cool stuff i found #39
freedom by the sea, physical artifacts, and anti berlioz jazz
welcome to the 39th edition of CSIF. for those of you who are new, i tend to write a short reflection paired with 3 things i’ve curated for you to consume: 1) an essay to read, 2) visual art of some sort, 3) music to listen to. the purpose is to distill the best of whatever content I come across on the internet or IRL into a single newsletter. hope you enjoy this series.
hello. HI! hope you’re enjoying your time off my friends. i’ve just finished watching “Man on the Inside,” another welcomed Michael Schur project. this one really tugged at the heart strings. the show was like a laxative for my emotional constipation (don’t i just gotta way with words?).
the scene above was beautifully heartfelt to me. it’s an actualized depiction of partly what i consider to be a “good life.” this scene brings out the vibrance of the North Beach area, in front of the daunting yet affirming church that looks onto Washington Park as a watchful deity of sort. though it’s damn near freezing cold around there, there’s a peculiar warmth to be felt. a warmth that emanates from the lights of the different shops and friendships growing stronger. san francisco, she’s beautiful.
but you didn’t come here today to hear me wax poetic about a city or a show you haven’t seen. this edition of CSIF covers a beautiful memory and reflection by Sarah, some need physical artifacts i caught on the TL, and some music i listen to while working.
Free the People, Free the Sea. by Sarah O’ Neal
what really struck me about this piece was that it reads so fluidly for me. it gives you just enough context to almost imagine what it’s like to visit these beaches. it has me feeling nostalgia for a place i’ve never been to. simultaneously, it has me in pain from a loss of these beaches being mangled into exploitive tourist hubs. this type of reading isn’t my usual lean because it forces me to slow down and “feel.” i don’t like that lol. but hey maybe i’ll get better at it.
these came up on my feed and i couldn’t help but be mesmerized! the intentionality, the uniqueness of the texture, and this really being truly an example of a momento. i was recently discussing this with Jihad over a recorded conversation about hospitality. physical artifacts — stuff you can take hold and take home as opposed to something that’s digital — are super important. it’s all the rave to have photo booths at events and what not, but those don’t cut it. an early example of physical artifacts we had at chai and vibes was our stickers (thought of and suggested by Izma if i remember correctly). that was a game changer, but not just for virality sake. no, physical artificats allow a deeper connection between the narrative and the one who’s inevitably merging into the narrative. everybody wants to be a part of something bigger than them. physical artifacts are the tickets to that.
no more berlioz pls. like fr. berlioz was like early on that whole tiktok/reels edit game where they’ll take like a movie scene and supplant their song on it. the music was fire while it was still relatively niche. but since then, i try to find others in the same genre. i found the song below in a playlist on youtube as i was working.
Thanks for reading this edition. Share this with your friends, your grandma, or your neighbor. And if you made it to the end of this essay and you didn’t just scroll, dm me the words “no berlioz pls” on either twitter or instagram. or leave a comment! As always,
Sincerely,
Haroon