June 2026 Grab Bag
Happy summer and happy Pride! Yesterday I got ice cream twice and today I got slightly tan from staying out in the park too long – both feel like good omens for the season to come.
- As someone who has been playing The Sims for literally over half my life, I was so excited for the release of Paralives, an indie-developed competitor to the franchise. Thrilled to say it’s great and I’ve logged plenty of hours into it already
- OBSESSED with Last Dinner Party’s new song “Big Dog” – the opening has such “song played at the Bronze during a werewolf episode of Buffy” energy
- Cried like a lil baby watching The Sheep Detectives in theaters: all kids movies should be weird and talk about death like this one does
- Literally found Thistlefoot on the sidewalk and picked it up because it seemed interesting and it turned into one of my favorite reads of the year
- I will forever be mad about the movie theater that got turned into a Blink Fitness in my neighborhood. This photo-series of abandoned and repurposed theaters reminds me it happens all the time
- Speaking of relics of the past: apparently Netflix has gotten rid of being able to search through its entire library. Feels like a depressing confirmation that streaming services prioritize algorithmic recommendations over user-directed discovery
- Revisited The Sting and had a blast. Maybe the best heist movie around? Paul Newman and Robert Redford are so damn charming it’s insane
- Alien really reminded me that we’ve lost the art of telling sharp, self contained sci-fi stories. Not everything has to be saving the world or hopping through multi-verses. Some things can just be a cargo delivery gone awry
- One of my favorite podcasts, What Went Wrong, covers movie production stories with a lot of interesting insight into the movie making process. They recently did a great episode about My Big Fat Greek Wedding that really turned into an interesting reflection on the state of indie cinema today
- Extremely charmed by the story of a fox that arrived in New York City stowed away on a cargo ship from the UK. His name is Basil and I would die for him
My enjoyment of Drop of Corruption and Thistlefoot have made me realize maybe I need more fantasy books in my life – let me know your favorites below!
Each month I highlight an organization that’s important to me. I encourage people to check out the cool work they do, and also to find causes within their community to support as well.
Today I’m highlighting QUILTS
