August 2025

A compilation of things I did/watched/read during a very long month

August is finally over, and it's officially fall!

This month was very busy for me--I got a new job in July and have been working full time, and also dealing with the fact that I won't be going back to school this fall. This has been a little hard on me as I've been going to school for the vast majority of my life and now I won't be returning. I have officially entered a new chapter. This is exciting, but it's also a huge adjustment. I'm so used to people that I know being everywhere! Now I have to actively go out and try to make new friends and this is a little daunting. It's so easy to make friends when you're forced together, but since I don't really have any coworkers my age, I'm finding it much more difficult.

Regardless, I am hopeful for the future! I have auditions coming up and people to meet and I think that this new chapter will treat me just fine.

Film

I didn't watch many movies this month as I have been a little obsessed with Twin Peaks. I'm watching it with my roommates and we've been having a lot of fun getting to know all the characters and their quirks. I love David Lynch's directing style (even though I know he didn't direct a lot of the episodes) and I love a mystery. I do, unfortunately, know who killed Laura Palmer. However! It has been fun watching my friends try and figure it out.

This month I've had a healthy mix of rewatches and some new movies that came out this year.

Blue Velvet

Can you tell I'm on a David Lynch kick?

My girlfriend saw that this was playing in a small theater, and since we had been watching Twin Peaks, bought us tickets to go see it. We walked to the theater after dinner and sat in the dark with approximately 15 other people and watched one of the strangest yet intriguing films of my life. I was glad that we watched it in the theater because if I had been watching it at home I might have turned it off. Since I was forced to sit there and I watch it, I got to experience the whole thing and I really enjoyed it.

I think what I liked most about the movie was the mystery. There was no point where anything felt completely obvious. I was surprised by the plot twist, and the ending had this sort of melancholy feeling to it despite it being a 'happy' ending. The visuals were interesting, the color palette was beautiful, and every actor portrayed their character excellently.

Silver Linings Playbook

I rewatched this film because I felt out of control of my thoughts. As someone who is bipolar, I relate a lot to Pat's character and see myself in him quite a bit. While I don't deal with the delusions, and my mania is more like hypomania, Pat is a character that I feel a lot of love towards.

I have definitely been up in the middle of the night and bothered my parents about something that could have waited until the morning, and I absolutely have finished a book at 2:00 in the morning and tried calling multiple people just to rant about it.

I love watching Pat fall for Tiffany, and it is such a beautiful reminder that even though my mood swings and I've made a lot of mistakes, I am still worthy and capable of love. That message is really important to me.

Weapons

"I need to watch a horror movie in the theater, it's for my health." - Me, immediately before watching a horror movie in the theater.

This was a solid 3.5 star movie for me. Despite liking many things about it--and having an enjoyable theater experience--I still have my qualms. However, it was a fun experience and I thought the film was sufficiently scary.

Literature

I didn't read this month really at all. I started reading "Our Wives Under the Sea," but I haven't finished it yet. I really like it so far though! Hopefully I'll be back to writing book reviews this September.

Music

I won't include a playlist as I'm not sure how to format it on this website other than making a list, but here are some albums I recommend!

Essex Honey - Blood Orange

I listened to the whole thing in one sitting--absolutely stunning from start to finish. Love the collaborations and the way everything sounds. Always a fan of the music Blood Orange puts out!

SABLE, fABLE - Bon Iver

I am a long time Bon Iver fan, and this album scratched an itch that a lot of his new music hasn't been able to reach in years. I adore this album, and I think my favorite song is Speyside.

Carrie & Lowell - Sufjan Stevens

Weirdly, I had been avoiding this one. But! I loved it. Stevens' music is so gentle yet somehow so brutal, and I love his lyricism.

Misc.

Going on day trips with your friends to new places, getting a new best friend (a kitty named Laura Palmer), celebrating your loved ones’ birthdays, romanticizing your 7-3 job in any way you can, picking blackberries in the parking lot, walking to the library, Leith Ross’ new music, doing coloring pages on your iPad, customizing your Google Calendar, and making playlists for your lover.

See you next month!