May Yap Up

Nothing like a May wrap-up at the end of June amiright? But I have already started work on June’s Yap Up and it will be out next week.

Jun 28, 2024

This is EGGZACHLY, my monthly newsletter. A place to yap it up because it's always two divas telling each other exaaaactly. And that’s EGGZACHLY what this is. You and I are those divas.

Sea foam green and sky blue ombre background with white sparkle graphics. From left to right are images of the 3 books I discuss in this EGGZACHLY. Disability Intimacy: Essays on Love, Care, and Desire - Edited by Alice Wong, There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib, and Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg. — May Reading Wrap-Up

I read five books in May. I will be thinking about three of them for a very long time.

Disability Intimacy: Essays on Love, Care, and Desire – Edited by Alice Wong

An anthology that takes a tender, honest look at intimacy from the perspective of disabled folks. These essays explore the importance of community, caregiving, friendships, and access as they relate to the definition of intimacy. There is a lot of nuances when trying to define what intimacy could mean and this collection does an excellent job of showing the reader those nuances. Alice Wong has a gift for bringing together brilliant minds and compiling collections that will shift your perspective in the best way possible (see also Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century), and this collection was no exception. My own view of intimacy has been changed for the better.

Favorite Essays: “To the You That Used to Be Home: An Anatomy of a Disabled Heartbreak” by Mia Mingus, “Elegy for a Mask Mandate” by Ellen Samuels, “Staring at Curvature” by Travis Chi Wing Lau

Thank you to Vintage for the eARC on NetGalley.

There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib

There's Always This Year is a knockout. Truly incredible. I literally am in awe of Abdurraqib's writing. The way he puts sentences together should be studied. This book is about basketball, but it is also about so much more than basketball. It's about where you come from, community, who we choose as our role models, and how we see ourselves in comparison. The book is structured like a basketball game, which is the kind of creative choice I live for in writing. You do not need to understand basketball to understand this book. Trust me, I literally know nothing about sports – like nothing. And yet, I can't get this one out of my head. I will read whatever he writes. I did this via audio and highly recommend this format. Abdurraqib narrates the audiobook, and I love when authors narrate their books. In addition to reading whatever he writes, I would also listen to whatever he has to say. What a voice.

Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg

Housemates is a 'once in a lifetime' kind of book. A contemporary, queer triumph. It has everything you could ever want in a book. It's gay, it’s messy, there's found family, there's finding yourself, a celebration of our bodies and what it means to really live in them, a road trip, the meaning of art, the creation of art, failures and successes. All of this is woven together in a brilliant and thoughtful way. It is unlike anything I have ever read before and it will be in my heart forever. I will be thinking about Bernie and Leah for the rest of my life. I loved these characters, I loved their story. Housemates felt like home while I was reading it. This is one you're absolutely going to want to read.

Thank you to Hogarth Books for the eARC on NetGalley. I would also like to thank THE Emma Copley Eisenberg for getting a physical copy in my hands. It came with a photograph that was taken by local Philly photographer and Emma’s partner, Art Phung. See Emma and Art’s statement below. What an absolutely remarkable way to introduce Housemates to the world.

Photograph and statement for the PR box for Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg. The statement reads: The series was shot on 35mm film with a Canon AE-1 by Art Phung, a local photographer and Emma Copley Eisenberg 's partner. Emma and Art say: "In the age of short form videos, film photography forces us to plant our feet and stay still, looking out at our surroundings through a static viewfinder. There's no deleting or editing the photograph you've just made: your shots show all your mistakes and offer unlikely surprises. Bernie and Leah, the characters in HOUSEMATES, are using an even rarer and more temperamental process – a 4 x 5 large format film camera – than we did, but Bernie also uses a smaller film camera on their road trip when she wants to capture a more swiftly changing world. Besides depicting some of the important West Philly spots that feature in HOUSEMATES, we believe in the unique power of putting words and images side by side, and hope including this photograph adds something to your reading experience, just as Bernie and Leah would have wanted it.” — Photograph by Art Phung. Statement from Emma and Art for the release of *Housemates* by Emma Copley Eisenberg

I did not play as much Pokémon this month as I did in April. If you missed the April Yap Up, I talked about the history of the two Pokémon games I am currently playing and provided some details about the teams I am playing with. Although I didn’t play much in May, there were some significant moments that I played through in each game and some slight shifting of my teams.

pink and yellow ombre background with white sparkle graphics. There are two images of a Nintendo DS showing the game summary and Pokémon lineup. Game summary shows player name is Zachy, time played is 25:01 hours, badges collected is 6, Pokémon registered in the Pokédex is 61. Current lineup is described in text of EGGZACHLY below this image. — *Heartgold* summary for May and current Pokémon lineup

Heartgold: I only managed to play 5 hours of Heartgold this month, but I caught the shiny red Gyarados at the Lake of Rage. I named him Shai-Hulud after the worm in Dune. I am team worm always. It is very important yall understand that when I say this Gyarados’ name, I say it like this. He is fierce and the shiny animation that sparkles each time he enters battle shows our opponents we are deeply serious about being the next best Pokémon trainer in Johto and Kanto, and that sparkle is a little gay. Red Gyarados is queer coded, and you cannot convince me otherwise. Just the red one though. The blue Gyarados would definitely call me a f*ggot.

My current lineup is:

Poliwhirl, level 30, no name. I know I was hating on my Poliwag in April but then she evolved and kind of started to slay? She also knows surf and therefore I still have her in the lineup. How else was I going to catch Shai-Hulud?
Quilava, level 32, named Sizzle. My starter.
Weepinbell, level 32, named Ozempi. I need to find the leaf stone for when I am ready to evolve Ozempi into Victreebel. I am kind of loving playing with this diva.
(Shiny) Gyarados, level 31, named Shai-Hulud. Queer icon.
Togetic, level 33, named Yoshi. Yes, Yoshi is still in the lineup. I am not sure for how much longer though.
Egg. I am still trying to hatch a shiny Mareep.

X: Another brief update but I played 4 hours of X this month. I did get to where you catch the legendary for this game, Xerneas. I named them Miss Roxxxy after none other than the legendary Roxxxy Andrews. But Pokémon wouldn’t let me use three Xs in a row because it’s naughty, which means I had to the use the star symbol on the keyboard. So really, Xerneas’ name is Miss Ro★★★y. Isn’t it ironic they clocked me for using Xs in a game that is quite literally titled X? Gagged me a bit.

My current lineup:

Charizard, level 66, named Chad. I am keeping Chad in the lineup because he can Mega-Evolve. I am not typically a Charizard guy, but for Mega-Evolution I can make an exception.
Roserade, level 64, named Leslie. She continues to serve, so she is still in the lineup.
Lucario, level 64, named Luci. I am not really using Luci like I should be. I can see myself dropping him in the boxes soon.
Lapras, level 61, named Ramsey. Ice Beam is one of my favorite moves and this king knows how to use it.
Staryu, level 54, no name. I am ready for Starmie, my queen.
Vibrava, level 41, no name. I caught a Trapinch to teach it rock smash and she evolved into Vibrava. I am not particularly fond of this girliepop, but I said that about Poliwag in Heartgold, so maybe Vibrava will have a redemption in June. I wouldn’t count on it though.

I watched quite a bit in May, so much so that I want to yap about it - go figure! I want to spotlight Baby Reindeer especially. This show is incredible. It is a brutally honest look at processing trauma. When I started the show, I thought I was getting something entirely different than what I ended up getting. The entire cast knocks it out of the park. Richard Gadd, Jessica Gunning, and Nava Mau give career defining, revolutionary performances that will live in my head for eternity. Give each of them their flowers now! *before jumping in, please be aware that the subject matter of this show is very heavy*

Please enjoy screenshots of the seven reviews I wrote on Letterboxd. My personal fav is the review I left for Aliens vs Predator: Requiem. Let’s take a moment of silence for all the ‘No Loads Refused’ copyright divas out there. It’s not your fault you’re in terrible movies.

Sea foam green and sky blue background with white sparkle graphics. Two images of Letterboxd reviews for Aliens vs Predator: Requiem & Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion. Aliens vs Predator: Requiem review reads *half star rating* “Really bad. Half a star for the xenomorph tho. She's a bad bitch with a 'No Loads Refused copyright' that has led to horrific films being made with her character. But she continues to serve because she is mother.” Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion review reads *5 star rating* “These bimbos raised me. You could never make me hate this movie. Girls quite literally just wanna have fun.” — Zach’s Letterboxd reviews of *Aliens vs Predator: Requiem* and *Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion*

Sea foam green and sky blue background with white sparkle graphics. There are three images of Letterboxd reviews for Abigail, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and Civil War. Abigail review reads *4 star rating* “She ballet, she slay.” Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire review reads *2.5 star rating* “I love the geriatric ice dragon. She slay, she decay.” Civil War review reads *2.5 star rating* “I hate a neutral ass bitch.” — Zach’s Letterboxd reviews of *Abigail*, *Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire*, and *Civil War*

Sea foam green and sky blue background with white sparkle graphics. Two images of Letterboxd reviews for Robots and Gaga Chromatica Ball. Robots review reads *5 star rating* “They don't make movies like this anymore. Relentlessly hilarious, heart warming, and inspiring. The animation is somehow better than movies being made today (almost 2 decades later). A perfect depiction how the power of community will always be a threat to capital under capitalism. Triumphant.” Gaga Chromatic Ball review reads *5 star rating* “There can be 100 people in the room and all 100 of them will have their fucking hands in the air but Mother is still going to demand they put their fucking hands in the air. HANDS UP, C'MON!” — Zach’s Letterboxd reviews of *Robots* and *Gaga Chromatica Ball*

Currently obsessed with and would recommend:

🎵Born This Way the album turned 13 on May 23^rd. In my opinion, Born This Way is Gaga’s magnum opus. It is cohesive and tells a story. Born This Way came out and sounded completely different from The Fame and The Fame Monster, but it was distinctly Gaga. I have been working on an essay about Born This Way, hope to have that out soon. I am finding it difficult to write about Born This Way and really do this album the justice it deserves. All of this just to say, I highly recommend Born This Way. An album that has truly stood the test of time.

✨I saw the Northern Lights. This was probably one of the coolest experiences of my life. I didn’t think I would be able to see them living in Seattle with the light pollution. But I saw them, and I cried. The world is such a beautiful place with so much wonder. It really was one of those “pinch me, I cannot believe this is real, I am so lucky” moments.

🥚I launched EGGZZACHLY in May. I am obsessed with this newsletter, and I would recommend it. Duh. I am my biggest fan. And I really do love putting this together. I hope you do too.

🎵Anything and everything Chappell Roan. I cannot get enough.

Northern Lights, image of the sky which is pink and green — Northern Lights

Thank you for being here 🩷

EGGZACHLY

May Yap Up

Nothing like a May wrap-up at the end of June amiright? But I have already started work on June’s Yap Up and it will be out next week.

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