Last stretch of 2017, friends! Sliding right on into the new year with a few fun links. I’ll be on an airplane shortly, hopefully coming out the other side in Tokyo, assuming all goes according to plan. If you’ve got any recommendations, let’s hear ’em!

Freakebana, the “turnt cousin” of ikebana, ancient Japanese art of flower arranging. I dig it. (Above photo from NYMag IG. More at Freakebana.life IG)

Disequlibrium is the uncomfortable secret to creative success. (Quartz)

Consider also that swearing can “fuel intimacy and bonding” among co-workers:

[T]he development that intrigues me most, and that Byrne discusses in colorful detail in her book, is a series of studies showing how swearing can fuel intimacy and bonding — and make you more likable. Byrne, who works by day in a male-dominated tech job, says that for her, swearing is a “necessary rite of passage” when she joins a new company. And she’s not alone. “From the factory floor to the operating theatre, scientists have shown that teams who share a vulgar lexicon tend to work more effectively together, feel closer, and be more productive than those who don’t,” she writes.

(NYMag’s The Cut)

The Martians Claim Canada, a brief and charming satire from Margaret Atwood. (via Granta)

Trap yoga: a spiritual resistance movement among women of color:

In January, the Los Angeles native opened her studio on Figueroa Street, just two minutes from where she grew up on 29th and Vermont. Polk, who has been practicing yoga for five years and benefited greatly, wanted to find a way to make yoga relatable and accessible for people within her community. That’s where trap yoga came in. She hosted a trap yoga workshop as a one-off and after it was a hit, she added it to the yoga and pilates schedule. It quickly became the biggest draw for the studio.

“I love yoga. I love trap music. Why do they have to be mutually exclusive interests?” says Polk, who’s partial to Gucci Mane, one of the earlier trap artists.

(OnBeing)

This deeply unsettling, and beautiful, short film “From North Korea, with Dread.” (NYTimes)

My favorite Instagram account right now, Yedy101. I don’t fully understand what’s going on, since most of the text is Korean, but I’m entirely captivated by her videos making beautiful drinks with beautiful music. (Ok I just found the “translate this” button on IG and now I can catch her drift).

I usually listen to NPR One while I cook, and last month I was introduced to the Southern Foodways Alliance‘s Gravy podcast. It’s a compelling look at southern cooking traditions intermingled, inevitably, with historical race relations in the U.S. These two are especially good: A Taste of Place: Whiskey as Food and A Most Civil Union: From Reconstruction to Restaurateur.

Serrano chili pepper mix: the ultimate cold cure. Hopefully we won’t need it, but just in case! (Remodelista)

Lastly, for those of you missing sunshine over the past several weeks, is an inspiring piece of spam poetry that landed in my inbox a while back, from the elusive and talented Maria Pkxj:

Hello sun – you forgot about me already?

I want to be with you again, write me or call, come with me.

My email adjirenate@rambler.ru