summer is finally upon us
plus, more glimmers of light, unmedicated adhd updates and my best wfh sandwich recipe
Hi and happy Juneteenth weekend to all who respectfully celebrate!
The other night while walking home from a friend’s place, I ran into a man on the corner standing over a telescope. He beckoned me close, and asked if I wanted to see the moon. I bent over and looked through the scope and there she was, shimmering. It was the most magical thing. the moon understands dark places. the moon has secrets of her own. she holds what light she can, like Lucille wrote.
It was balmy and not raining for once, and one of the first indications that NYC summer magic is upon us. It feels sacrilegious to say this out loud, but I’ve been enjoying the cooler weather, and not resisting the rain. It’s suiting my still-healing body and my need to move slower, a near-impossible feat in this city, a place that requires “living at such high speeds that your inner life can never quite catch up to you,” a line from Lena Dunham’s essay on leaving the city that I really identify with.
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Glimmers
Last week, I wrote a bit about the (not so) little glimmers of light amid so much fucked up news. There’s enough going on to send me on a grippy sock vacation. In case you need a boost, here’s a few more, for the feed.
“We don’t get to give up just because our federal government is giving up.” — I’m still thinking about the brilliant words of wisdom from my dear friend Dr. Ayana E Johnson, delivered as part of her acceptance speech at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden gala a few weeks ago. She also said “Mars is for quitters,” which ha, and correct!
I struck up a conversation with two older Jewish women at a cocktail party on the Upper East and they shared that they’ve been participating in a 40-day hunger strike started by the Veterans for Peace in solidarity with the folks starving in Gaza, and they meet at the UN each day in silent protest. Incredible.
Michelle Lhooq and Emily Witt wow’d me with their presentation at DEMO ‘25 on how the rave creates necessary counterlogic to social media, AI and algorithms. Yes!
wfh news
I … have a thing for sandwiches. I don’t talk about it too much in public because I also have a thing with gluten, and people love to throw your own contradictions back in your face. But yeah, sometimes, a good sandwich is worth a little brain fog and eczema — especially if they’re from Salty Lunch Lady, one of my faves. Anyway, here’s the one I made recently. I used ciabatta from Sixteen Mills (which is somehow, miraculously, gf), marinated feta from Murray’s and homemade nettle pesto gifted by fellow witch Dori Midnight, one perfectly runny egg and some thick bacon.
HEAVEN. I won’t embarrass myself by telling you how many times I’ve made this since then, but it is holding me DOWN.
in other unmedicated ADHD’ness
I didn’t realize how overstimulating braids are! Holy fuck. I keep turning my head to get away from the sensation of … braids on my head. How have I never noticed this before?! At the same time, I love not thinking about my hair for awhile. It’s still a win-win.
the juicy bits
New Yorkers: Do you have your voting plan? Election day is next week, on June 24th! Softpower Vote has made a handy voting guide in case you need one.
You don’t need more stuff, but in case you’re wondering: I’ve finally found the perfect white t-shirt.
‘Can I Be Frank” Morgan’s increeeeeeeedible one-person show about the life of the queer performance artist Frank Maya is coming to the SOHO Playhouse this summer. Run, don’t walk!
I busted out my Vitamix for its annual ritual: Making turmeric and ginger shots. I used this basic recipe and it turned out great. Spicy, but great.
Turns out over reliance on ChatGPT and other LLMs lead to “cognitive debt,” meaning it impairs the neural and linguistic skills. I mean, duh, but good to have it in writing, I guess!
Is protein diet coke about to be a thing?
Are you looking for ways to get involved? Consider signing up to be a virtual court watcher and make sure nothing shady goes down during local arraignments.
The lovely Holly Whitaker chatted me up for her new podcast called “co-regulation.” We talked about survivalism and creative ambitions.
I reviewed Elle Perez’s fabulous show at the Academy of Arts and Letters. A must-see.
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My new Saturday routine involves walking to the farmer’s market and buying flowers from Moonshot Farm. I usually get their lillies, which were my dad’s favorite. They are bright pink and fragrant, and they fill my house with their honey.
In solidarity and shimmer, always,
J
A portion this month’s paid subscriptions will go to the GoFundMe supporting the family of Adriana Smith. May she finally rest in dignity and power.
sandwiches are undefeated, honestly!
I want to see that Clifford Prince King photo!!
Telescope man is my neighbor! He’s out there quite often, one of the little magics of New York :)