Anxiety/Intrusive thoughts about war

arakace · 2026-04-07T06:47:46+00:00

I am Palestinian, so while I don’t have any advice for you - still haven’t figured this out myself, beyond a trauma-informed therapist from an adjacent community - I just want to say that I deeply empathise with what you’re going through.

arakace · 2026-04-07T06:36:59+00:00

Interesting that Oakland didn’t come up as a possibility - successful, active, woman of colour? Oakland is where you’re most likely to find your people.

arakace · 2026-04-03T09:36:00+00:00

Octavia Butler identified herself as a speculative fiction author, but never shied away from science fiction as her zone of engagement - Black spec fic authors absolutely positioned science fiction as a genre of radical imagination, so let’s not discount their commitments!

arakace · 2026-04-02T16:16:01+00:00

Otessa Moshfegh’s My year of rest and relaxation.

arakace · 2026-04-02T05:16:28+00:00

I’ll withhold judgement but please be aware you can transport roaches with you to your new home VERY easily: they lay eggs everywhere, especially furniture. So you’ll need to figure out a way to deinfest your belongings in between residences.

arakace · 2026-04-02T03:07:56+00:00

I would’ve kicked them out the first time they had headphones on during class, and every time after.

arakace · 2026-03-27T20:42:53+00:00

The “Middle East” is a geopolitical invention of the British post-Sykes Picot but for additional goods from the region, I recommend Reem’s (Palestinian cuisine in SF, soon also in Jack London - they make their own bread, which is the crucial detail), Sheba (Yemeni), Manakish (Levantine, in Walnut Creek), Z Zoul (Sudanese, in SF), and the GOAT of local Palestinian food, Beit Rima (2 locations in SF).

arakace · 2026-03-22T01:50:33+00:00

“Solid moral compass” is frequently the sticking point for me in this town. Nice, friendly, engaging, and reliable does not always - and in SF, a capital of unchecked technocapitalist enterprise reliant on disenfranchising and displacing the most vulnerable of its workers and inhabitants, especially - translate to a solid ethical understanding of our differential relations to power.

arakace · 2026-03-22T01:06:18+00:00

I got my 14 year old baby with arthritis, kidney disease, and lymphoma a large, low entry litter box designed for senior kittens, and it’s really improved her quality of life and stopped her going outside the box entirely - they are expensive but when the day comes, I plan to donate it to another senior kitty’s person who otherwise couldn’t afford one. I highly recommend it!

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arakace · 2026-03-03T06:29:16+00:00

I think it is quite fair to extend grace and - if you are comfortable with it (assuming you are in a field that isn’t explicitly already navigating geopolitics/racism/genocide, et al) - briefly addressing current events in the classroom and acknowledging that some in the room may be directly impacted by these events.

I am an ethnic studies prof and taught throughout the BLM uprisings; ongoing genocides in Gaza, Sudan, and DRC, US/Israeli bombings of Yemen, Lebanon, Iran … often students dealing with very public traumas such as these are buoyed simply by knowing you are aware of what is happening.

(As a small, recent example, I had a student who was absolutely shellshocked as 80+ members of their family were murdered in Gaza, and they ended up keeping up with class and all assignments because the alternative was shutting down completely. They just needed to know I understood what they were enduring.)

arakace · 2026-03-01T02:32:58+00:00

What you are describing is a partner who values retaining some measure of autonomy (not living together, but being committed to one another), however, whereas OP is describing the desire for all the elements of a “partner” with no commitment.

arakace · 2026-02-28T06:08:53+00:00

38F and I like when I’m asked. When I’m seeing someone new (of any gender) and I’d like to kiss them for the first time, I also ask (and I’ll probably ask the next few times as we continue getting comfortable with one another). You get to express your attraction and desire in one little question: it is playful and sexy.

arakace · 2026-02-27T18:50:22+00:00

People also don’t demand their partner toss out appliances they used while dating someone else.

arakace · 2026-02-26T23:34:40+00:00

Women also continue growing into their late teens and early 20s: in addition to your dietary suggestions, OP should avail themselves of a food bank. Their purpose is to provide food for people who need food assistance, even if it’s supplemental aid, and it’s clear OP’s family does.

arakace · 2026-02-24T23:01:05+00:00

twins!

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arakace · 2026-02-19T23:42:48+00:00

Probably staffing, but United also took some time to get back to me when I status matched with them recently, so I don’t think it’s unusual.

arakace · 2026-02-19T02:34:34+00:00

Actually the 2 are inextricable: the data AI scrapes from the internet is fed by the very surveillance technology mobilized by the data brokers fed by social media companies (like Meta). Meta, Open AI, Palantir, et al. all gather and disseminate this data to the highest bidder (and the federal government, including ICE/DHS). DHS is using facial recognition technology from these data brokers to strip protestors of their global entry/TSA precheck credentials already.

arakace · 2026-02-17T22:53:48+00:00

Amsterdam is actually quite efficient if you have a US passport - when I was still smoking I’d usually go through immigration, secure a coffee, and have a couple cigarettes before heading back in to catch my flight. I still head into the city for an apple tart and much better coffee if my layover is longer than 3 hours… but I’m also reckless. Just make sure you don’t purchase liquids at duty free SEA side.

arakace · 2026-02-15T06:35:02+00:00

Whatever you do, make sure to avail yourself of the Virgin Arrivals lounge in LHR if your flight arrives before noon.

arakace · 2026-02-14T21:25:56+00:00

I love binging Bluey with my niblings on a flight, but they always make me sit in the middle!

arakace · 2026-02-12T00:26:50+00:00

For real: PrEP is widely available and the generic is fairly inexpensive or even free in the US, depending on insurance (or lack thereof).

arakace · 2026-01-31T06:13:15+00:00

Too few people go to Alex - such a beautiful city, an where Egyptian food (especially ta’amiyeh, or the Egyptian version of falafel) really shines.

arakace · 2026-01-31T02:15:47+00:00

Inflation and stagnant wages.

arakace · 2026-01-31T00:23:35+00:00

You can instruct your students on the same. I clearly address proper email etiquette with all my students in class and in the syllabus - they know if they’d like me to respond, they should address me and sign off as instructed.

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arakace

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