Note: This post was originally posted on August 2025.

Summer is alive and well. To my utter dismay. The worst of all seasons. The bane of my existence. Reminding myself this too will pass, not all horrible things are forever.

Dramatics aside, I have been trying to get outside more this season. Trying to get a tan, or whatever it is people do in the summer. I wouldn’t know, I’ve spent the last several summers inside, locked up in my room with my fan on, drinking cold beverages, dramatically splayed out on my bed as I groan about the heat.

I’m trying not to do that this year. At least not everyday. Trying being a key word here because summer really does bring out the worst in me. You know how people get SAD in the winter? That happens to me, but in the hotter months. It truly is unbearable. But I’m trying.

Call it growth or whatever. Or just a desperate need to not be so miserable for months on end, waiting for fall to arrive. It cannot go on every year. Something that has helped has been keeping digital logs of the things I do and consume. Going on long walks that leave both my calves and my forehead burning, trying to ignore the unbearable feeling of my clothes sticking to my skin and the sweat that drips down my back. Watching movies that I’ve seen a thousand times or new ones on the big screen because I love movie theaters, reading books by candlelight and drinking hot drinks at night, pretending just for a couple minutes that it’s actually fall, going to the lake to look at ducks, writing or ignoring my writing, or just things I do everyday like spending time with my dog, cleaning my space, eating. Having my activities logged down helps me slow down a little, to think of all the things I consume both physically and mentally. It helps me digest it all and think of my life as a big adventure with side quests and big missions. Heat and all.

It’s been surprisingly delightful.

— digital logs —

Letterboxd and StoryGraph, and also my own physical journals have been my dearest of friends. My memory is often not the sharpest, and keeping track of everything on a digital or physical log of sorts helps me remember the best bits of my days in case I feel like writing about them later on. Like this piece, for example.

Without Letterboxd, I would not have been able to tell you what the hell I’ve been watching lately because my brain would not remember. And without StoryGraph, I wouldn’t be able to look back at my books and find books to recommend to my friends. I love these apps immensely. I also just love lists in general.

— midnight movie nights —

I work odd hours at my job, it’s not a typical 9-5 in which I get to come home at the same time every evening. My return home varies. This is, for the most part, alright. But this has meant that I’ve been coming home very late somedays and I don’t particularly enjoy that. I attempt, on most days, to fill my mornings with things to do so that the rest of the day doesn’t feel wasted but it’s not always feasible. I come home tired, lacking energy, and feeling somewhat mad at the world.

One thing I have found that has helped immensely is coming home to watch a movie. Even if I get home at 11 or twelve. I will sit and watch something. Anything. A rom-com, animation, a comedy. Something easily digestible.

My brain decompresses, my heart feels lighter. Like a little treat but for my brain. Some might call it revenge bedtime procrastination. I call it self-care.

— what i’ve been watching (and rewatching) —

Something I discovered last year, and if you understood the reference to my publication name, was movie The Mummy from 1999. I say 1999 with intention, as there have been several other versions of the film which I have either not seen or have not enjoyed.

Stephen Sommers’ version is such a joy and I thank whatever decisions I made in my life that led me to finally watch that movie back in 2024. It has become a staple during my movie nights. It makes its way back into my screen at least twice a month, and I have yet to get sick of it.

Anne Hathaway films have also been constant on my screen. The Devil Wears Prada, The Princess Diaries, Ella Enchanted, and I recently watched The Intern which co-stars Robert DeNiro as Ben, a widower who finds himself bored with retirement and ends up working for Jules, the CEO of a successful e-commerce startup.

I also recently watched Brokeback Mountain, which to my surprise, also included Anne Hathaway. This movie broke me in the saddest of ways.

In July I watched rom-coms like Maid in Manhattan, which I loved. 50 First Dates, which I also loved though the ending spooked me. If I was in that position, I don’t know that I’d react in the way Lucy did. Chills. Confessions of a Shopaholic, which I admittedly did not care for. Chemistry where? And then I watched some not so romantic nor so comedic films like 28 Days Later, which I for some reason decided to watch alone, at night. Not the grandest of ideas, though the movie was incredible.

August has been a successful movie month so far, but I will share those later.

I hope all of you are having the best of summers, I hope the season has treated you all well, and I hope, most of all, that fall blesses us with its presence sooner than later.

ale xx