For obvious reasons, July is a very special month for me. It is the height of summer, when festivities are in full swing and everyone believes that this paradise will last forever. Some would call it summer loving while others formative. While I am not one to love the heat nor take to the pool, it is a period I desire if just because it’s when I get to relax in-between semesters, to work on various smaller projects that I have been putting off, and just enjoy life. On a grand stage, it’s when movie blockbusters are released and trailers for films I’ll potentially love in The Fall begin to make the rounds. Everything is happening and I couldn’t be happier.
It's also because of how the month starts. As much as I loathe Independence Day for its shameless pageantry, it’s the start of a period that becomes about me. TCM is reliable with putting on 1776 (1972) and The Music Man (1962) while family gathers around to celebrate. Then, a few days later, it’s my birthday. I don’t exactly know what the iconography for 33 is, but I hope to discover it in the year ahead. If I’m being totally honest, what made being 32 extra special is that it was the first year of life in so long where I felt accomplished by the end, where I was genuinely happy with how things were turning out. Things could be better but otherwise, I was bettering my existence and I can only hope to bring that into 33.
Oh yeah, and I got to watch Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) on OPENING NIGHT with my friend. While it’s gotten a muddled response, I am happy to report that I like it as a follow-up to Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and is in general one of my favorite Marvel films since Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) if just for the personality that it brings and Taika Waititi’s messy, strange storytelling that is trying something new. Sure, it’s not the best movie that I saw this month – Jordan Peele’s excellent Nope (2022) – but then again this summer hasn’t interested me all that much. I can only hope that next month’s Bullet Train (2022) is a well-earned follow-up to one of my favorite action films Atomic Blonde (2017). It’s a time when I wish that indie chains were still more prevalent in Southern California because I wouldn’t doubt there’d be two or three smaller films that win over my heart.
Most of my love this summer has been seemingly on the smaller screen. Of everything that I’ve seen, the one noteworthy standout has been The Bear, which is FX’s new series about restaurant employees. Everyone calling it the sleeper hit of the summer is right, as it’s one of the best character studies I’ve seen in a while and features some endearing acting. Also, if there’s one other thing to commend, I am a sucker for good one take features, and they do an excellent job here making the claustrophobic space flow perfectly between various obstacles. With that in mind, I also want to briefly recommend The Bob’s Burgers Movie (2022), which is genuinely some of the best work I’ve seen from the series in years and something I’m curious to watch a few times in the near future. It’s that charming.
Beyond my own voracious appetite for TV and film, I will also recognize that early July coincided rather succinctly with The Supreme Court striking down Roe vs. Wade. It’s a tragedy that women’s rights aren’t allowed to be respected and protected because others don’t recognize the separation of church and state, or how abortion is a personal decision in general. HBO released an amazing documentary on the subject recently called The Janes (2022) and I encourage everyone to check it out. I am far from the target audience of this debate, but I will say that women deserve to choose what they do with their bodies in every form. It is disrespectful that their rights are taken away constantly and put health at risk because of politicians who don’t get the value of science. Similarly, I recognize the argument that this is all part of a pattern and that this follows years of Anti-Transgender bills being put through local courts and could lead to discrimination and the banning of gay marriage. There is a need to not backslide into dystopian attitudes, especially when the LGBTQIA+ community is one of the most loving and accepting I’ve ever known, who has everyone’s best interest more than the people certain politicians would rather protect.
Politically it’s been an odd time because of that. I am well aware that many were protesting on July 4 because of the ruling and I am all for it. It’s honestly heartwarming to find people doing a small protest even if I’m not entirely sure of the larger effectiveness. I also continued to watch The January 6 Hearings, which remain enlightening but also give me hope that this is all leading somewhere. As much as I do worry that certain ideologies have changed too much, I still grew up believing in the land of compromise, of the melting pot, of forming a more perfect union. I’m scared at times that certain validations are already in place, but one can hope every new detail makes us never forget and hopefully grow into a more unified and respectful country.
There were a few positives to come out of my Early July experiences. For starters, I got to attend my second WNBA game of 2022 where The Los Angeles Sparks played The New York Liberty. Considering how enamored I was to see Kelsey Plum and company play the previous month for The Las Vegas Aces, I was curious to see how Sabrina Ionescu would handle it. From a few dozen rows back, I got to see the action and I’m here to report that while The Liberty is far from my favorite team, Ionescu is the real deal. Those calling her a shining star in basketball are definitely right and I believe she’s having a great season. While I didn’t get to see her score a triple double, I saw something close enough. Given that The Liberty played The Aces twice and performed historic numbers in the weeks to come, it was a great summer. It was also great to see so much love for one player, including from her Oregon Ducks days. I haven’t seen that kind of love for a player since I saw Luka Doncic last November.
By some luck, I also went to a third game with the full family this time to see The Sparks play The Atlanta Dream. While I bet on the wrong team, I still got to see rookie prodigy Rhyne Howard play and it was plenty of fun. Overall I’m coming around on LAS as a team and have been checking out some of their games since then.
Other fun tidbits from the particular game I went to include getting to see Long Beach legend Billie Jean King do a pre-game event where she signed a ball for Nneka Ogwumike and waved at the crowd. It was also mascot Sparky’s birthday so he got to blow out candles on a cake in front of a stadium of Camp Day participants (seeing as I was there to sing “Happy Birthday” to Trevor Ariza’s daughter as well, this is two times I’ve heard that song in this building) AND got to hang out with one of my new best friends. It’s the type of moment that makes you want to see the whole game reinvented. Sparky was joined by The Los Angeles King’s Bailey the lion who proceeded to goof around during various intermissions. It was so much fun and I just loved the atmosphere.
The final odd detail is that by some unfortunate luck, The Dream game was also the last time Liz Cambage would play for The Sparks at a home game. It since has come out that her contract has been “divorced” and the future is currently unknown. Given that I thought she was doing decent, it hit me as a shock. I’ve since learned some dicey details about her, but it’s strange how this falling out occurred.
Also, to close out this lengthy part on WNBA… I am still eager to get Brittney Griner home. There are currently talks of a hostage trade, but I am outside the circles who would have any major details.
One last thing about my birthday. I also finally got to see Company at one of my favorite theaters The Long Beach Playhouse. It’s something that I had been looking forward to since 2020, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, they had to postpone the event and move it to the end of their 2021-2022 season, which was full of excellent shows like Intimate Apparel. I suppose the timing makes it a bit more somber, especially with the relatively recent passing of Stephen Sondheim, but as the second show by the composer I’ve seen this year (the other being Into the Woods), I’m happy to report that I think it’s just as great on-stage and it’s so far my favorite theatrically of his work. Apparently, my fellow Long Beach residents agree as it was granted an additional two week run into August.
I suppose that I should also share some details on the music that’s been making my world go round lately. While it’s a bit on the older side, I am a big fan of Ethel Cain’s “Preacher’s Daughter” and find it to be among the most accomplished atmospheric albums I’ve heard in a long time. I love her lyricism and mix of exploring religion and personal identity through a sometimes morbid lens without being needlessly sacrilegious. I am eager to hear more of her work sooner than later. Other artists that I have been really enjoying during this time include Beach Bunny’s “Emotional Creature” album, which may not be as high on complexity, but hits that sweet spot of nostalgic pop-rock from the early 2000s. There’s been a handful of bands that cover that base, but they do it in a way that clicks for me. I also continue to love Number One Popstar and have been slowly discovering Kid Cudi’s “Man on the Moon” series because of how intriguing Entergalactic looks. Of course, Lizzo’s “Special” is tons of fun and I love her energy. Finally, if anyone can find an OBCR with a soundtrack as emotional as A Strange Loop, let me know. I’ve listened to a handful of recent stuff (Mr. Saturday Night, Mrs. Doubtfire, etc.) and it’s just not the same as a rare tour de force.
Before I get too far into the concluding half, I would also like to briefly mention that I recently read Oscar Wilde’s “The Portrait of Dorian Grey” and as rare as it is for me to even consider giving a book an A+, it’s very much an A+ read and every line is poetry. I love it and the subtext is insatiable. I heard it’s even better the closer you look into it.
As far as personal accomplishments go, I am proud to say that I have broken the literary drought that’s been consuming my year. This month marks the release of my second short story of the year with “The Night Person,” which I hope everyone enjoys. It’s hopefully my last of the cerebral narratives and that I am slowly beginning to move into more active storytelling. Still, I love it and enjoy the layers and symbolism it contains. I’ve also recently published a long overdue digital version of “Downtime” and am currently working on outlining what I am temporarily calling “Novel3.”
There’s a lot that has made this month unlike any other. On the one hand, there’s the inescapable fire season in California that many are saying is now year-round (enough to spark anxiety in me) and the weather nationally has seemed to be a nightmare. I’m trying to avoid sweating myself into lightheadedness and mostly doing a good job. Because of babysitting my nieces, I’ve been out and about more and have appreciated the park, if just because I get to see nature more often and get out of the headspace that could lead to some negative ways of thinking. This isn’t to say that I’m completely fine, but having that reminder of what matters in life and allowing yourself to relax now and then does make all of the difference.
I am trying to feel more inspired by the world and just recognize what makes this summer a good one. For the most part, it’s delivered enough. As I’ve gotten into my 30’s, I’ve been more focused on the small things. Part of it is just not having the energy but also that certain moments matter more to me than any form of excess. Sure, I’d love to get a working car that will take me out of the city for a few days and enjoy the world outside my comfort zone. Maybe in time that will happen. But for now, I’m happy. There’s a lot to be thankful for and this month hasn’t let me down. I could do more, but at the same time, part of the deal is relaxing a bit before Fall Semester starts up. Best to enjoy the value of nothing when and where I can while I can.
I suppose the one side note in all of this, and I believe it makes me a square, is that while I have been “humble,” the one thing that has captured my interest is the new video game from Annapurna called Stray. Basically, you play as a cat who wanders around and it reminds me of my old orange tabby Tiger. Something about it seems so darn cute and I want to play it… but I’m far from video game compatible and not dropping hundreds just to change that for a cat game. I’ll continue to watch videos online and just appreciate that someone finally made the perfect game. I’m sure this sounds silly and I’m joking, but that game still seems pretty cool.
Here's hoping that August delivers something just as good, even if I’ve always seen it as the bridge into The Fall, and that’s not nearly as exciting as the endless space that is July. I definitely have things that may be going down (Hadestown again?) but I’ll play them as they come up. For now, I’m going to continue enjoying my summer and being appreciative of what is hopefully going to make 33 another great year of life. I’m happy to have figured enough out to have that comfort. All I hope is that this is a sign of great things to come as the months drag on and I potentially graduate from my dream school. What lies on the road after that? I better start looking just to give myself a healthy teaser.
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