a note from nina

I'm still feeling that buzzy glow that comes with the warmth of community. Awaaz Do's visit back to the East Coast felt like a family reunion, but one where we could headbang and scream and be free of fear and full of love. That was one kind of catharsis this weekend. The other kind came from the sort of release only possible through saltwater and sand, and channeled through brown and queer friendship. For the first time in a long while, I felt the tension melt from my body, dissipating into the water. Onto some odds and ends:

1. Food for thought: Grief wave. Don't feel bad about emotions; rather, get curious about the information they impart.
    
2. A lovely, tender essay on how anime shaped the author's nonbinary identity. Why is everyone on Tinder obsessed with tacos? (I welcome email responses that verify these claims.)
    
3. A lack of time to herself.  This a must-read for those involved in creative work.

   "I remember interviewing psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, famed for identifying the state of flow, the peak human experience when one is so absorbed in a meaningful task that time effectively disappears. It’s the state that artists and thinkers say is a requirement for creating anything of value. I asked him if his research explored whether women had as much opportunity to get into flow as men. He thought for a moment, then told me a story of a woman who lost track of time as she ironed her husband’s shirts."

   Well, fuck.
    
4. Cypher IV captures the dreamy romance of summer. Six families, six different models of child care. South Korea's anti-marriage movement: When The population dynamics collides with a gender wage gap and coercive government policies.
    
5. Stray cattle wanders into IIT Bombay classroom. I am a recent fan of Trader Joe's Malabari Paratha, which makes for a great wrap to hold whatever I have in the fridge on days I'm too tired to cook.