Summer 2019 Favorites

Summer is my least favorite season of the year, but I did manage to find some pretty awesome things to pass the time. Without further ado, here they are.

Television

Love Island

Love Island (UK) has become my ultimate summer show. It has been airing in the UK the past five summers and last year it made its way to the states via Hulu. It’s sort of, kind of like Bachelor in Paradise, but way better. There are twists and turns, pointless games, less alcoholic and exponentially more UK slang. It’s just amazing trash television with over 50 episodes a season to dig into.

Are You The One?

I’m not a huge fan of MTV reality shows, but when I heard they were doing a queer season of Are You The One?, I was so in. This season of the show features 16 sexually fluid people looking to find their perfect match, as decided by a matchmaking algorithm. This season is full of the drunk craziness you expect from an American reality show, but the queer factor makes up for it. The first episodes in particular was pretty inspiring because the cast talks about how it's so nice just to be in a safe space where their sexuality wasn’t an issue or their defining characteristic. It’s just a really great version of the show and I hope they do more seasons like it.

One Spring Night

I tipped my toes back into the K-drama pond of content and this time it was

with One Spring Night. It features Jung Hae-in from Something In The Rain, one of my favorites. One Spring Night is about a girl who meets a boy that works at a pharmacy and drama ensues. I don’t really want to say much more because the journey is a good one. Just watch it if you want romance and don’t mind some more serious topics.

Search WWW

This is another great K-drama I found, and it has the best female characters I’ve seen so far, plus the added topic of internet gatekeeping is fascinating. Search WWW does a great job of balancing multiple storylines and characters. Check it out if you like strong female characters, romance, the internet or all of the above.

Music

ATEEZ

ATEEZ had a comeback in June and it was fantastic. I listened to the album on repeat and their performances are always captivating. The album, Treasure EP.3: One to All, is perfect for summer. I love this group and I can’t wait to see what they do next. I’m so proud of how far they’ve come in such a short amount of time.

Podcast

The Empty Bowl

Summer has been surprisingly stressful so I was excited to find this calming podcast called The Empty Bowl. It’s hosted by Justin McElroy (MBMBAM, The Adventure Zone, Sawbones) and Dan Goubert (Cerealously), and they talk about cereal. That’s it, cereal. It’s so nice to hear two people talk about something as mundane as cereal, while being completely sincere and weirdly knowledgeable about it. It has also influenced me to purchase cereal again for the first time in years. I truly forgot how delicious it was.

Random

Ice Cream

Without fail I get obsessed with ice cream every summer. Since I don’t have AC, it’s my only relief from the heat. It’s simply delicious. My favorite discovery this year was moose tracks from Kwik Trip. Not only is it tasty, but it's only $2. My only wish is that it was easier to find my all-time favorite flavor, blue moon.

Sports Bra

TMI - when it’s hot, I basically live in just a bra and underwear. My apartment is just too hot to mess with anything more. My favorite brand for both has been Aerie. The Aerie Real Me Bralette is so comfy, I wish it was the only bra I ever had to wear, plus their marketing is awesome.

Those are just a few of things I was loving in summer. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for fall.