June, July, and August 2019 Roundup

June was a good month. I saw the movie Brightburn, which was a good take on a superhero gone bad story, and I also saw the new season of Black Mirror, which was decent. I worked All Sports camp and had a lot of fun working it and hanging with the people there.

I got back into running as well. I hung out with Davidson, Stanton, boris, and Reese, before Stanton, Davidson, and I went back to his house to play basketball and swim. Ian and his friends came over too, so we had a wrestling competition between everyone. It was extremely fun but definitely the most suburban thing ever. Isaiah Jackson came over a lot in those first two weeks of May, and I usually beat him in wrestling lol.

I listened to a lot of movements, Kids See Ghosts, Remo Drive, and Mat Kerekes when I was home. Every day I would read Noam Chomsky, then play MInecraft or Mortal Kombat while listening to the chapotraphouse podcast or the Joe Rogan Experience or Tiny Meat Gang. I was able to practice singing on the PA system while no one was home, which was nice.

I then had to go to my dads, where I worked in his basketball camps at the concession stand. Alec and I would either read or watch youtube there. I became obsessed with the UFC and that was almost all I watched for the two weeks that I was in Charlotte.

I got back into running and working out, and I listened to a ton of TItle Fight while I was there. I watched the Stanley cup this month which was interesting, albeit the Hurricanes weren’t in it so it was not as great. Every night in charlotte i would run after camp, get home, then do an arm or ab day. After that I would smoke in the bathroom and chill for the rest of the night while I watched UFC fights and ate cliff bars.

I also quit vaping which was fine, honestly I can take it or leave it, weed is way better. Alec and I got a lot closer the day we left the house all day and just skated in midtown charlotte. We got breakfast at The Sunflower Bakery then went to a comic shop and then into midtown, past the tracks in search of a skating spot. The best one was definitely a parking garage next to a place where we could buy soda if we got thirsty. Alec and I have a lot more in common than I thought, and its great that I am close to my brothers.

I also listened to The Story so Far a lot this month, and I became particularly enamored with their first EP, “While You Were Sleeping”. I saw John Wick 3 which was awesome, and bonded with Ian over UFC fighters like Robbie Lawler, Max Holloway, and Sean O’ Malley. Overall it was a very good summer month. July 2019 was maybe the best summer month so far. I watched some more UFC this month, and busted my ass one day hitting the bag and eating some ice cream haha. I watched some anime, basically just Demonslayer, and some other shows. Ian and I watched a show by Refn called Too Old to Die Young, which was an amazing show we watched every morning. It was a long show but it was shot and written extremely well, albeit slowly.

I listened to more Chapotraphouse this week, especially while I am playing Minecraft. I played mostly Shadow Warrior 2 until I finished it then played Minecraft. We went to Myrtle Beach, where we ate a lot of seafood, went to outlets at Tanger OUtlets, had a lot of coffee, and watched UFC at the condo. Ben Askren was KOd in a record time which was crazy. I was able to run at night on the beach, which was very interesting to do. We played way to much spikeball.

I listened to a lot of Kid Cudi, movements, and title fight. Alec and I finished Stranger Things 3 while we were down there, so I got into 80’s stuff like Gunship and The Smiths. After we got home Blake came over and we watched the Everything is Terrible movies. I also saw the movies, Kickass and The Fundamentals of Caring, which were both very good. I got back into AMity Affliction and Dance Gavin Dance, which I do every summer.

Ian and I also started going to Octagon fighting gym in greensboro and started learning Jiu-jitsu, which is really great, although it left me super sore, especially at cross country practice at Sandy Ridge. It seems like season will be super fun this year based on how the summer work has been so far. I worked out on the bag this month and learned a ton of Rage Against the Machine songs and listened to them a ton, especially all the political stuff I have been into this summer. Once I finished Too Old to Die Young and Stranger Things 3, I started watching Twin Peaks while I had Coffee and Read the Great Gatsby, and it is an amazing show, proving how great David Lynch is of a director. I got some great long runs in listening to Amity on the greenway.

On July 23rd Stanton, Ian and I went to the Blink 182 concert in Charlotte. We stopped at MCdonalds on the way, and listened to the Front Bottoms on the way there. We got there early and they gave us free seat upgrades just in time for Neck Deep, and they played some great songs like In Bloom and Gold Steps. After that Lil Wayne came on, who was ok, but BLink 182 was awesome. They had inflatable aliens for the song Aliens Exist, and Adam’s Song was dope. We almost left but we realized it was just the interlude when Travis Barker came out in a drum cage and then they played some newer songs. We drove back home late listening to the Front Bottoms. Overall it was an awesome night.

The next night Ian and I play Minecraft then watched the Notorious movie, which was super well done and made me a Conor McGregor fan. Every night we eat we sit down and watch Kitchen Nightmares while we eat which is great and gets you in the mood to eat. Jiujitsu has been progressing nicely. I feel like I am almost ready to go to college, so it kind of sucks that I still have two years of high school to do, but I guess i can smoke some weed and get better at guitar.

The last week of July I went to Davidson’s house a lot and we played Pokemon go and swam in his pool, which was great. I stayed the night and Sean and I watched Sleepaway Camp, which was great. I also played Minecraft at night and stargazed on Wednesday. I really into mathrock and midwest emo like Sleepydog and Hot Mulligan this month as well. Overall it was the best summer month so far.

August 2019 was another good month. I watched a lot of UFC youtubers and alotYouTubers like Whang!. I also found the funniest show I have ever seen, which is Nathan For You, because it does deadpan comedy perfectly.I listened to Citizen, more Title Fight, and discovered some new bands. Hot Mulligan is another keeper since they are amazing.

I started listening to a new band called Prince Daddy and the Hyena and it was another one of those life-changing musical experiences. The album is so perfectly put together and shows a variety of emotions, I started listening to it the day we moved Ian into App, and one month later that’s all I have been listening to, it doesn’t get old. I listened to it on car rides, on long runs, and alone, and it was awesome. I even learned the first track on guitar.

I practiced with alec some more, and we went skateboarding, and smoked some cigarettes for the first time.

Undefeated was a great game that came out and I played that a lot before school started, and usually I would watch the Rock Critic while I was playing. I also watched a great Skateboarding documentary called “minding the Gap” which perfectly details abuse, masculinity, and how skateboarding culture can be a glue that connects and holds people together.

I had fun at seans house, we watched Nathan For You, got some beer and drove around his neighborhood in his golfcart. It was super fun. I had my last couple of jiujitsu practices for a while. I also started school, still listened to Prince Daddy, and smoked more cigarettes that first week than I really wanted to.

We moved Ian into App State which was a bittersweet day, but I can tell he’s happy.I can’t wait to be in college and be done with high school. The guys came over for UFC 241 and there were some great fights, but the best moment was Sean puking and coming out of the bathroom as white as a ghost.

I missed Ian’s music and oddly enough, the smell of stigs.I had a fun meet at metrolina. It was cancelled, so the team spent the night in the hotel for free and then we didn’t have to race the next day.

It was a lot of fun. 13 reasons Why season 3 came out, and it was way worse than all the others.I regained my writing job as well. Overall, it was a great way to end the summer. I’m of course going to miss the horror movies, jiujitsu practices in the early morning, and lush ice that cements my memories with Ian this summer, but it was a great one.