Welcome back to left hvnded love letters, your regular dose of me being charming in your inbox.
One singular email a month because that is all I want to commit to. I sure did miss multiple months, I was on the struggle bus, but its fall and thus we ball.
Here's what's was occupying my time in August, the month that is my nickname-namesake, and a few things that are coming.
Things I encountered for the first time in the month of August, even if it was released previously.
Superman (2025)
It has been embarrassing to be a DC comics fan for about a decade, so I was excited to hear that Superman was well received. Once my little brother said he really enjoyed it, I was
committed to going to the actual theater, and I went with him on my recent visit to New Jersey. Mr. Terrific was fantastic, and he was black. Dark skinned too! It will be nice to no longer be embarrassed to prefer DC - for however long it lasts. Mr. Terrific was my favorite character, but Hawkgirl was a treat as well, I liked the actress they chose to play her.
Porco Rosso (1992)
I started this movie with one portion of my found family and finished it with another, and what a treat it was to further my Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli journey surrounded by loved ones. For the subject matter, the film is surprisingly light hearted, the sense of humor is delightful, and as always, everyone is either drinking or has drank their I-Respect-Women-Juice. I'm at the point in my Ghibli watch journey where all that's left are the devastating ones, so do with that information what you will. Pray for me, I guess.
Poolman (2023)
I cannot recommend this movie for the plot, or honestly, really any viable rea-
son, but I still do. At no
point did I really know what was happening, and Chris Pine sure does look like that the
whole film. The ENTIRE time! DeWanda Wise is gorgeous and Danny DeVito leans into a type of chaos that no one else seems to have access to, so visually, that makes up for the fact that Chris Pine looks like a misogynist's cartoon idea of a 2nd wave feminist. I say this affectionately, he is my favorite Chris by far, and I only have room in my heart for one to three men with zoboomafoo eyes, so that's saying... something. A great movie to put on when you want to confuse yourself or others.
Kombucha: The Series (Re-edited)
In the last newsletter in May (yeah, we had a bit of a break there, didn't we? This one is also late. What about it?) I shared links to my kombucha guides, since they're a little too chaotic to describe as a tutorial. Something I enjoy doing is being fluid when it comes to publishing and removing content, so I absolutely took them down with the intention to edit them a little differently, and I am much more satisfied with the way they are coming out. The first one has been posted, and it's a goal of mine to post something food related every Tuesday, at least for the rest of the year. I'll be using the hashtag #gayandgourmet but we all know algorithms can be foolish, so if that doesn't bring you there, blame the app, not me.
Flavor suggestions are absolutely still welcome. I don't intend to do only kombucha videos, but I do brew often, and regularly.
Kombucha on Instagram | Kombucha on TikTok
Baked goods
I looked up a cheesecake recipe in anticipation of my birthday, didn't have the right ingredients, said a prayer and honestly it worked out. I gained some arm muscle hand whisking that thing, but the pay off is doubly worth it. These are ube and cookie butter - the cookie butter ones could have been a little smoother, but you live and you learn.
Jet-setting
I went back home to the state of anger and chaos, New Jersey, and I bounced around to New York and Pennsylvania to visit my forcibly adopted family, so a lot of my creation wasn't physical, but moments with those I love! Here's some photos from that.
Poutpourri
(This is a Jeopardy reference, and this is a trivia loving household)
Here's some random links and tidbits.
- I'll be streaming weekly for the rest of September. Depending on how that goes, we'll see how far I make it into the following -ober's and -embers. Current slotted schedule is to go live at 6:30 PST/ 9:30 PM EST on Monday evenings, and then also eventually add a Tuesday stream. I know that's late on the east coast, but I have a job because I have bills, so if you'd like for me to stream earlier, send me a million dollars. I'll post the links/schedule on Instagram probably way too close to the stream time.
- It is still virgo season at the time of me writing and sending this one, so please make sure you thank the virgos in your life for - well, being themselves, honestly.
Put your money where your mouth is (literally and figuratively).
As many of you know, I freelance regularly, doing video editing, social media management, and website maintenance for small businesses who support great causes.
- If you are local to New Jersey, please check out Marissa's Halal Bites, and tell her I sent you - some of the best fusion food I have ever had the pleasure of eating. Sales happen regularly but be mindful because she can and WILL sell out - it's that good, and she supports Palestine and her local community in everything she does - you can literally taste the love in the food.
- For the upcoming holiday season, check out By Amparo for ready made and custom paintings. Ampy has a heart of gold and a paint brush that I swear has to be magic, she graced my household with a painting of my grandmother as a baby and only asked that we donate to St. Jude's hospital - supporting her means supporting someone who's talent really makes a difference.
Again - tell them I sent you. I know you'll treat them with love, you're here reading my love letter to you!
If you know any small businesses or brands looking for services, you can direct them to my website below.
So, I'd like a way to make this a bit more of a conversation but this clearly is an email so you can't exactly leave a comment. I am @lefthvnded on every platform that matters - my official links are at lefthvnded.com
Thanks for being here!
See you in your inbox next month (for real this time), which will be a recap of September. It's time for fall, so be sure to shove a pumpkin up your butt.
Love,
lefty 💜
Fin
