september 2020 | in review
I first saw the idea of "months in review" on another blog, amid these embers (which you should definitely check out), and I really liked the concept of summarizing my month, so I decided I'd give it a try. I've created my own template inspired by the original one but with a few differences, because I wanted it be unique and not an identical copy, which would be wrong. I'm saying this so you won't give me credit for the original idea. It is not mine and I believe I should respect that.
So why am I writing this post? I really, really love remembering things. I'm very nostalgic and while I have a very good memory for some things, the passage of time is not one of them. So the principal reason for doing this to record the notable things that happen in a way that lets me see more of a big-picture idea of what a certain month was like when I look back.
This is my first time writing something like this, so bear with me. I tried my best to make it interesting, and it'll probably get better over time. Also bear with the fact that October is almost over and this is a summary of September. The October portion will come, soon enough.
[ the highlights ]
what happened that stood out
September was a month of going back to classes, recording the ridiculous things that happen during class in my quote book, and writing; mainly poetry for me. Probably my favorite work was this poem inspired by a vase of roses. I also made the wonderful discovery that the literature I'm reading this year (Shakespeare) will be fully enjoyable for me, and leave time for independent reading.
Speaking of academics, the photo below on the right is of my class (posing in our masks and matching t-shirts). For some reason it reminded us of a still from the Much Ado About Nothing movie adaptation, so we dubbed each other with character names. They are, from left to right, Beatrice (me), Don John, Claudio, Benedick, and Don Pedro (nobody wanted to be Hero). Just in case anyone found that to be interesting information.
Another significant happening was that I officially started working with the GSLMT (Global Student Leader Media Team). I have much to learn about both media and my teammates. I wonder what I'll be thinking when I look back at this in nine months or so?
[ the songs ]
music i've had on repeat (or just stuck in my head)
Ocean // Lauren Aquilina
The lyric that I felt the most was "and they call it freedom, how can it be? / when we all follow patterns and live on repeat." In my life, I've been feeling like I'm living through the same behavioral/emotional patterns again and again with the people I love. It's painful, but this song put words to the feeling.
crowded room // Christian French
This is one of the most relatable songs I've ever heard for people who are introverted or just feel anxious in social situations. When I heard the song for the first time, it immediately reminded me of me. (And my extroverted sister agreed with that.) You'll know right away if it's you too.
Stages of Grief EP // Frankie Orella
As concept albums go, this is one of the coolest and most beautiful ideas I've seen. The artist made an EP of five songs, one for each of the stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. The lyrics are poetic and so deep - it just shows how much self-awareness and careful thought must have gone into the writing of it. This summer/fall, it feels like I experienced most of the stages of grief all over again, so I was really blessed to discover this.
Hamilton OBCR // Lin-Manuel Miranda
So how I got into Hamilton is a long story. Last year my choir traveled to New York City to perform and participated in a Broadway workshop while we were there, led by a member of the current Hamilton cast. So after that, I listened to some of Hamilton on and off during 2019/2020, but didn't really get into it until Hamilton was released in film form this summer, which I loved. But the big turning point came in September when I wrote a speech on Alexander Hamilton's financial plan for my history class and rapped a section from "The Room Where it Happens." And ever since then, all the songs make even more sense, and Lin-Manuel Miranda is a genius.
playlist: || much ado about nothing
Since music often helps me analyze, this was something I created and added to as I read through the Shakespeare play; finding songs to match the tone and themes of each scene (and putting them in chronological order).
(Warning: I'll be nerding out a lot in these next two sections, but hopefully you won't stop reading because of it.)
(Warning: I'll be nerding out a lot in these next two sections, but hopefully you won't stop reading because of it.)
[ the books ]
what thrilling stories i've been reading
Much Ado About Nothing // William Shakespeare
Play #1 of the school year is read and done and amazing. I loved the story and language and especially the puns, but being able to work through the story with my friends made it so much more memorable. At the end of our study I wrote an essay about Shakespearean puns, and I performed one of Benedick's monologues (which, I have to say, is one of the high points of my unofficial acting career. That and playing Gandalf.)
Hawkeye // Matt Fraction + Hawkeye: Private Eye // Kelly Thompson
Over the summer I started familiarizing myself with Marvel Comics, namely the Hawkeye comics. Really, I did it just to read about the character of Kate Bishop, because she's supposedly going to be in a new Hawkeye TV series and Marvel still hasn't chosen an actress for her (and maaaybe I've entertained hopes of playing her). But I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the comics a lot more than I expected.
As with everything, there are a few elements here and there that I find dumb or unnecessary, and I don't love everything that happens, but the two Hawkeyes, Clint Barton and Kate Bishop, could not be a better team and they have some of the best banter and lines (almost as good as Peggy Carter and Edwin Jarvis)
Eragon // Christopher Paolini
I learned about the concept of the Inheritance Cycle series years ago from my cousin. I read a few chapters, it reminded me of Tolkien's work in some ways, and I decided I liked it. It just took me a fe more years to actually read it because there were many other books I wanted to (or had to) read. Christopher Paolini's worldbuilding is very detailed and I can see why he gets compared to Tolkien so much. However, it is not identical to Tolkien. It's a different story with a different feel, and it's extremely well written. Overall, it's just so nice to be reading high fantasy again.
ohmygoodness this is such an amazing remake and it gets better every time. Sometimes in the midst of this crazy life one just needs a good fairytale. I think this version avoided The Perils of Adapting Fairytales In The 21st Century quite well: it fleshed out a simple story and gave it more of a world to belong to, but it didn't try to modernize it thematically to the point where it doesn't feel timeless anymore. (Also, I have now decided that Kenneth Branagh is an amazing filmmaker and I would love to work with him someday.)
The production design was incredible. (It's set in 1919, right after WWI.) The story wasn't my favorite, to be honest, but I would recommend watching if only for the set and costume design.
Christopher Robin (2018)
In my opinion, this is one of the most nostalgic movies ever. Not only does it make you feel nostalgic, it pretty much is about sentimentality itself. Included is a free helping of tears/laughter (there's so much dry humor) and it really does make me pause and think about my life ("sometimes nothing can lead to the very best somethings"). And Hayley Atwell is in it, so that's always a plus.
Newsies (2017)
I can't even begin to describe how much of an impact watching this musical had on me. When I was thirteen, I remember we sang a medley of songs from Newsies in choir and I it had a big impact on me - especially "Something to Believe In." But seeing how the songs fit in with the story made it so much more meaningful. I'm so inspired by that performance - I would very much love to perform on Broadway one day and live in stories as powerful as these.
[ the ponderings ]
some main things i've been thinking about
- Everyone has certain behavioral or emotional patterns that we fall into and repeat in our lives. It's all to easy to become unaware that we're stuck in them, especially the unhealthy ones.
- Change is gradual and painful and slow - both for good and bad change. (e.g. when will this cycle stop repeating itself and are we even making progress? and when did I become so friendless and distant? are both changes that take time and sneak up on you)
- Openness. Someone said they thought of me as someone who's pretty open and it surprised me because I've always considered myself to be open only in the artistic realm. So I started asking myself a lot of questions. What does it mean to be an "open" person? Am I one? (I've never thought of myself like that) Should I be? Does it depend on personality, or is it something you learn? Is it something you should learn? Can it be good to be open? Can it cause more harm than good? How much is too much? etc.
- Social Media. Instagram can be incredibly infuriating and even though I don't want to let it get under my skin, sometimes the amount of compliments a I see person can get just by posting a photo of themselves, or something relatively superficial just bothers me. I start comparing myself to them and questioning my social media content, questioning what I put in the caption. I guess it bothers me when I see other people being superficial or ignorant; I don't want to let that affect my opinion of them, but ironically, sometimes I let it affect my opinion of me.
[ the horizon ]
what's coming up? besides the ordinary stuff.
More Shakespeare! The next play for class is Julius Caesar, which I don't know all that much about, so I'm curious to read it. ICC's fall CFC conferences are coming up too, I'll get to be a Student Instructor again.
For most of the month I felt relatively uninspired to write poetry - I wanted to, and I had ideas, but the expression kept eluding me. So I hope that'll change this coming month and I can write more, create more. I've thought about entering a writing competition, just to see what happens.
Congratulations on making it through your "glimpse into Olivia's brain." If you enjoyed, it let me know, and I'll continue to write them. If you didn't, you may let me know, and I will... also continue to write them.
If you're familiar with any of the music/books/films I mentioned or had any thoughts about what I wrote, I'd love to hear them in the comments!
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