The Very Best of July 2024
Ah, July 2024, what an absolutely normal, uneventful month you were, yeah?
We all know what’s up. The forces that shape the world’s headlines must’ve tapped in a few telenovela writers to contribute because, sheesh, what drama. I’m hoping that whatever helps ground you and bring peace has been at arm’s reach.
Amidst all that drama, it’s also been a pretty wild month in my personal life. At the start, I was supposed to run a marathon, but 72 hours before race day, I learned that it had been postponed until September, thus kicking off a strange season of running in maintenance mode to stay in shape but avoid injury.
While that was going on, I learned of the passing of two family members, and a friend’s dad, all within 72 hours of each other.
With those losses running in parallel alongside all the surprises this month, it served as a very stark but important reminder to not take anything for granted. That any day you wake up healthy and surrounded by your people is a day worth embracing.
While none of us know how things unfold from here, I can say that it’s a privilege to unearth each day.
The very best Debate: The NYT’s Best Books of the 21st Century
I could note the very worst debate, but let’s not go there. The book section of the New York Times has been very busy. Seeing as we’re a quarter of the way through the century, they curated a Top 100 list of the books that have been released so far, a list that undoubtedly stirred up some controversy!
They simultaneously released a list of reader picks, and the contrast seemed to reveal some of the flaws of the editor’s lists, namely a narrow focus on certain genres.
I can’t resist making my own list of picks that I’ll probably share sometime in the near future, but for now I’ve got to say, I’m surprised with how much I overall agree with the “official” list.
The very best live performance I saw: Tick… Tick… Boom!
Deanna and I recently got to spend a date seeing the Cygnet Theatre put on a local production of Tick… Tick… Boom!
The autobiographical black-box musical of Rent composer Jonathan Larson’s pursuit of a dream has so many themes that are right up my alley, most notably feeling like you’re working against the clock to do what you were made for. (I’m guessing this is a thing for Lin Manuel Miranda and perhaps the reason why he refer to bring the screen adaptation led by Andrew Garfield to life).
Anyways, the production I saw was so well acted that it was the performances that stood out the most. I sort of
had a hunch that would be the case when I saw A.J. Rafael in the lead. That’s a pretty big deal for Filipinos of a certain age. AKA, my own age.
The very best memoriam: James Lawson
The US lost a giant of Civil Rights and social change last month. The Rev. James Lawson was a dedicated teacher of non-violence for decades and decades, having influenced leaders of movements like the Nashville sit-ins and Memphis sanitation workers strike. MLK called him America’s greatest teacher of non-violence.
I love the tribute written by one of his students and protégés, Kent Wong:
“When he joined me for tea in my living room, his tone and message were somber. Rev. Lawson challenged me as he had many times during the course of our friendship. He told me that I had to reach into my inner being and come to terms with my purpose in life. He assured me that my time was not yet up, and that there was other important work I had to do.“
The very best thing I watched: Supacell
Okay, to put it simply, this is a slick, slick show. We’ve all seen the “various people around the world develop superpowers” thing before, but in this world, it’s just Black people and it seems to have something to do with sickle cell.
I don’t want to spoil a whole lot, but this show is definitely one of the freshest I’ve seen in a long time. I almost instantaneously started hearing whispers of a season two and I’d be all here for it.
The very best Olympic outfits: Team Mongolia
You’ve perhaps already seen it featured in some viral posts, but when it comes to which team showed up for the 2024 Paris Olympics in the best style, I find it hard to disagree with what seems like the consensus pick. Mongolia. Those ornate threads go really hard.
That said, I also think proper respect needs to be given to the next team on the list, and in my opinion, that’s gotta be Haiti. Haiti’s been in such a rough patch that seeing Haitians go hard on national pride is something I can get with.
The very best quotable social media post: Hank Green
“The abyss is both undesirable and pretty avoidable. Also, pitching the abyss as inevitable feels like a pro-abyss talking point.”
–Hank Green
This quote appeared in a thread responding to the sense of doomerism that seemed to really be kicked into high gear mid-month.
To be honest, fatalism is becoming a real pet peeve for me. Stop acting like the game has been lost when there is plenty of time left on the scoreboard.
The very best little life hack: Cooking a bunch of food at once
I’ve always rolled my eyes a bit at the obsessive meal planning I see people take on online. Does it really save that much time?
But I discovered another motivation.
The other week, I whipped up three meals simultaneously: a black bean, eggplant, and tofu mix, along with a veggie and vermicelli pan. Both could be served well on a bed of white rice. I also made a whole container of garlic noodles with mock pork crumbles and spinach.
Dishes were a bit obnoxious that night. I didn’t feel like it saved me a ton of time in the moment, but I did realize the benefit of having lots of food in the fridge ready to go.
It kept me from my not-so-great habit of reaching for easily nuked stuff when I had these meals in mass quantity ready to go. If I can put a dent in the amount of processed stuff I end up eating, I’ll be pretty happy about it.
The very best outing I took my kids on: The Birch Aquarium
I brought Kai out for an afternoon adventure at the Birch Aquarium at UCSD. They’ve got a pretty impressive display going right now, including a cool section of dragon fish and some kid friendly touch tanks.
Most of all, walking through the halls of an aquarium is incredibly soothing. It’s hard to walk past the blue lights and ocean creatures without breathing a little more easily.
The very best throwback video I came across: Fred Rogers on Arsenio Hall
This popped up randomly on my timeline, as things tend to do, and it was a nice little timeline cleanse.
The interview was from 1993, and Rogers both embraced the setting while delivering a very Fred Rogers message of why it’s so important to remind each person of how valuable their lives are.
Fred Rogers had such a knack for completely being himself, sticking to a core message that’s uncomplicated but that people need to hear, and bringing it to all kinds of audiences- from Arsenio to Congress. Sometimes it’s not about overthinking your hot takes, but simply bringing a core truth with you wherever you wind up.
The very best art I bought: Like Father by Chuck Styles
I’m revamping my workspace, and thus investing in some art. I finally found a way to buy one of my favorite pieces at a good price… and it turns out this is so large I may need to ultimately find another spot for it. But I absolutely love this Chuck Styles piece.
There isn’t a whole lot of ambiguity about why this speaks to me. My role as a dad is one of my favorite things in life. And I love how this image captures that tenderness as strength. It’s soft, masculine, full of heart, and royal all at once, and something I can’t stop looking at.