June Favorites

So this is what happens when I need to post in June because anxiety made up a rule that I have to post at least once a month but I don't have any of my other topics finished yet...

ENJOYING:

• Trying to befriend the squirrel who hangs out on our balcony--we have named him Frankie and I put water out for him with ice cubes in it because it's so hot, but I think he thinks I'm trying to poison him because he won't touch it. He keeps putting his hands up against the glass and staring at my plant (which I keep inside so it won't overheat) and it's really cute.

• Homemade iced chai with oat milk--I'm not vegan or dairy-free or anything but oat milk is just really tasty, okay?

• Thai tea-flavored mochi from Trader Joes

• Root beer floats for dinner--according to the Arby's workers they're fixing the machine soon!

  
  

READING:

• "On Her Knees: Memoir of a Powerful Jezebel" by Brenda Marie Davies--I'm a huge fan of God is Grey and reading a more detailed description of her story in her own words was fascinating.

• “Nothing Is Okay” by Rachel Wiley--I originally saw her work on the Button Poetry Facebook and knew I had to read the whole collection.

• “F*ck Nuance” by Kieran Healy--honestly I am still trying to wrap my head around this because my academic brain is a little fried (it's probably writing a uro-oncology grant proposal that did it)

• All the beautiful work from my writing group--it's been so fun to encourage each other and watch each other grow. Everyone in the group has such brilliant and creative ideas and I've already learned a lot about how to approach certain topics in a more relatable way.
  
  

WATCHING (OR FINISHED WATCHING):

• The Thai version of “Hey Ghost Let’s Fight” --we've seen the Korean version with Taecyon and LOVED it and wanted to give the Thai version a try. They went in a different direction with the plot and some of the characters (to their benefit in some ways and to their detriment in others) but overall it was an enjoyable experience. I actually appreciated the changes because it maintained the suspense that would have been lost had it been a 100% faithful adaptation. The chemistry between the leads also felt more present, as in the Korean version the ten-year age gap between the actors (and the fact that the female lead was only 18) necessitated more of a distance.

• “Kevin Can F* Himself” (2 episodes in)--the "sitcom" parts of the show are so accurate it's kind of eerie. Annie Murphy is doing so great even though the accent feels kind of off sometimes.

• The Hollow (1&2)--a good balance of well-paced, interesting plot + characters you care about without being too twisty or intricate enough to take up too much brain space while watching. Kai is the best character and I will not hear any arguments.

• Hilda (1&2)--SO CUTE. I do scream "HILDA" every episode because of how many bad choices she makes, but the animation, storyline, and character development is so lovely and whimsical. I have already adopted David and Alfur as my children.

  
  

  LISTENING TO:

  
  

  My music tastes have always been a pretty eclectic mix but even more so over the past year. Behold: pop, Kpop, bachata, punk pop, R&B, post-hardcore, alternative, and pop-rock. I'm not sorry.

• “Violet!” by Waterparks 

• “Lowkey as H*ll” by Waterparks

• “Girl” by Destiny’s Child

• “With or Without You” by Johnny Sky

• “love race” by Machine Gun Kelly ft. Kellin Quinn

• “Know It All” by The Band Camino

• “Whatcha Need” by Boyz II Men

• “Dimple” by BTS

• “Heads or Tails? Real or Not?” by Emarosa

• “My Heart” by Paramore

• “UGH!” by BTS

• “Mic Drop” by BTS

• “Don’t Fight the Feeling” by EXO

• “Confetti” by Little Mix ft. Saweetie

• “Broken Me” by B.M 

• “Favorito” by Dani J

• “Besos Mojados” by Prince Royce

• "0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You)" by TXT 

•  “xo” by Emarosa

• "Blue Hour" by TXT

• “SIREN” by P1Harmony