July 2026: Past Life Invites A Brand New Day
Where June felt extremely quick, I found July to be long? Or maybe it was that I had more down time coupled with so much happening that it felt like more than a month. I was a little all over the place. Illinois, Atlanta, Fort Myers Beach, work, home, the movie theater. Mercury was also in retrograde. That was fun (not). Let’s get to it.
Television
Grey’s Anatomy Season 8
Fresh off of watching Hacks, I haven’t found a new show to sink my teeth into yet. However, I am still revisiting some of my favorite old episodes of Grey’s Anatomy as I mentioned last month.
Throughout July, I decided to watch a majority of Season 8 in order as it is really entertaining. I also realized… I think it’s underrated? The finale is often remembered the most because of the plane crash that ultimately claimed the lives of two fan-favorites. But the build to that point was also turbulent in the best way.
My favorite story from Season 8 is that of Teddy, Cristina, and Owen. Grey’s has had many iconic love triangles, but theirs might be my personal favorite.
Henry’s death always hits me like a gut punch. Especially the way Cristina operates on Henry without knowing it’s him. Watching Teddy go through her grief process only to admit that there was nothing else they could’ve done. Cristina was the best person to operate despite Henry’s heart being too far damaged to repair.
Teddy’s abrupt exit still hurts my own heart but I’m glad she was able to return to Grey Sloan years later to reunite with Owen.
On The Big Screen
The Invite
Go see it! I went to the theater twice in one week to see this because it was that good. The acting, writing, directing, cinematography… *chef’s kiss*
This is the type of movie I aspire to write. Four characters in one setting. Each person has their own story and here we have all of their stories clashing at the same time under one roof. Symbolism will always be a powerful storytelling tool, and this film is rich in it. (The mirrors!)
I can’t wait for it to hit streaming later this year so I can watch it again.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
*Spoiler free*
This is a pretty raw but brief reaction as I’m writing this less than 24 hours after the Thursday night premiere.
Wow. I have to agree with the early reviewers that this might be the best Spider-Man movie yet. Everyone will have their own opinion and ranking, but seriously this 2.5 hour movie is chock full of… everything. Lots of characters, lots of web-slinging, lots of emotional weight. And a highly relatable message of “listen to your body and process your emotions or else things will go wrong.” Plain and simple.
The future of the MCU is once again exciting as the multiverse plot continues to thicken. Now we wait for Doomsday in December!
(Live) Music
Ariana Grande: The Eternal Sunshine tour
We went to Atlanta on July 9th to see Ariana Grande live in concert for the first time ever. It was the third night of her stint in ATL and boy were they loud.
For context, the eternal sunshine album released in March 2024 which was a special month for me for many reasons. This album ended up being the soundtrack to my move back to Florida to pursue my dream job. Then she dropped the deluxe edition a year later and my love for the entire album grew even more.
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Attending this tour felt like a must and thankfully everything worked out for us to score tickets and travel out of state to make it happen.
The setlist opened with, “yes, and,” which admittedly isn’t my favorite song, but I couldn’t even try to sing along without welling up for the first minute. I was in disbelief that we were hearing this voice in person.
The entire experience was elevated by the artistry that was the set design, the story told throughout the interludes in between acts, the lighting and costuming, the choreography, and so on. All that attention to detail made the entire concert feel… otherworldly… Which fit the theme of the album perfectly.
This tour gave me a newfound appreciation for two deluxe songs in particular — “Hampstead” and “past life.” I wrote about “Hampstead” in last month’s recap, but the pre-chorus of “past life” has been constantly looping in my head for the past month.
Rhythms of the night consume my body
Just let the music confiscate my soul
You think I’m lost, but that’s just how you found me
Well, maybe, I’m the stranger after all
I get goosebumps just reading those words. Now imagine actually hearing the new vocals she offered us on tour… Transcendent.
A few more personal highlights included “imperfect for you,” “One Last Time,” and of course, “supernatural,” which was the perfect song to end the setlist as Ari seemingly ascended to another dimension while the rest of us sat in disbelief that we had to exit the arena and return to normal life.
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Ariana’s newest album petal is out now but I’m going to spend August listening to it so I can offer my full thoughts in the next installment. So far, so good!
Frozen (The Musical)
It’s been a while since we’ve attended a musical, so we decided to check out Frozen at Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando. Well worth the price of admission, this cast brought talent, heart, humor, and joy to everyone in attendance on a Sunday afternoon. “Let It Go” will always hit differently for me, no matter who’s performing it.
What I’m Working On
It was pretty cool to go back to Full Sail’s campus to film this vignette with Shawn Spears — someone who contributed to the Black and Gold days of NXT. I love full circle moments.
Pondering…
The theme of July was undoubtedly reflection. Going home, past life, the invite, brand new day, let it go, revisiting old stomping grounds. There’s a lot of thematic connective tissue with everything that filled my month.
As I write this on July 31, I’d be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to continue reflecting.
A decade ago was my last summer before senior year. Nine years ago I moved to Florida and six years ago I left. Three years ago I wrote about the significance of July 31.
In some ways I am still that same person. I still use time as a benchmark of progress. I still have to find meaning in everything. I still want to write books, songs, TV shows, movies. I still want to do it all.
This year, though, I think I’m trying to feel deeper. That’s where my future work is going to thrive. I get too used to editing myself and then I don’t say how I truly feel. Why do we do that?
Writing about July 31 was cathartic for 2023 me. And now after re-reading it, I believe it was a letter to my future self… Telling me that in three years you’ll be exactly where you want to be.
I ended that piece with one of my all-time favorite lines from Miley Cyrus’ “Malibu.”
I never would’ve believed you
If three years ago you told me
I’d be here writing this song
This time I want to end with her final verse.
We are just like the waves that flow back and forth
Sometimes I feel like I’m drowning and you’re there to save me
And I wanna thank you with all of my heart
It’s a brand new start
A dream come true
In Malibu
