Blinked and June was gone. So much happened the moment I touched U.S. soil after spending two weeks in Thailand. I experienced a fortnight in a jet lag fueled fugue so powerful I converted to a Morning Person. I started going to coffee shops right as they opened instead of lying in bed staring at the ceiling. My friends began to join me to my surprise. And now it’s just a thing we do now--a warm mug and a yap before work. I love it.

I dedicated most of my free time to journaling about my trip to Thailand. It was bittersweet. I had a lot to process. And then decided I wanted to share the experience publicly as a pop-up newsletter. Photos, video, reflection--one entry per day that I was in Thailand. It starts on the 19th of July and ends on the 31st. You can follow along here.

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This month’s playlist:

Requiem for a Dream

I am an odd Darren Aronofsky fan. I have seen few of his movies. The ones I love are the most polarizing: Noah (2014) and Mother! (2017). And I haven’t watched either of the movies he’s well known for: Black Swan (2010) and Requiem for a Dream (2000). I’ve now ameliorated part of the situation.

Requiem is trying very hard and doing a good job at it. “It” being a visually original and stunning film. The elaborate timelapses, “hip hop montage” sequences, the blending of hallucination and reality. Impressive.

But I did not like this movie. I found it garish. I feel the way it handles the topic of addiction is in poor taste. There’s no subtlety or nuance to the characters. They are paraded across the screen as a macabre freak show--which may be the intention--and left me feeling nothing but disgust for what I experienced. The single impotent note of “drugs bad” did nothing for me.

I feel Trainspotting (1996) treats this topic with far more grace. It’s compassionate, humanizing, without pulling any punches. Yes, addiction will destroy you, but these are people, too.

The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe

It’s been a while since I’ve played a true walking simulator. This one genuinely has the best writing. The meta commentary is clever, though not awfully deep. But I don’t think I’ve seen all there is to see. Depth may be lurking behind the next door. I appreciate the low-stakes gameplay and discovery. Perfect for a chill and a chuckle.

The Subtle Knife

Book two of the His Dark Materials trilogy has severe sequelitis. Little occurs. It lacks a beginning and an end. Interstitial. Liminal. But it does lay important groundwork to enable the Amber Spy Glass to shine.

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This month was entirely devoted to Travelogue, the pop-up newsletter. Writing and reflecting. Developing all the film from the trip. Editing little “reels” from video clips I recorded in Thailand (Meta’s Edits app is regrettably very good). I’m proud of the effort. I hope I translated the experience well.