every brilliant thing - july 2024
jam sessions, wildflowers, committing to the bit
This month went by in the blink of an eye. Will keep the preamble brief: if you’re new here or want a refresher, you can click the link below for March’s list and a primer of why I’m writing an EBT list. You can find previous months’ lists on this page.
And here’s my July playlist, if you want a soundtrack as you scroll through this post.
here’s every brilliant thing i encountered in july:
Jamming with friends to Sarah (It All Started With You), a song I wrote, which made me feel giddy. Like it’s a real song!
Chaotic, vibey jam to Miss You by The Rolling Stones1
Hearing Peña & Chris Wong perform and then meeting them after. They were both so sweet.
Big jacaranda trees
Airplane bathrooms that smell nice
Aspen trees applauding2
- knowingly saying パチパチ (pachi-pachi) with me when looking at said aspens3
A shy yet curious dog coming to say hello in its own time4
Meeting new people and (relievingly) clicking in to their humor
Acquiring new bits to add to my repertoire, such as “Oh dude, (insert name of person someone else was just talking about) got arrested in my hometown”
Jam sessions next to the sounds of the creek
Waking up to the sounds of birdsong and rushing water
My Pavlovian response to remembering that strawberry rip rolls exist
Strawberry rip rolls
Doing the beak thing with Pringles
Watching a giant yellow & black butterfly pollinate a lone Sweet William wildflower
Googly eyes
Listening to Every Kingdom (Deluxe Version) by Ben Howard while laying under the trees by a creek
Feeling a sense of grounding in myself
Not being fussed about flight delays
Unexpectedly learning a magic trick
Being asked to be the voice talent for a co-workers' podcast intro
“Something's come over me,” as an excuse to get up and leave a social situation
The way my dad calls to my mom, “Tom-tom!”5
The insatiable urge to snap along violently with I’ve Just Seen A Face by The Beatles6
Fat, round, small, fluffy birbs7
Happy accidents that lead you to find a more efficient way of doing something8
An unexpected dinner with a new friend from my songwriting class
The way music can just transport you to another time and place9
This perfect mashup of In Da Club by 50 Cent and Stayin’ Alive by The Bee Gees10
Noticing a lot of weird shadows on the ground, looking up to find 15 or so dragonflies floating about
This brick/leaf/rock stack11
When my cat-shaped chopstick-holder was stuck on the end of my spoon
Blasting Gotta Go Home by Boney M. with the windows down on a sunny day
Ripe peaches
Geese enjoying the sprinklers12
La Camisa Negra by Juanes coming on at a bar, discovering that I still remember most of the words from when I memorized it for my 8th grade Spanish class
When you can really see CowPow's stripes13
The “flat dog” I saw with Bree outside of Hook Fish14
Stumbling upon a dance party at Ocean Beach15
Folding your ear to the front get a better listen in
Saying, “I will now yield my time,” when you want to stop talking
Hubris fish16
Noticing just how vividly pink a mourning dove's feet are
Corey Rosen's storytelling class17
A jam of yellow year. by Emmy Jo that devolved into absolute chaos18
An Assistant Editor going out of his way to tell me he thinks I'm very good at my job—specifically that he was grateful for my ability to listen, help folks feel heard, and reflect back what was said to make sure I understood. I felt very touched, as these are all things I am working on improving.
Wildflowers pushing through the concrete19
These specific hydrangeas that always remind me of Japan20
Seeing the Golden Gate Bridge poke out from behind the hills when emerging from the Robin Williams Tunnel
Learning that even if my lyrics seem ridiculous, once I really commit to overlaying a melody on it and taking it seriously, a song can absolutely transform into something no longer ridiculous
A deer and I mutually startling each other
The smell of flower shops
Solid tacos for less than ten bucks
Understanding that silence on a drive doesn’t need to be boring or depressing—having the quiet can be a great tool for processing or songwriting during the drive
The way jasmine vines crawl up whatever they come to21
From a Monday night jam session with Conner, Charlie, Caro, and Brendon. We played this song a couple of times through, and Conner and I volleyed singing / talking parts.
The view lying upward from Lauren’s deck at her cabin in Mammoth Lakes, as I was listening to my favorite album.
パチパチ is the Japanese onomatopoeia for applause
This pup eventually wandered onto the deck and accepted some of our gentle pats. A sweet pea!
Short for Tomoko
Embarrassingly, I snapped so much on this day that I developed a mini-RSI, and my right hand still kind of hurts when I snap 😅
Spotted this cutie in Noe Valley, walking around with Rachana on the way to breakfast after our barre class.
While working on a rug, I couldn’t find the paintbrush I usually use for the primary adhesive, so I just used my gloved hands. It was so much faster and easier.
In this case, it was Over My Head (Cable Car) by the Fray playing in one of Pixar’s cafes, which dropped me right back to closing out La Noxe in Chelsea with my friends Sarah and Daniel a couple months ago:
A coworker showed this to me, and I listened to it sooOOOoo many times during my work day after.
Just outside of my building, noticed on my walk home from the grocery store. I wonder who left this here.
Canada Geese on Pixar’s campus, during a particularly hot day a few weeks ago. I love these lil’ guys.
When I get home from work, I like to spend some time with CowPow, who is often resting in a sun patch on the bed.
There was a dog in a full sploot on the ground, and I proclaimed to Bree, “Awww look at that flat dawg!” Immediately as I finished saying that, the dog sat up, and I went, “Nevermindnevermindnevermind no flat dawg, no flat dawg.”
Bree and I found this party as we were meandering Ocean Beach after dinner, and we of course joined in for a bit. Turns out my quads are not equipped to dance in the sand for long periods of time. I was cooked.
Spotted in the Richmond, on the way to Green Apple Books after dinner with Bekah.
Mentioned in my last post:
drive my car
Something different today, and keeping the preamble brief! Yesterday I wrapped up a two-part storytelling workshop led by Corey Rosen from The Moth.
From an amphitheater jam session after work. One video of it sung normally, plus one of us committing to a double-time punky bit.
Near where I parked my car in Rockridge before meandering to kill a little time before
’s baby shower.
While in college, I went to a hydrangea temple in Japan with my mom and my brother, and I still think of that day very fondly.
We have jasmine blossoms all over Pixar’s campus, which gives off such a delightful scent as you wander around campus.
