squid party 08: BOGO squids on evil friday 😈
squid biomass is going up up up!!
Hello my long neglected squid stackers. It’s good to be here with you again. Squidstack got put on the back burner while I did a lot of becoming, not a lot being, if you know what I mean. you know what I mean? But now I’m finally back. On Black Friday of all days! So, please enjoy this random grab bag of squid, football, and reviews.
I linked to sources but really don’t feel like you need to click on them.
“the last century has been a period of pronounced cephalopod expansion in the North East Atlantic”
Finally some good news. In this hellscape of instagram ads, multi-state sanctioned genocides, and irreversible ecological damage, cephalopod populations are increasing. Why? Because they are extremely adaptable in the face of environmental change.1
Cephalopods have a competitive advantage in these unhinged times due to their rapid growth and very short lives—did you know most squid live for a year or less? These invertebrates live fast and die young… (😢?). For comparison, Pacific bluefin tuna mature at age ~5 and can live up to 26 years (though on average live for 15 years).
Researchers also think that hotter global temperatures accelerate the life cycle of cephalopods, causing them to grow and reproduce even more rapidly. As long temperatures don’t rise to “hot pot” levels, it’s likely this trend will continue.
While cephalpod populations have undeniably been going up over the past 60 years, it’s unclear how this increased squid etc. biomass will impact cephalopod prey, predators, and human consumers.
Cephalopods are voracious eaters, so it’s possible that they could really overeat the small fish, crabs, shrimps and other foods they love. However, cephalopods also have tender and permeable skin (which you too should know if you’ve ever had calamari), and are the favorite snacks of many predators, including birds, whales, and sharks. Maybe the increase in cephalo-snacks means population booms for those tertiary consumers. Recall, cephalopods must suffer the lives secondary consumers—simultaneously hunting and being hunted. Is this dialectical living?
TLDR? If you don’t like squid, it’s a good time to change that. The ocean might just be a bunch of squid before we know it if we don’t curb global emissions by 43% in the next 7 years. (that isn’t exactly a scientifically accurate sentence, but I hope you feel what I’m saying.)
squid recs
Owala waterbottle: life changing!!!! my life is changed. I bought this after crying in a coffee shop and I can say with certainty that I haven’t cried in a coffee shop since. The straw opening with the no-spill cap that actually works. The chug opening that allows you to fill the owala without unscrewing the cap. The way the owala has revolutionized water can only be compared to the way the nintendo switch revolutionized video games.
The Night Parade! by cori’s sister. Do you feel like you are surrounded by ghosts? If so, this is the book for you! The central question of the book—how do we learn to live with the things that haunt us?—is only becoming more urgent. It’s clear that trying to erase and forget the things that haunt us doesn’t work. The call is clear: we must go spelunking in our deep personal, generational, and collective traumas to rediscover our full humanity. While I haven’t read it yet, it’s clear from the two, 5 minute excerpts I heard that The Night Parade does indeed open the necessary time and grief portals, and it firmly invites us into them. Buy it here.
AYCE Shabu!!!!!! I had one of the most satisfying dinners of recent memory at Kanpai BBQ & Shabu in San Diego’s asian destination neighborhood, Kearny Mesa. For $39 (not including tax/tip), you could order as much meat as you wanted (including 3 wagyu beef cuts). A friend recently said I was her biggest carnivore friend (surprising since she knows a lot of red-blooded american men™), but I’m starting to think that might be true—I loved the meat. They also had a self-serve buffet featuring bok choy, napa cabbage, kombu, mushrooms, AND SEAFOOD including shrimp, clams, and mussels. And squid! I actually paused and said to my dining companion, “wow, these are meals that make me happy to be alive.” This tom yum and sukiyaki split hot pot was joie de vivre.
And now for some of my trademark negativity: Rinata on Hennepin. Wow. The nerve of italian restaurants to overcharge for over-cooked, over-salted, bucatini with extremely chewy chunks of so-called pancetta. I’m getting angry just thinking about it. Silver Fern on E Hennepin. This influencer spot is on my bad side after 1. having no seating, 2. being filled with yuppies who remind me of myself but also don’t remind me of myself, 3. not serving food when I was there despite having a food menu, 4. not taking cash (this feels like it should be absolutely illegal).
On the brighter side of minneapolis dining, Kramarczuk’s pierogi’s were awesome. On the less bright side but not totally dark side, Northeast Tea House has delicious matchas, oolongs, jasmines, etc. (no milk on the premises fyi). They also have slick gooseneck kettles at every table, and they have a laptop ban (so I took a call sitting on the ground in the bathroom hallway). Unfortunately, it was staffed a white boy waif who tried to explain ube to jennie. HA. It is also owned by an east asian (culture?) loving white boy and his parents.
FYI those links will bring you to his parents’ LinkedIn accounts, they both have linkedIn premium.
the sports show to actual sports games pipeline
It started with All-American. I watched 75 hours of high school wide receiver spencer james taking steps towards his dream of being in the NFL. In the process, he learns the value of leading by example, acting with humility, standing up for his values, and dating his friends.
Once I finished All American, I pretty much dove right back into the high school football universe with Friday Night Lights (FNL). After the pilot, it became obvious that FNL is a work of art and that All American is a work of bad art—only suitable for viewing while you’re really depressed, probably. FNL (2006 - 2011) is a sociological masterpiece that tells the story of football in a small Texas town as much as it tells the story of any one character. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t shout out the best TV mom ever(?), Tammy Taylor, and beautiful, tortured, slutty fullback #33 Tim Riggins—I’d watch the whole show again just to hear him say “cheers.”
So where did I go once I finished Friday Night Lights? Uh oh, I started watching the netflix docuseries Quarterback. About real NFL quarterbacks. Uh oh. Seeing how quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins (seriously this guy seems created by OpenAI), and Marcus Mariota navigate playing a cerebral, complicated, and incredibly violent game on a huge and profitable stage was … actually really cool. They are so talented!! They are so focused! And that unfortunately led me to watching actual NFL games. On my own. Regular season. Go niners??
There is a strong case to be made NFL players are akin to modern day gladiators, sacrificing their health/lives/bodies to entertain and to make money for themselves, but while making so much more money for team owners, CEOs, and corporate shareholders. The exploitation of young Black and Brown athletes who never get their huge payday but still suffer long-lasting physical consequences is also fucked up. And that’s just the beginning of the NFL’s toxicity!
And also I have so much respect and admiration for NFL players. They are so athletic and so smart, with the superhuman ability to memorize and execute 50+ plays perfectly. Hard to know what to make of it all. Probably best for me to not watch football but here I am. Thanks for living in the grey with me.