really liked, but have no way of fitting this into the larger text. It’s maybe the only reason for Jurassic World Dominion (2022) to even exist. Get it while you can!)
Again, I am happy for everyone who celebrates their identity any time of the year. I love watching them wave flags and express themselves in productive and healthy ways. If nothing else, it’s a perfect way to show that there’s more to being LGBTQIA+ than sex. Given that the state that recently suffered the awful Uvalde mass shooting prioritizes banning minors from seeing drag queens (for “perversion,” I guess) shows how warped priorities are at the moment. Guns have killed more people than drag shows. Also, why are you acting so quickly over something so harmless but dragging feet on something that has remained an epidemic for DECADES? What even is this country?
I will say that one of the interesting side steps of June 2022 has been my fascination with The January 6 Hearings that have aired every Tuesday and Thursday for roughly 2.5 hours at a time. Their deconstruction of that terrorist attack has been fascinating and while I don’t sometimes feel like I’m getting groundbreaking information, what I do feel is that there is value in condensing and collecting the information in one place for accessibility. I will admit that there’s part of me that is wanting justice for everything, that the government is capable of doing the right thing. As someone who grew too disillusioned from The 2016 Presidential Election to really want to be a poll worker ever again, I mostly watch because I believe in what should come of this. This is a moment that the history books will judge us for, and I want to believe that the criminals will be punished and that we honor the heroes. It’s been a bizarre time for that type of trust, but I still believe that we can get there. Frankly, there is some sigh of relief I have given every day that this civil discourse is had, even as it presents stories as depressing as what happened to Ms. Moss and her mother after being targeted by the president.
Anyway, I will get off my soapbox for now. My life hasn’t been all griping this past month. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve had a fairly eventful summer where every week has seemingly found me out attending a new event. Of the theater that I’ve seen, the one that was most interesting was a Long Beach Playhouse production of Intimate Apparel. I love the venue and haven’t been there in several months, so getting to experience the condensed roundabout structure of the show felt refreshing. Given that it was also closing night, I got to see people carrying flowers and a cast who were in top form doing their last hurrah. Since it’s a small venue, I also got to watch actors walk through the aisle way, which makes certain scenes play differently than on a conventional stage. I had studied Lynn Nottage a few semesters ago with Sweat and was curious to see more of her work. It’s safe to say that if they’re as good as these two plays, then I’ll be attending more whenever they begin to tour. Also, LBP is doing Company next month so you best believe I’ll be there to see how you can drive a person crazy.
Sound the horns, one and all. Along with everything else going on, I have been to my first WNBA game in several years. It was also my first at the newly named Crypto.com Arena which… nothing about the venue feels different from when I was there in November. I got to sit near enough to the court that I got to believe that I could flag over Sparky the mascot if I really wanted to. So much about the venue felt alive and compensated for any belief that they acquire a smaller crowd than The NBA. I loved the camaraderie and we got to sing “Happy Birthday” to Trevor Ariza’s daughter, which ended well.
Wait, wait, wait… who did I go to see? As a Los Angeles venue, I of course got to see The Sparks, but they were playing my favorite team The Las Vegas Aces. At the time of that game, they had only lost two games that whole season and were on track to have one of the best seasons of their career. It’s still early, but they still sit atop the overall ranking and I’m happy to say that from LVA’s perspective, it was a triumphant double-digit win. I loved watching everyone play hard for two hours, such as Kelsey Plum, A’ja Wilson, and Dearica Hamby. When walking around I even found a portrait of the great Lou Williams with a Sixth Man trophy (gone but not forgotten). While I’d love to have experienced a closer game, I’m happy to have seen my Aces in person this season. I’ll be back next month for The New York Liberty and a chance to see the great Sabrina Ionescu in a season where she’s putting up unprecedented records like several triple-doubles per season. I hope she keeps it up.
Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t share my love for The Golden State Warriors winning their fourth NBA championship. While I haven’t been the most loyal fan, I will say that their ability to surprise me and pull off something incredible reminds me of why I followed them in the first place. Steph Curry is still in top form and I love how he builds a team with Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and company. I’m very excited to see how next season winds up and hope that they can pull off something wild by the 10th anniversary of their first Finals appearance. This is something special and I will miss it when it’s over.
Which reminds me. There’s the BG42 on the court to remind everyone that Brittney Griner is still in captivity by Russia. June marked 100 days since it started and talk is that she’ll be detained through July at least. Still, I hope that she is able to be freed sooner than later because it is a horrible situation with unfair ramifications. That is of course unfair like the other war crimes that Russia is currently doing to Ukraine, It’s a scary time and I hope we don’t forget what is going on overseas if just because of the terrifying realities that many will face for years to come.
Another thing to note is that we have officially marked another Best Musical winner. Ladies and gentlemen… A Strange Loop! While it’s a show that has existed in some form for several years, I chose to wait for the OBCR to listen. What I will say is that “Intermission” is the closest I’ve come to being overwhelmed by a musical song in so long. I’ve wanted new shows and this finally delivered something so nuanced and full of effort that I loved it immediately. The harmonies, the wordplay, and even the subtext. Everything grabs you and what impresses me is how the entire soundtrack from there surprises over and over, making me relieved that audiences actually responded positively to it. I don’t know that I love it, but I love how shamelessly self-assured it is. There hasn’t been a musical like this, and I don’t say that often even for shows I love. I’ll have to give it another listen just to put the emotional dexterity into better focus.
On another note, I have been spending the month listening to Ethel Cain’s “Preacher’s Daughter.” I know that she dislikes the comparisons, but hearing her in the same breath as Lana Del Rey has been a strong way of getting my attention. To be honest, Lana Del Rey’s best and worst feature is that she is singular and I haven’t found another performer like her to take the edge off. I don’t think Cain is like her in anything but notions, which even then I’m more drawn to her based on an NPR article where she claimed to be commenting on growing up in the religious south. She may have a religious substance to her sound, but it’s more critical even as she tries to find value in spirituality.
It's among the most atmospheric albums I have in rotation right now and it’s breathtaking on headphones. I love how she is able to mix southern sensibilities with this youthful angst that finds her wanting to break free of these social constructs. I personally love how “A House in Nebraska” sounds like it echoes for miles in every direction, epitomizing a longing that many have covered, but never as sonically. I really do buy into her isolation and desire to be reunited. If anything, this feels avant-garde in ways that I hope will continue to be honed on future albums. For now, this is a sweet little creation that provokes a lot of emotion in my heart. I’m curious to check out her E.P. “Inbred,” if just because of how taken aback I was the first time I heard about it and thought it must’ve been a black metal record only to be pleasantly surprised.
Elsewhere, I want to give a shout-out to the new HBO series Irma Vep which has managed to expand the Olivier Assayas film in very satisfying ways. It also has one of the better Alicia Vikander performances I’ve seen outside of Ex-Machina (2014). I also like Under the Banner of Heaven, if just because it brings together Andrew Garfield, writer Dustin Lance Black (Milk), and an episode directed by Isabel Sandoval. Of course, I am happy to know that Better Things ended on a high note and am glad to know that Pamela Adlon has said on TV’s Top 5 how she wants to be the next Huell Howser. I can’t wait to see if she pulls it off. Also looking forward to seeing if The Bear ends up being any good.
I don’t know if June having more free time is the result of me going longer than I usually do, but that has been a common problem this month. I’m not saying that it’s impacted my work too much, but in between doing a ton of fun stuff like watching The National Spelling Bee and reading great books like Dante Alighieri’s “Inferno” and Lewis Carroll’s “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” I have just had more desire to write. If anything I still have a ton of projects that I want to get done by the end of July. Will I get them all done? Who even knows.
I’ve had a great time this June and I hope that you have too. While I haven’t achieved everything that I’ve wanted to, it’s left me with plenty of memories that suggest what I value out of life. It’s been a good year and I’m thankful for it being as enjoyable as it has been. Next month will be something wild if just because it’s my birthday and the peak of many great activities that I’ll cover as they come up. For now, I say goodbye and take to Fandango to plan a weekend trip to the theaters to see Elvis (2022). What could go wrong with a three hour movie about a rock ‘n roll icon done by the man behind Moulin Rouge! (2001)? I don’t know, but given we have a soundtrack that mixes Doja Cat with The King of Rock, it’s going to be an experience for the ages. Maybe I’ll talk about it later. If I don’t, just know I have a superhero movie directed by a polyamorous filmmaker coming out on my birthday. I have enough to keep me happy. Hope you can say the same.
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