Movies & Arts & Events & Friends

Every time I sit down to write one of these, I don’t really know what to say. My thoughts are just everywhere or too repetitive or mundane to be worth writing about. I suppose that’s why I skipped last week’s update. So I guess I’ll just list the things I’ve done over the past couple weeks.

I swam laps at a pool with a friend. I’ve “swam laps” maybe one other time in college. Woof it was a workout, and so much fun.. I feel like a child in the water. Over that weekend, we went to a cardboard wallet making class with a Japanese artist named Fuyuki. If you want to follow his work, his Instagram is Carton_Wallet. His stuff is really cool. At that class I met a lovely woman who I’ve since gone to coffee, a poetry reading, and a couple films with.

Movies I’ve seen since moving:

Carry-On
Saturday Night
Companion
The Brutalist
Conclave
The Monkey
The Substance
Riefenstahl
Picnic at Hanging Rock
I’m Still Here
My Grandmother (1929, with organ accompaniment)
Anora

I was wearing my newly purchased Music Box hat at the screening of My Grandmother at the Light House Cinema, and a kid who worked at the theater who was truly, like, 16 recognized it, and asked, “Is that in Chicago? Ah, I was just looking at their programming, it seems awesome!” I got to tell him, it, in fact, is awesome and he should definitely go sometime. It was so nice to have this young, Irish guy recognize such an important piece of home to me.

I also went to a storytelling event called Seanchoíche. Seanchaí is Gaelic for storyteller/historian and oíche means night. So put together, Seanchoíche means storytelling night. If any of you have been to the Moth, it’s very similar, but people can read fictional pieces and the pieces don’t have to be memorized. The Irish are quite good storytellers. It was at this cool event space called The Complex near the city centre.

Over the weekend I was feeling very down about my prospect of getting a job. I couldn’t pull myself out of it, hormones probably. So after a movie and pint with a friend, I just went home and wallowed in it. I woke up Sunday feeling much better and a friend and I went to the Block Market and perused vintage clothing and jewelry and art.. my favorite kind of afternoon. Topping it off with a lovely video chat with my parents.

This morning I watched the Oscars, and my goodness… I love cinema. To see such an independent filmmaker take home so many of the big awards made my heart sing.

Oh! And this week I finished knitting my first sweater. I have some notes, but I’m overall pretty happy with it, being my first and all. Photos to come!