The most underrated linguistic difference between British and American English has to be the way they use the world scheme for very official things like retirement plans and government policy. Australia and New Zealand too, I believe.
You don’t have a pension plan. You have a freakin’ pension SCHEME.
It’s like Jafar came up with this idea. His next scheme will involve solar credits. Muahahaha.
Anyways, here are a couple dozen of my obsessions from this past summer.
BOOK:
Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico
This was a pretty short read that managed to pack a lot into its pages. Perfection follows the trajectory of an American couple attempting to create the perfect digital nomad life in Berlin, seeing their journey from idealists responding to the migrant crisis to dealing with the coming-and-going of their social circle of expats. There’s a running theme of growing into adulthood during the emergence of the digital era, and the weird relationship between performatively having a well-polished life and genuine contentment. It wasn’t quite the exploration of Berlin’s art scene that I thought it might be, but ended up being a well-constructed portrait of some very familiar feeling lives.
BOOK:
Lazar by Nelio Biedermann
This is the kind of novel that plants you with a family for several generations as you watch a country’s history unfold around it. So if you liked Pachinko or Gabriel Garcia Marquez, then yeah this spans that sort of stretch. In this case, that includes World War Two then the Hungarian Uprising of the 1950s.
If I’m honest it made it hard for me to track things sometimes. Thankfully there were also a lot of moments punctuated by a change in Hungarian regime, sometimes the family is elite, other times they’re targeted by the party in charge.
ALBUM:
Seera, Al Mojallad Al Awal
I’m not the biggest lover of psychedelic rock, but then I found Seera. I threw them on as background music when I wanted to have a really laid back night of making art, and it ended up being the perfect companion.
Saudi Arabia is a complicated place of course. Seera has a unique perspective as an all-female psychedelic band from Riyadh. They’re really the first all-female musical act like this in Saudi Arabia to be performing so openly and publicly, a sign of how some things seem to be changing quite a bit there. They sing in a Saudi dialect and Middle Eastern musical motifs. The name Seera translates to “journey,” or “epic,” and so the sound really feels like stepping into a whole new landscape.
CHANGEMAKERS:
ProCosta
This summer, I had the chance to connect with some of the team from ProCosta in El Salvador, and I loved their approach to their conservation work.
The Eastern Pacific Hawskbill Turtle was considered extinct for a long time. But my friend Melissa pointed out that it was simply because the scientists weren’t looking in the right spot. While the population around the coral reefs had disappeared, there were still some surviving members located around the mangroves.
ProCosta works to protect them by patrolling the beaches for eggs, rehabilitating injured or sick turtles, collecting a ton of data, and perhaps most importantly, involving the local community in the process and training local leaders. I had the chance to pretty much witnessing an egg hatch and it was an incredible sight.
BOOK:
To Catch a Dictator by Reed Brody
There’s an incomplete joke about how this could pair with Maria Ressa’s How to Stand Up to a Dictator and some other book as a weird trilogy of resisting dictators. That joke would probably appeal only to me.
Reed Brody’s book focuses primarily on a brutal authoritarian who seemed to go unnoticed by the world. Chad’s Hissène Habré tortured, terrorized, and antagonized his own people, all while receiving a lot of support from the United States and other western nations.
Brody tells the story of the hunt for Habré as he was evading arrest, followed by his dramatic trial. Brody is a human rights lawyer and a sharp storyteller.
PERFORMANCE:
Kim’s Convenience
I’ve been a huge fan of the TV show for a long time, and finally had the chance to see the stage play that it was adapted from. Showrunner Ins Choi was back in the lead role as Appa. There were some parts that you could clearly trace to lines of dialogue adapted for screen.
I was also intrigued by what didn’t translate. The change in medium allowed for a different kind of depth. We encounter Appa at a more pivotal point in his life. His fallout with Jung and relationship with Janet are a little more serious. But it was still hilarious at parts and also stirring. A great reminder that our best stories unfold in relationships.
FILM:
A Magnificent Life (2025)
This was a beautiful film- both gorgeously animated and mesmerizing in its narrative. It’s a hand drawn biopic in a lot of ways, telling the story of French filmmaking legend Marcel Pagnol. It unveils some of his early childhood losses, his adventures in theatre, and how that led him to writing and film as his art progressed.
It’s an artist portrait, but also a look at the relationship that influenced him, and an anthology of the history of cinema. The animation style would not feel out of place next to the Miyazaki canon. And you get a fascinating look at how World War 2 impacted it all.
ALBUM:
Midnight Generation, Teacher
I discovered Midnight Generation over this summer and I can’t stop. It feels too easy to describe them as a Mexican Daft Punk but I mean… just listen. That’s a pretty spot on description. The way they’ve managed to take on Daft Punk’s funk riffs in synth form and talkbox vocals is so spot on. And it feels like a loving homage to the French duo rather than a ripoff. Perfect music for driving around at night.
SPORTS THING:
The 2026 World Cup
Putting the World Cup on this list feels too easy and obvious, except leaving it off would simply be dishonest. The World Cup was a total obsession as it always is. I’ve already written about how to me it’s a strong reminder that in spite of all the concentrated forces of corruption and inequality, people still come together with curiosity and enthusiasm. The tournament this year was especially meaningful as I got to watch along with my kids… the six year old especially taking a strong interest.
ALBUM:
Da Pawn, Verano En Coma
I am so glad I discovered this indie band from Ecuador. The soundtrack of my life probably consists of a lot of late 2000s and 2010s indie rock, and these guys absolutely nail that sound. They’re lo-fi, a little psychedelic folk…and if you listen closely enough, you might get some bossa nova influences that remind you we’re in South America.
I catch hints of Local Natives, The War on Drugs, maybe some Arcade Fire. I think their best album is 2017’s Verano En Coma, however their more recent Residencia Azul is also very good.
PERFORMANCE:
Rosalía - The Lux Tour
Stirring.
Rosalia’s Lux album was my favorite album of last year, perhaps my favorite of the decade, and her live tour had a lot to live up to.
It delivered.
From her emergence on stage to Sexo, Violencia, y Llantas to the dramatic Berghain to the high note at the end of Mio Cristo Piange Diamanté, this was an incredible display of art and heart.
ALBUM:
Wax, Highway Hotel
I’m thankful my friend and fellow freestyle rapper Abi put me on to this. Wax is a playful rapper who does a lot of freestyle shows that are a typically a good time.
On his most recent tour, he essentially recorded an album on the go, with some final recordings being done on stage and others in hotel rooms while on the road (thus the name). It makes for a fun listen and there are some impressive rhymes.
RESTAURANT:
El Cafe de Don Pedro
This felt a bit like a bar, a bit like a café, and a lot like a 1950’s American Diner. And it was in San Salvador. But with menu fixtures like BLTs, burgers, and patty melts, it fits. Lest you think you came to El Salvador just to have the most stereotypical Yankee meal, it’s also one of the best spots to get horchata el morro, El Salvador’s take on horchata made with morro nut.
The night I was there happened to be the night of Argentina’s semifinal match in the World Cup against Switzerland, and that made for a lively venue and spirited crowd. Pleased with myself over the choice of where to go out.
SPORTS THING:
The MLB All Star Game’s Sandlot Bit
My Phillies hosted this year’s Major League All Star game, a blatant move to send the game to Philadelphia for the USA’s 250th birthday. While the game fell a couple weeks after the 4th of July, I heard more than a few people highlight it as a bit more pure of an American celebration than some of the forced pomp on actual Independence Day.
It felt sincere, albeit goofy at times, like when they introduced the starting lineup by having the players come out and sign a giant Declaration of Independence. Lots of signatures from Venezuelans and Dominicans, but hey, most of the original signers weren’t born here either.
The high point came in the 7th inning, when kids on bikes made their way to the field alongside several All-Stars and some of the original cast of The Sandlot. A video of Ray Charles playing at a ballpark was shown, and the fireworks recreated the magic of that Sandlot scene. Good stuff.
THREAD:
British Fried Chicken
Threads user jonnynexus posted an unusual trend of fried chicken restaurants in the UK named after American locations. And it makes sense because Kentucky Fried Chicken is such a hit, but… Alaska Fried Chicken? Turns out Montana Fried Chicken and Florida Fried Chicken also exist… along with a lot of other unlikely spots.
ALBUM:
Otyken, Genesis
Otyken is an indigenous Siberian music collective that mixes traditional folk music with a lot of elements of modern pop. You can expect big beats to go behind throat singing vocals. This summer, they released a new album, Tundra, however that release led to me diving further into one of their earlier releases, Genesis.
RESTAURANT:
Bosforo
This was a good summer for checking off some different San Diego restaurants that have been on my list for a long time. Bosforo was a great spot for some Turkish classics in a sleek presentation.
Their menu runs deep, and I appreciated the inclusion of some meze and drink options that went beyond the usual hummus spreads. The kebabs are their most praised item and rightfully so. I do hope to be back to explore even more of their menu.
FILM:
The Sheep Detectives (2026)
This movie is earning its praise.
It really does harken back to the rich worlds of the movies you saw as a kid, where the stakes were high but things were still somehow lighthearted. And despite having a cartoonish presence, this movie still seems to carry a bit of depth, bringing big questions, humility, and curiosity to a film accessible for kids.
A kids movie that can handle the nuances of death in an honest way is a bit of a rarity. Way to go, sheep.
SERIES:
DTF St. Louis
A friend of mine has a little part on this show, so I checked out the first episode and that was enough to get me hooked. It’s hard to describe this show or to pin down the premise, because there’s a lot going on. It’s like a police procedural meets a silly best friend comedy. It’s sometimes dark, sometimes funny, but consistently well performed by David Harbor and Jason Bateman.
RESTAURANT:
Leila
This place is fully committed to the aesthetic experience. The food itself is decently priced and pretty good, but the main draw of course is the Saharan night setup. Demand is high, so you’ll want to book this early.
Most menu items are kebab skewers and mezze, so they trend on the lighter side. Appetizers are good, but seems surprisingly nibbly for a place you have to book ahead of schedule. There are some exceptions, like the lamb shank. Saffron rice was excellent. Do take the side trip to the bathroom, which is also committed to the North African look & feel.
PRODUCT:
Banagua
This discovery was the consequence of stopping in a grocery store on my way home from a long run. A can of pure banana juice has to be good for preventing cramps, right? Sure. But it’s also delicious. And even though it feels like an overpay when the only ingredient listed on the can is ‘bananas,’ I know i’m not going to finely press those bananas into a smooth liquid all on my own.
FILM:
No Place for Football (2026)
The premise of this documentary is extremely simple. It follows around a group of soccer teams in Greenland as they all try to advance through a tournament. However, they have to deal with a bunch of problems fairly unique to a sports league in one of the most inhospitable climates on Earth.
PRODUCT:
Ecuadorian Sling
Man-purse benefits: unlocked.
I started using this little alpaca wool shoulder sling that I got in Ecuador last year whenever I don’t want to have a gazillion things in my pocket, and its a way better feel. I admit it feels a bit like raising the stakes in case I ever forget it somewhere, but so far, I’ve liked having this around.
SERIES:
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed
A woman using an OnlyFans-ish site witnesses a live murder, and that sets off a series that feels a bit like a film noir but with a modern energy and a fantastic performance by Tatiana Maslany. This show had me excited for each week’s new episode drop. Great trickle of information released as the layers get pulled back.
BOOK:
The Secret Life of Bats by Merlin Tuttle
I love bats. One of my favorite animals. But do I love them enough to ride out so many pages of bat information? Absolutely.
Even more so, this book features a lot more of the author’s stories from a lifetime’s work of following bats around, learning their behaviors, and investigating patterns. He spends time in places with some colorful communities and manages to be really winsome with his obsession.
FILM:
Left Handed Girl (2025)
This Taiwanese film follows two sisters who support their mom as she runs a small food stand at the Taipei Night Market. It’s a great slice-of-life film and it fills the space of the night market really well. It’s a movie that’s full of heart and that made me miss spending time in Taipei.