M and I picked up our new glasses this morning. Mine are from Warby Parker, and they make me look a lot older -- very grad student-core. Then, I had a dentist appointment, where I found out my new retainer is ridiculously expensive, but tbf it was about time for my old one to break since I've had it for over six years by now. Then, M and D went out and saw a movie, and I lazed around the house reading my new book Reclaiming Art in the Age of Artifice by J.F. Martel. It's so good (review incoming soon once I finish it). It was nice to have some peace and quiet and just listen to my music while reading (from my iPod, of course!). Then, LA Times picked me up with his mom, and we headed to the movies to see Weapons. It was surprisingly good -- very camp! The woman next to me was genuinely scared and kept screaming in my ear, but horror movies don't really affect me, so I had a hard time holding back my laughter while she was legit probably peeing her pants.

Bouncy, Boots, and I went to Top Golf with two of Bouncy's friends. I honestly haven't gotten out of the house much lately, so the distraction was welcome. It felt, for the first time, like a real "adult hangout." After all, we all just graduated, so it makes sense that our first time interacting without the connective bond of school would feel different. We caught each other up on jobs, relationships, roommates, and more, and it felt good. I was expecting to feel more of a sense of loss, or like something was missing, but it felt real and whole and like we were growing -- or, I guess, we have grown up. It feels like it happened overnight; one day I woke up and there was a new weight resting across my shoulders, not too heavy but, in a certain way, it is pleasant to bear. We got ice cream after, and then Bouncy drove me home, and we talked all about Oxford and my research interests. It's completely out of her purview, what with her marketing/sales background and all, but she reassured me that she really did want to know about it, even if she doesn't understand it fully. Then, she kindly helped assuage some of my anxieties about my upcoming move and the subsequent intense schedule that's going to follow. She's a great listener.