The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same
What I'm Into, June 2017
It has been quite a year. Just...quite. I'll leave it at that (for now, at least). In response to that/in spite of that, June was a positive, eventful month! I...
- Took my first PTO days since February
- Saw my first movie of 2017
- Paid for my first concert of 2017
- Rounded out my first full month in my new role at work
...and all of those firsts really catalyzed and solidified plans for the rest of the year! More on those later, but I wanted to mention it as a lens to view the rest of this post through - June was for change and renewed excitement!
In the midst of work and general life changes, here's what I was into this past month:
Professional Sports
I know, right?! I am still firmly in the "college is better than pro" sports category, only there's this one thing that hasn't fully made it's way into popular SEC standing yet. Ice hockey! I had a blast learning about pro-hockey and watching the Stanley Cup playoffs this year, and while the Preds didn't come out on top, they're definitely #1 in my heart.
Movies
I saw my first - and second - movie in the theater for 2017!
Baywatch - I'm not going to recommend this one, except to confirm that the Rock is a delight.
- Girls Trip - RUN, don't walk, TO SEE THIS. I went in knowing I'd laugh and enjoy the actresses and the world they created. I didn't expect to be so moved by the message. I'm going to talk about GLOW later on, but Girls Trip really reflected the dynamic, loyal, and yes, sometimes difficult, relationship between female friends. I walked out of the theater grateful that I knew I had friends like this in my life, and so happy to see it portrayed on the screen in such an all-encompassing way.
As a sidenote, I also saw the premiere of A Deadly Adoption, the Lifetime movie starring Will Farrell and Kristen Wiig. It's everything you want it to be. Promise.
TV
Speaking of A Deadly Adoption (how's that for a non-sequitur), I went back to Austin, TX, for my second ATX Television Festival. I was able to see that Lifetime premiere, as well as premieres of FX's Snowfall, HBO's Room 104, and Netflix's GLOW. I had an AMAZING time attending the Fest, hanging out with Jamie Golden, catching up with my BFF Brooke, and even getting to spend some unexpected and quality time with one of my fave co-worker-turned-friends Ariel. Look for more info to come on ATX Fest soon (seriously, more. I have eighteen pages of notes from the glorious panels and premieres).
To get back to GLOW for a second, you should know that I binged the whole thing in about 16 hours (I did have to live my life in there somewhere). I love love love it and will probably watch it through at least one more time before the next season comes out. Much like Girls Trip, I really enjoyed seeing true female relationships portrayed, and the full spectrum in one story. Can't get enough...
Other shows I'm into:
- Doctor Who - This season has been a little all over the place, but it's wrapping up quite nicely. Except that I don't want it to wrap up. Peter don't go!
- Twin Peaks - I decided to rewatch the first season and watch the second season for the first time in the hopes that by the time I caught up, the new episodes would be easily available online. The biggest thing so far is how drastic the tone shifts in season two around episode 7 or 8. Yowza.
Now that I've talked about all this TV, here's some interesting news: I cancelled my cable mid-June! While I still enjoy immersing myself in all of these worlds, I realized that I either watched everything on Netflix or Amazon. And other shows can be purchased by season for about a fifth of my cable bill. So far the only thing I worry about is college football season, but I've got time to figure that out!
Music
Late last year I made a promise to myself that I'd only purchase tickets to five concerts in 2017 - about a 75% drop from 2016. Y'all, I've actually kept this promise!
On June 12 I saw the first concert I paid for - Sigur Ros. I. am. amaze. I'll definitely see them again when they're in town. (Sad side note: I didn't get Van Morrison tickets, but I'm hoping to figure something out before the show.)
Books
The last thing I want to mention are two "big reads" I'm doing this year that really firmed up in June.
I decided to read every Stephen King work - not necessarily within 2017, but just between now and...a few years? I've done okay, two books and a few short stories, but there are SO MANY things out there to read! And all my holds seem to come into the library at the same time! There is a Facebook group for it if you'd like to join, though. Clearly you have time to catch up if you want to start at the beginning.
Somehow, more successful than the Stephen King read through has been an unintentional John Le Carre read through - I'm about five novels and one memoir deep. If you're into the spy genre (or aren't sure if you are or not), I highly recommend Le Carre. Start with The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and follow that up with The Pigeon Tunnel. These are actually perfect in audiobook format - I've listened to the majority of them during my work commute!
So that's my June. In July I'm looking forward to getting out on the water, healthy eating, and taking an epic road trip. More to come...
I'm posting as a part of the What I'm Into link up from leighkramer.com.
