The first day of summer was heavy clouds over wet concrete and screaming flowers.
The AC down the block joins in to harmonize while we wait for the chickpeas to soak up the oils of their marinade.[It doesn't take much effort to hurt my stomach these days].
In the bath, my two-year-old nephew catches a plastic fish (or so he thinks he's done it all by himself). In Brooklyn, someone found Nemo at the Mermaid Parade.
A baby's scent is out of this world and belongs only to them. Coney Island’s smell is not. It latches onto the earth and brings a part of itself home with you.
The block gets hot and the vibe shifts. New Yorkers find a new and electrifying purpose when the puffer jackets get vacuum-packed.
I wait all year for the summer, gently parting a slit in my blinds before bed to anticipate the morning sun. ["Rise early", said the Instagram info card]. My eyes open and the humidity presses down on me. I feel its belly weight on mine as I promise myself "ten more minutes".
I signed a lease to a space with big windows in the hopes that a sunless city won't get the best of me at the next solstice.
I got a column tattooed up my calf during the first 90-degree day of the year as a reminder to not get knocked over too easily. "Is that Corinthian??", different friends try to guess, bending over the dinner tables of street-side dining. The heat wipes away any memory of the college art history survey.
Listening
Annika Izora’s Spotify playlist - “hot summer evening, loved ones close, heart lapis lazuli”
Seeing
Rhododendrons past their blooming prime in Pittsburgh; Faith Ringgold at the New Museum; Chemi Rosado-Seijo’s “Mohican Pearl Bowl” at Art Omi.
Doing
Applying oil-reducing, mineral sunscreen twice a day (yes, even indoors).
35mm photos of trips and gatherings with a new [old] point-and-shoot.
Identifying emotions with the How We Feel App.
Committing to gel nail sets and fulfilling my sensory needs.
Eating
The most beautiful birthday cake I’ve ever received was baked by my friend, Sacha, in May. It had matcha, yuzu, berries, and rosemary; served with a fruit compote on the side.
Ripe white guava in São Paulo while visiting my grandmother in April.
Barbadian fried cod fish balls with mango sauce at the Queens Night Market.
Passionfruit lollipop with seeds brought back from Colombia by my friend, Stephanie.