August Is Here: A Recent Roundup and Summer Update
The above shot is from a recent trip to Maine, and specifically Acadia National Park, and even more specifically the top of Cadillac Mountain. If can book ahead of time, book an early morning time slot to visit the summit of Cadillac. These days, the park requires a pre-book and pre-pay pass, if you want to drive to the top. By 9am, after a windy ride to the top, it was nothing but clear panoramic views as far as my eyes could see and the bluest views you could get in the park. The entire day was a highlight from the 10-day Maine trip. Even the granite rocks and boulders had collected and gave birth to a rainbow of moss colors. The smallest of moss on top of the highest point in the Northeast looking out at the expansive shades of blue was impressionable to say the least. It’s a memory I can see if I close my eyes and think back to standout summer moments.
August has arrived, and with the monthly calendar change, it’s the preliminary alarm clock on summer’s fleeting season. I really consider summer through September, especially with the climate change hotter summers, but August is the little reminder that you’ve only got so much time left to do anything you were hoping to do during this year’s summer.
I don’t really set any goals for the summer, but I do try to get a few things accomplished (beyond set travel plans), whether it is traveling to a new park or museum in the city, reading certain books, or trying to dive more into the writing hobby. And usually, I do finish and accomplish the intentions. One intention for this summer has not happened - writing in this blog more. It’s hard to hold myself accountable for yet another weekly to-do, and if it becomes a “to-do”, then it’s even harder. I haven’t yet found my groove or a need to update this blog frequently since starting it in January.
But here I am, nonetheless! And recently, I’ve been collecting bits and bobs around the internet and from media that I’ve been into, so here’s my recent roundup of what has been top of mind for me lately:
Watch The Sound - the latest Apple TV+ docu-series where in 6 episodes Mark Ronson explores his passion of all aspects of sound through famous faces and their music, through technology and equipment that has pushed the evolution of making music and sounds, and through brand-new tracks, 6 created around each episode’s theme. It’s all very in the vein of “Bill Nye The Science Guy” except on music, and I love it. Replacing Nye’s bow-ties are vintage tees, each one a nod to musicians and bands that matter, and each one really making me want to steal his wardrobe from the show, or at a minimal, find out who the stylist was for this series. The hype is real on this one, folks.
There’s a new kind of tattoo on the scene, and it’s not a trendy design or color, but more around its longevity—temporary. Real ink, but not permanent. They last about a year, so the heavy-loaded commitment is removed and now you can feel free to do all the trial runs to your heart’s content. Of course, the studio, Ephemeral, is located in Williamsburg (with a second location due in LA soon), which is apt for the target demo audience.
Bookmarked (it’s the new “Pinterest” but on Instagram for me these days) this Janessa Leone raffia baseball hat a couple months ago, and I’d love to snag it on sale post-summer season, if that’s possible. The natural fiber and texture of raffia has really taken a hold of my heart, and looks like I’m even willing to venture sporting a baseball cap of it.
There’s a new app on the scene that I’m testing out called Step: Your World, where it combines your saved spots from travels (like saved Google Maps) with other travelers’ favorite spots, so you when in a new city, you can search by city to discover must-see and must-do’s from trusted and followed travelers. We’ll see how far I go with it and find it useful/remember to use in travels.
While concerts seem to be back on the social agenda, even with the newest pandemic variant, Delta, doing its mightiest to spread fast and wide, it’s the theater season that starts next month that I’m most excited to see come back alive. NYC has just issued the ordinance that all indoor venues will require vaccinations (plus, theaters are requiring masks, too) for attendees, which honestly makes sense until we can get beyond the craziness of transmission for this pandemic. Up on my docket for viewing in October is Moulin Rouge! and To Kill A Mockingbird, two shows that couldn’t be different from one another, but I’m truly giddy for. I need to see live theater and razzmatazz in the moment on a stage like I need air to breath. Ok, a bit dramatic, but it’s the visceral acting and singing right in front of my eyes that I’m desperate to experience again.