Hello and welcome to 2024! the squid, media, and shopping content you crave is back with a vengeance (it’s a long one)! I’m stepping into the new year as a slightly more feral version of myself after “getting my shit kicked in by grief and loss” (cori’s words) in 2023. I invite you to learn with me, grow with me, and experience stress-induced indigestion with me! (Oh and I’m still accepting compliments 😇)
squid feature
Alright, all. It’s an El Niño year. El Niño, in addition to climate change, has contributed to Minnesota’s freaky, snowless winter thus far. I had big dreams of writing about solar heating, dominant wind patterns, ocean currents, and global weather patterns to explain. But it turns out a few marine science classes in my adolescence didn’t prepare me well enough to do really that in a reliable and concise way.
Instead, here’s the TL;DR (too long; didn’t read): El Niño typically brings drought to Minnesota; climate change will increase the likelihood of extremely strong el niños; squids are still amazing at adapting to environmental change, and el niños are no different. In fact, they are so responsive to their environments that some call them “ecological beacons” (or sentinels)—the proverbial “canaries in the coal mine” that can alert us to the ecosystem-wide threats and impacts of climate change.
If that’s enough for you, perfect! Read the other stuff. If you want more light explanation—like the relationship between El Niño and La Niña—you can find it at the end of this email. The section is long, and yet barely scratches the surface this preeminently important ocean x atmosphere phenomenon.
last year’s hottest products
peptobismol tablets are an effective, portable, and delicious solution to the big 5 (nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea). Better than traditional peptobismol because it’s easier to travel with and not as viscerally goopey. DO NOT try to swallow them whole!! They get stuck. Just brush your teeth again after you eat one.
cardamom baked goods. I’m now (finally?) on the bandwagon. I had a very delicious bready cardamon bun and an even more delicious kouign-aman-y cardamom bun in my “ancestral by law” homeland (Denmark), and now I will forever be on the hunt for more. I know a few of you readers are avid bakers…I humbly ask you to consider making cardamom pastries for your (and my) eating pleasure.
trader joe’s mini marshmallows have also been atop of my list of things to eat. Their small size and excellent chewy yet firm texture make them enjoyable to eat at room temp. Eat them one by one to maximize fun and whimsy. Eat them by the handful for “girl dinner.” They are the swiss army knife of marshmallows.
DOME salon. Last year was the first time in 6 years I got my hair cut by someone other than a friend, and I got it cut professionally twice! Kelsy at Spoke&Weal and Madoka at DOME both gave me what I asked for: a haircut that looks good dirty. While I liked both my cuts, this squidstacker has to recommend Madoka (thanks to Amalya and Jennie for the referral).
She was friendly, sweet, stylish in that baggy way, and, most importantly, a fellow Asian who yearns for Twin Cities Metro Costco’s to sell trays of sashimi and marinated, thinly sliced meats ready for BBQ. Her rates aren’t cheap, but they could be worse: $95 intro cut, $85 follow up cut, $20 bang trim.
If you do end up getting a Kelsy cut ($150 community rate, $250 standard rate), know this: she's very … sophisticated, and she cuts hair dry. I recommend you don’t bike to the appointment in 90 degree weather wearing all black long sleeves and long pants. You will feel ashamed and regret your choices 🔮.
MEDIA ROUND UP
BEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR? Idk about that.
May December. a controversial (?) movie that’s making the top of a lot of “good movie” lists. I just googled the movie once to read some reviews, but otherwise i’m not in the “discourse.” It’s a film loosely based on Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau. May December tells the story of Gracie (Julianne Moore) and Paul (Chris Melton) who started their relationship when they worked together in a pet store in 1992. Gracie was 36 and Paul was 13.
The movie drops us into their lives in 2015, 23 years later. Paul is now 36. Gracie has served her prison time, they have 3 college-aged children, and they desperately trying for middle class normalcy. Actor Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) visits the family to do character research because she is playing Gracie in an upcoming film about the couple. Fucked up dynamics ensue.
It’s definitely a movie that I’ve been thinking about a lot since watching. Many would probably say that’s the mark of good art. For basically the entire movie, I felt like I didn’t want to be watching it. I didn’t want to be so deep in this fucked up relationship. And yet, I finished it. May December puts us, as viewers, in a compromising position—watching, consuming, judging, obsessing over, and maybe finally almost normalizing (?) an abusive relationship.
The people on the internet say this is powerful commentary about our cultural fascination with true crime and devouring others’ tragedy, pain, and destruction for pleasure. (I don’t really engage with true crime, so I can’t say I relate.)
Despite being beautifully shot, well-acted, and deeply disturbing, I do wonder what the point was of making yet another (loosely fictionalized) movie about Letourneau and Fualaau? There is undeniably a lot of ambiguity—moral and otherwise—to explore in this film and in this story. But I just wonder…was it all worth it? Notably, actual human person Vili Fualaau has criticisms and shared he was not consulted or contacted by filmmakers. Ultimately, I would have preferred to not explore the contours of deception (self deception and deception of others) and consumption by way of this relationship.
What I would have liked to see or hear more of, however, is the way boys of color—like real life Fualaau and fake life Paul—are seen as men, hypersexualized and masculinized, despite being children. And how Black and Brown boys, most of whom do not end up in tabloids, are subjected to so much harm, abuse, and violence at the hands of police, teachers (like Letourneau), and many others who are meant to protect them.
Other highlights of 2023 media, in no particular order:
spirited away. didn’t come out in 2023, but i watched it in 2023. And it’s still good! The radish spirit! The bathing chicks! The soot balls! And the music!! Unfailingly, every time I listen to “one summer’s day,” I feel deeply sad and yearn for some undefined “home” I have never known.
janelle monae. what an amazing show!!! incredible voice, incredible style, incredible performer. Being at the show was surprisingly intimate. It felt like they were personally holding my hand as I took steps towards becoming who I am meant to be…through dancing? Nothing shy of transformational.
friday night lights. seriously just watch it already! and someone teach me how to throw a mini football! Also it’s real life NFL playoff season 😎! Go Niners!
BEEF. It’s still the type of Asian American media I wanna see! Just writing this right now makes me want to rewatch. Did you forget how beautiful Paul is? Don’t worry, I won’t let you. Here’s a pic :)
ENSO PRIMER FOR NERDS
El Niño is one phase of an extremely important climate phenomenon: ENSO. ENSO, pronounced en-so, is short for El Niño - Southern Oscillation. ENSO changes how air (hot n’ wet, cold n’ dry) circulates throughout the globe. These changes in atmospheric circulation go on to impact global temperatures and precipitation patterns. And it’s a classic that has been happening for thousands of years.
There are three stages of ENSO: El Niño, La Niña, and neutral. Each stage is characterized by changes in sea surface temperature and a corresponding shift in wind patterns. The greater the shift in sea surface temperature compared to average, the stronger the ENSO event.
Each stage lasts from 2-7 years on average. The changes that characterize El Niño/La Niña begin in the northern hemisphere summer, but the actual impacts on climate aren’t felt until the winter. The name El Niño was given to this phenomenon by South American fishermen who noticed that the ocean was often warmer around Christmas (El Niño refers to baby Jesus). This delay gives us, humans, more buffer time to anticipate and prepare for the changes ENSO brings.
Phases of ENSO
During El Niño, sea surface temperatures are warmer than average in the tropical Pacific ocean, and the winds in the region shift. Typically blowing from the east (the famous easterly trade winds), they weaken, and in some cases even start blowing from the west (westerly).
During La Niña, sea surface temperatures are cooler than average in the tropical pacific ocean. The trade winds strengthen!
And in a neutral phase, sea surface temperatures in the tropical pacific are average and/or the easterly tropical winds are also normal—not unusually weak or strong. For “scientists” to declare we’re in an El Niño/La Niña year, both the temperatures AND winds must shift.
Though the changes that characterize ENSO happen in the tropical Pacific, its impacts are felt across the world. In the US, ENSO changes our climate because it changes in the position of the jet stream—fast moving air flowing from west to east. Honestly if you really want to read about it, this blog post is so good!! The gist of it is that the jet stream divides warm, wet, tropical air from cool, dry northern air. When the jet stream moves, patterns of temperature and precipitation shift too.
In El Niño years, like the one we are currently in, Minnesota is typically drier than average. However, while this climate pattern does alter the averages, it does not cause specific weather events. Weather is chaotic and any single weather event can’t actually be contributed to ENSO (or climate change for that matter). So for example, there have been big snowstorms in Minneapolis during El Niño years, it’s just statistically less likely.
You may be wondering…this is a climate phenomenon! How will it be impacted by climate change driven by capitalistic, war mongering corporations and governments?! Well, this Nature review did an analysis of ENSO models, and it is looking like, as with the rest of our weather, ENSO will become more intense, more variable, and more difficult to predict. We’ll get extreme ENSO events more regularly, and the intensity of those extremes may be higher than ever before.
And now the same silver lining as last squidstack: squids, again! Alabia et al. (2016) found that neon flying squid, Ommastrephes bartramii respond quickly and dynamically in the face of ENSO events. Once again, squids are so adaptive to change because of their quick growth rates, short lifespans, and generally easy going natures.
During summer La Niña’s, neon flying squid habitats for spawning and nursing actually expand. Weak El Niños in the autumn-winter also create some benefits for squid. In these conditions, sea surface temperatures don’t decrease much, and there are more optimal feeding grounds that are also close to squid’s optimal nursing and spawning grounds. Seems like they can pull out the W in most situations, not bad!
References:
a better ENSO explainer: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/enso/what-el-niño–southern-oscillation-enso-nutshell
el nino and climate change https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-021-00199-z
el nino and squid habitat https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10750-016-2662-5e
el nino background https://www.noaa.gov/understanding-el-nino
el nino this year: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2023/10/27/super-el-nino-favors-midler-less-snowy-winter-for-minnesota
noaa’s ENSO blog: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/enso/december-2023-el-nino-update-adventure
walker circulation: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/enso/walker-circulation-ensos-atmospheric-buddy
Thank you for the commentary on May December. This is totally what I've been waiting for. Beautiful edition!!