07/26

west coast swing, The Odyssey (twice), & roommates reunited.

This last month I spent most of my time working & trying to schedule friends around that work— I despised the loneliness of June enough that I didn’t mind hanging out before or after mind-numbingly long shifts. July became a rush from work to friends to sleep to friends to work again, with more moving prep in-between, and I enjoyed it much more for its frenetic hassle.

West Coast swing

My dear friend AM & I finally reunited at the ends of both of our adventures traipsing abroad. She returned fresh from Poland, while I had had a bit of time to settle in after Austria before we met for coffee. I found her in line, in signature AM style, effortlessly chic without trying, leaning on one leg & tapping her fingers on her leather bag while she scanned the menu. She got her iced latte, and I my giant cappuccino, and we sat outside to talk & giggle for a couple hours. I mentioned that I had been thinking of attending a swing dancing group in Tacoma, but I had been nervous to go by myself; “well, if you’d like company,” AM said, and that evening she picked me up.

We were both nervous, twiddling with our skirts & smiling shyly, as we made our way up a narrow staircase and into an upstairs room. It was empty besides a chandelier, a small stage, & tables where those who weren’t dancing were sitting & chatting. Before more than five minutes had passed, music began to play, and pairs danced their way around the room. Although I’ve danced swing before, it’s been country style swing, and this club does West Coast, so AM & I were both beginners. Luckily the members of the club were open, welcoming us in & ensuring we didn’t sit out for long. We laughed & twirled, and before we knew it two hours had passed. We decided on a stop at Sonic for milkshakes, and made it home in time for a good night’s sleep.

The Odyssey (twice)

One of the perks of having a filmbro brother is that he’s always offering movie tickets— this month it was to the nearest IMAX theater to watch Nolan’s much-discussed adaptation of The Odyssey. J & I drove forty minutes and sat directly in the middle of the theater, with comically large sodas and popcorn buckets. Before the movie began I saw the scariest trailer I’ve ever seen and immediately afterwards about had my eardrums blown out by the sheer noise of the movie. On the huge screen, waves crashed, men died, gods appeared, all accompanied by a cacophony that was nearly frightening. The sound mixing fit well into the scope of Nolan’s vast aesthetics, meant to make you feel tiny; the audience adopted Odysseus’ smallness before fate when the Cyclops screamed and slammed into walls, or when the storm threw the last of his ships back & forth with ferocious noise. The only time Damon’s Odysseus truly looked large was when he stood after finally wiping the suitors from his house, and the camera looks up at defined shoulders uncowed by the many wounds they bear. Although it was three hours long, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

The gang realizing we drove to see The Odyssey in an Odyssey… coincidence???

I should have known once would not be enough for J. The next week he had invited four of our mutual friends to attend another IMAX showing, and we all bundled into AM’s car for a loud trip to the theater and an even louder one on the way back, as we bonded over the fear that terrifying Other Mommy trailer had struck into us, and the serious ringing in our ears. The boys, in particular, lauded “Auramemnon” for his Vader-esque entrance into Troy.

I love being a part of something that is a part of the current culture. I share these memories now not only with those I was physically with when I watched the movie, but with all the many theatergoers who laughed or jumped or cried at the same times I did. In summer 2026, the Odyssey came out, and everyone went & saw it it & talked about it for months; I am a part of that collective moment. Twice.

Just the smallest snippet of my thoughts. Honestly, I’m still thinking.

Roommates reunited

I left the house at midnight late this month to pick C up from the airport, drinking a homemade chai latte & blasting Sublime. By the time I reached the arrivals gates, it was nearly two in the morning, and we immediately set out for Deception Pass. I wanted to show C exactly what I love so much about Washington: the incredible natural beauty, incredibly accessible where I live. We camped out in a parking lot near the bridge, sleeping for a couple hours as we waited for the sky to grow lighter, and once it did we made our way onto the bridge to watch ripples unfurl underneath a misty sunrise. Islands peeked out into the water back and forth, caves dotting their undersides, and the moment the sun left the horizon we saw boats launching from hidden coves, rocking over the small morning waves. It was a beautiful start to the day. The rest of it was spent driving along the Whidbey Island coast— including a very PNW ferry ride into Mukilteo— and a trip to my favorite thrift store with J & his friend. C thrifted an entire new outfit for class, and I found the gray trousers I’ve been looking for all summer along with bright blue heels.

Langley Beach on Whidbey Island, where we watched a pod of whales swim by.

While C was here, we visited downtown Puyallup & its many antique stores, saying “you should get this” while holding up the ugliest/strangest thing we could find in the store & finding it just as funny every time. C & I ordered my go-to from my favorite drive-thru coffee shop and walked up & down little streets, reminiscing over Rome, hashing out recent developments in our lives, and saying “I hardly know ‘er,” after every word ending in -er. It was a perfect afternoon, followed by a lovely mass with a questionable homily at my family’s parish.

On C’s final day we went to a beach in Seattle, got McDonald’s, and said goodbye— I’ll see you soon!! School is coming up quickly now, and our return to it is near the front of my mind. We’ve promised each other espresso mugs in return for unlimited espresso, and talked about how much we miss G, the third member of our trio who has had her own adventures this summer. Soon we’ll all be together again in the place we first met, along with all of our classmates, our new freshmen, our new classes, and our same goal to become the best we can be. I can’t wait.

+AMDG+

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