Weekly Report: July 10-16
Watched: Shrinking (Apple TV+) (still in progress)
Listened To: Age of Pleasure by Janelle Monae
Holy crap, the vibes could not be any more different between this album and the last album I listened to. Age of Pleasure lives up to its name fully - it’s about joy, celebration, connections with both friends and lovers, confidence, and having FUN. I know we all know this already, but Janelle Monae is a genius and they can write a fuckin’ BOP - no pun intended, but pun very appropriate, since there are absolutely bops about fucking on this album. (The only iffy part for me is that this is a very reggae-influenced album, and that’s stronger on some songs than others - as someone who doesn’t really love reggae, I don’t love that element as much, but that’s fully a me problem. Janelle Monae can do whatever they want and I would never take that from them.) This is not only a perfect album for the summer, but also something I can put on when I’m washing my dishes after I’ve had a long day, and just dancing around and singing along picks my spirits way up. Shout-outs to “Float”, “Champagne Shit”, and “Haute” as my favorites, with “Waterslide” as an honorable mention.
Read:
Cibola Burn by James S.A. Corey (finished)
This is the 4th book in the The Expanse series - I started reading these about a year ago, and what I like about them is that they are exactly what they’re trying to be, and they’re good at it. These take place in a universe where humans have populated the solar system, and there are specific cultures and loyalties that differ between Earth, Mars, and the outer planets; they are pretty straightforward space operas. I really like how accessible they are, the pacing of them, and how well they balance the character/feelings elements with the harder science stuff.
The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman (still in progress)
The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson (in progress)
Made:
knitting project: a confidential overdue gift (still in progress)