Like approximately 31 million other people, much of August revolved around trying to nab Taylor Swift Eras Tour tickets. I had strategies and time blocked out in my calendar in the event that I was lucky enough to be selected as a verified fan. I waited, impatiently, on those days where pre-sale codes were being emailed. And, ultimately, I learned a very hard lesson. I can go anywhere I want, just not the Eras Tour. The manifestation faeries must have had their hands full because no matter how much so many of us wished this into existence, the odds were never if our favour. That said, August, of course, was not a complete bust. Lots of exciting changes are happening behind the scenes at Tessa Linden Photography. The website has been redesigned. This blog is going strong. I’m resurrecting my email newsletter, and the studio is about to get a massive makeover. I can’t wait to share those plans with you in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, I’ll share 5 things that gave me the feels this month:
MUSIC: Taylor Swift’s Folklore was on REPEAT.
I think I can now name all the songs in order and know more lyrics than ever before. It was the soundtrack of the summer over here.
CONCERT: Sam Smith’s Gloria on Tour
Now that was a GLORIOUS (see what I did there?) evening. It was moving, it was energetic, it was cheeky. It was a big, beautiful vibe full of amazing voices, dancing, divine costuming, the most impressive stage set up I’ve ever seen, and, above all, joy. There were so many moments where I was struck by how special it was to witness the celebration of freedom that was taking place all around me. Thank you, Sam, for so gorgeously embracing your mission and leaving it all on the stage.
LIMITED SERIES: Painkiller on Netflix
If you’re a fan of Peter Berg’s (Friday Night Lights) storytelling style and enjoy series based on real life events, I highly recommend this limited series about the opioid crisis in the United States and the company behind it, Purdue Pharma. The cast is exceptional - Uzo Aduba (aka Crazy Eyes in Orange is The New Black), Matthew Broderick, and Taylor Kitsch (aka Tim Riggins in FNL and fellow Canadian) - all deliver uniquely heartbreaking performances. No sympathy given to Broderick’s character, head of Purdue Pharma, Richard Sackler, a man with a disturbing lack of empathy and care for humans. It’s a scathing account of how Purdue Pharma fuelled the opioid epidemic in the early aughts and the devastating consequences for the lives of those suffering from OxyContin addiction.
PODCAST: Scamanda.
Another doozy. An incredible account of Amanda C. Riley, a young California woman who generated an outpouring of support, and financial donations, after being diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma. With disturbingly precise detail, Amanda tells her unbelievable story of diagnosis, treatments, remissions, and multiple relapses on her viral blog. Amanda garners so much attention that she piques the interest of an investigative journalist, who notices discrepancies and inconsistencies in Amanda’s account of her struggles and victories over stage 4 blood cancer. Is Amanda the doe-eyed victim of a disease that knows no reason? Or, as the title eludes, is something more insidious unfolding?
SHOP: School Specialty Coffee
Fuelling this rather marathon-like month and carrying me into fall, the FRESHLY roasted beans of School Specialty Coffee. A recent, and welcome addition to Mapleview Centre, for caffeine addicts like me. School offers a variety of freshly roasted coffee and espresso beans. The beans I bought were roasted just days before. In fact, I had to wait a week to enjoy them. It was well worth the wait. The owner and staff are welcoming, enthusiastic, helpful, and incredibly knowledgeable. Check them out next time you’re at the mall and need a coffee fix.
And that, friend, is just a glimpde of what I was up to, aside from work, in August - it slipped away into a moment in time… like a bottle of wine… (sing us out, Taylor)
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Cheers,
Tessa
