july round-up

quick thoughts, list of things <3

in between movement sessions at the ICA, standing with Firelei Báez’s Adjusting the Moon

I’ve been trying to get this round-up out for a few days now with much resistance in my body. Where is it coming from? My sense of time and my body in location are disorganized; In July I was in three states for varying amounts of time, doing very different things, and I haven’t been able to land yet. I spent much of the month working in Western Mass, but also got to attend a dance residency at the ICA in Boston, connect with Riley in New York, and move into my new apartment in Philadelphia (!!!) (more on that later). Here’s a rapid-ish fire list of books I read, food I ate, people I love, movies I watched, and things I desire.

developed a bunch of film from last summer, lorena floating at bearnstow

1. Borealis by Aisha Sabatini Sloan 

2. Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid
   Mother/Daughter ache. I’ve started this book a couple of times and I finally finished it in July. It’s not a particularly hard book to read. I think I probably could’ve finished it in a day. But it is somewhat, in between its humor, very upsetting. Annie John is a young girl in Antigua coming of age and day by day experiencing the loss of love from her mother and the precious bond they once seemed to share.

3. Janet Planet (2023)
   I actually watched this at the very end of June but it’s been sitting in my body a certain way, still. It felt melancholic to see Western Mass, my home for the last four years, rendered on screen. Maybe because I knew I’d be moving soon. It also gave the small angry daughter in me something to relate to and rage against.

   
   I enjoyed the 3 acts as they were presented — the old white amherst population that was surrounding me perhaps came without the knowledge that Annie Baker is a playwright and seemed to be rejecting of the structure of the film. Anyways, I think Sophie Okonedo is amazing. 

4. Girl Fight (2000)

5. In the Mood for Love (2000)
   Really really glad my first time viewing this film was in a theater. Arnell and I saw it together at the IFC on West 4th and then went on a long walk and talked about love and passion and Barry Jenkins. There’s still lots of showings in August!

6. The Trial (2005)

   Watched as a double feature with Robert Bresson’s The Trial of Joan of Arc at Anthology Film Archives as a part of their Verbatim film series where they are highlighting films that use text taken directly from other sources or documents. The Trial was super disorienting and also a fascinating history lesson.

7. Christine Nguyen’s vinyl set
   I’ve been following Christine on Youtube since I was 19 and I really like her taste in all things. This vinyl set is fun background music to go about making dinner or sitting on the porch on a beautiful day.

8. Clairo’s album Charm (2024), & particularly this song— I know a fellow cancer moon when I hear one.

9. Cody’s Composition of a Crush, real yearners will relate !!!

   Composition of a crush

10. This hot water bottle with a mermaid cover 🥹 — saw it at the ICA’s museum store and refused to add anything else to my bag but it’s been on my mind.

11. This slip from Dazed but Amazed that I saw my friend Eva wearing in the Jacaranda color… Toffee really calls to me! So beautiful.

12. I split the difference between Dallas and Massachusetts and met Riley + James in New York. We went to Old Friends Photobooth on Orchard and Delancy to take pictures with my incoming little friend. Clear joy. What an honor to witness the journey of this human growing another human.

13. We met Nate at Prima afterwards and then got Ethiopian food at Bunna Cafe. Somehow my first time there! I ate the leftovers of our massive platter while waiting for my bus in Port Authority the next morning. 

14. Wu Tsang: Of Whales at the ICA in Boston. It unfortunetly closes today (Aug 4), but wow, it was excellent to be swallowed up by it in person.

15. Q-Less is a fun word game if you’re kind of a nerd. I happen to be obsessed with it.

16. Clara, Gabe, and I absolutely devoured at Carbon Copy after moving all of my things from the UHaul inside…

17. Likewise for Arnell, Clara and I during restaurant week at Pig & Khao!

18. Geoff, by me, on film. Taken at a fundraiser party that he co-organized at Cafe Erzulie <3