Hey friends!
It’s the tiny splash of wiper fluid that accidentally comes in your rolled-down window, Sam Cote, here with Weekly Favorites #9!
What I’m Reading: I’m currently reading The Titan’s Curse (Percy Jackson #3), by Rick Riordan. By “currently reading,” I mean that I read the first chapter before classes started, and I haven’t gotten the work/reading balance sorted out yet! Hoping to get in a few more chapters this weekend and figure out a better way to keep reading during the week.
What I’m Listening To: I’ve been making an effort to traverse campus AirPodless (just raw-dogging the worldly sounds) as much as possible– I find that I tend to have more social interactions this way, which is a big plus in the first week or two back at school. I have, however, broken back into my stash of vinyl records, and I’ve been enjoying spinning Lionel Richie’s self titled album while I cook.
What I’m Watching: This week I watched episode two of House of the Dragon. I’m a much bigger fan of episode two– the clunky exposition of episode one was complicated and I can confirm they frontloaded a lot of the gore in episode one. (EP.2 SPOILERS) My reservations about Rhaenyra and her “not like other girls” characterization has mostly been addressed, and her character is gaining complexity and interest with every scene. Protagonists seem to have remorse and grief related to their (at times) terrible actions, showing that there moral and ethical consequences to immoral and unethical actions– in other words, the characters we’re meant to root for are very imperfect, but a moral compass is presented (even if it doesn’t get followed). This is grimdark fantasy and optimism/doing the right thing (like choosing not to marry a twelve-year-old) are usually punished in the end, which seems to be the way things are headed. I’m going to keep watching, I’m excited to see where it goes, and I’m going to remain critical! (END OF SPOILERS)
What I’m Making: Currently rebuilding my social life! After going abroad in the spring and spending the summer generally away from people, I have really enjoyed getting back in touch with friends and meeting new people. I don’t usually consider myself an extrovert, but I’ve been quite energized by making connections!
How I Slow Down & Unplug: As seen above, catching up with friends! It’s been a while since I dedicated much time to that, and it has been wonderful.
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