June hodgepodgery

Well I think this month was saved by me cram-packing some stuff in at the end. Because up until about a week ago, I pretty much had done nothing! I've decided to make a few changes in my life, however, and I think those changes will definitely make me crank harder on my list.

So here we go!

1. Finish notes on all Hitchcock films

Yay, I DID try harder in June. I finished notes on three films this month :)

The Lodger



Secret Agent



Sabotage



Before I started working on this project, I hadn't seen any of Hitch's films from the 1930s. Having seen the majority of them now, I must say that it is an incredible decade of work. It's interesting how many of his films from the 30s are much more representative of his style and signature than many of the later ones. There is also a great deal of humor, sexuality, and violence that you probably wouldn't expect from cinema over 70 years old. Hitch is great that way :)

13. Eat at one new restaurant every month

This month I ate at Swig and Osteria del Mondo. At Swig I indulged in what was probably the tastiest thing I've ever had...the Lobster Stuffed Roasted Poblano Pepper. And at Osteria, my sis and I decided to go the antipasti/salad route rather than the entree route. I got the grilled tiger shrimp with a white bean puree and lemon caper sauce, and the caprese salad with grape tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and aged balsamic vinegar. AMAZING.

15. Donate $5 to 1-3 charities of your choosing every month

This month I donated to the International Rett Syndrome Foundation. For those of you who do not watch So You Think You Can Dance, there's a choreographer on the show by the name of Jean-Marc Genereux. His daughter, Francesca, suffers from Rett Syndrome so he decided to choreograph a routine inspired by her. It was beautiful and incredibly moving. It also happened to be danced by one of my favorite couples, Kherington and Twitch. Because I was really inspired by Jean-Marc's ability to turn something tragic into something beautiful, I made my donation in honor of his daughter.

16. Take up meditation/find a serene place in the city to meditate

While I have yet to actually meditate there, I did notice while walking with my sis along the lakefront on Saturday how many amazing and peaceful areas there are to just chill out. So as soon as I get some more free time, and that will truly be the challenge, I plan on heading down there.

21. Watch at least one documentary every month

This month I watched The U.S. vs. John Lennon, a documentary about John Lennon's peace activism in the 60s and 70s. It also deals with the attempts made by the U.S. government to silence him and get him kicked out of the country. John Lennon has been and probably will always be my favorite Beatle. This feeling was only intensified when I had the privilege of seeing the John Lennon exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Being inches away from that famous pair of glasses and seeing the splatters of blood up close, it definitely made an impact. So while you may not have agreed with his politics, his method, or his attachment to Yoko Ono, you can't not be inspired by his passion to do good.


So there you have it! While I slacked a bit on some things, I think I did a fairly good job this month. I already feel like I've got the drive and energy to do more in the month of July. The summer's only going to get better from here.