I just learned that the word for hand-rolled sushi is temaki. I love me some temaki. Sushi in its most conventional form sometimes leaves me wanting more, and something about the opportunity to take multiple bites of the same thing satisfies me more than shoveling individual pieces into my mouth. Nami Nori is a temaki joint that feels sunny even in the night because of its light wood lined throughout the space. The menu is expansive, but it holds your hand while you navigate. We started by splitting a spicy tuna dip with crispy rice chips for dipping, a nice way to ease into the evening’s flavor profiles. There are tons of temaki, and you can either choose a premade set or pick five that sound good to you. We sat at the bar and were given one roll at a time, but those sitting at tables get all the rolls at once on these intricate blocks so you can pick your order. I enjoyed all of my rolls, but my favorite was the sweet potato tempura because I am a baby. To rank the rest of them: 2. yellowtail and scallion (I always love yellowtail) 3. spicy lobster (not something I would usually pick but was definitely welcome) 4. uni (I feel like this always breaks up a sushi experience because it tastes so different than everything else) 5. avocado toast (avocado, pickled beets, carrot — just unnecessary when I could have gotten something fishier. It came in a crispy rice roll which sounded more fun than it was, which was just fine). The strangest perk was at the end when we paid: credit card company Bilt advertised for itself by paying for your Lyft home. I’m not sure how far that voucher ride would travel, but I didn’t have to worry on my free.99 trip home from Williamsburg.

There are some rappers whose songs I always like because I like the sound of their voice, like Ty Dolla $ign, GloRilla, and Don Toliver. I first heard “Call Back” on TikTok and immediately had to add it. It’s been in my rotation for a few weeks and is such easy listening. The song is all about worshipping his lady, which makes a lot of sense when you remember that he’s dating the gorgeous Kali Uchis. It’s super catchy and fun to sing. Youuuuu a topppppp tennnnnnn…You gottttta lettttt me iiiiiin!

I, like the rest of America, am transfixed by our U.S. Olympic women’s figure skaters. I haven’t been following much of what’s going on in Milan (recently referred in my orbit as a circumcised version of New York) but do love hot girls. All I knew was that they were alt, gay, and from New Jersey. What’s not to like? When she’s not flexing in TikTok thirst traps, Amber Glenn is gliding in some sort of a backbend to Lady Gaga and being very proudly queer while doing it. I hope she is absolutely drowning in women once she returns from being a champion. I am even more transfixed by Alysa Liu and her frenulum piercing in a gold-winning free skate as well as a exhibition showing to the PinkPantheress x Zara Larsson “Stateside” remix. Alysa has it all figured out at 20 that most people never can. After taking a break from skating to focus on her mental health, she seems to not really give a f*ck that she’s at the Olympics. She just wants to showcase her art and have fun. You can feel her nonchalance and joy as she skates and even as she reacts to her victory. She’s just a total cutie and shows that you can be a champion without being a total freak about it.

I have seen every episode (aside from the final few from the last cycle) of America’s Next Top Model. I think it’s one of the best reality shows of all time. You have beauty, fashion, drama, travel, wacky judges, and high personal stakes that make this show great. I was so excited to watch Netflix’s three-part documentary, Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, and it did not disappoint. I don’t think you need to be a Top Model fan to enjoy this docuseries about how this show changed reality TV and vice versa. We see the highs and lows of the show and how it changed the contestants’ lives, mostly for the worse. We learned lots of upsetting behind-the-scenes info: girls were quarantined without phones after they were eliminated as the season continued without them, and Jay Manuel confirmed that not every picture chosen to be critiqued was each model’s best picture. It was nice to see Danielle, Bre, Dionne, and Keenyah be somehow more beautiful decades later but sad to hear how the show derailed their modeling careers. Shandi’s story was actually so sad and disturbing. I was saddened to see the fabulous Miss J Alexander in recovery from a stroke. Jay Manuel’s whole story was so interesting because I found him at times very rude on the show and picking favorites but he was also a bit of a victim of the show’s toxicity in how Tyra cut him off. Tyra Banks is such an interesting celebrity and figure of the show because she is both a trailblazer and a destroyer. Although lots of blame should be placed on her for the show’s toxic and problematic elements, I genuinely believe she built the show with good intentions. Plus, executives and producers like Ken Mok are just as if not more to blame for what went wrong with the show. I wonder if the show would be more effective today since brands are more likely to hire influencers and less-traditional models than in the aughts/2010s. I guess we’ll find out soon because Tyra is apparently making a 25th cycle.

Staying on the theme of nonchalant women showcasing their art, The Cut profiled Rama Duwaji in “The Artist in Gracie Mansion” all about her entry into being the first lady of New York City. This story was published months ago, but it’s resurged to the front of my mind after seeing the full-page Hepburnesque pictures of her in The Cut’s spring print issue. She is a very nontraditional first lady in that she’s super cool and is really just focusing on herself instead of defaulting to being an elected official’s wife. Reading this story reminded me that she’s around my age, and it’s wild to see how that looks on someone reaching a certain level of public status.

Lila and I got on the Q train and saw a guy wearing Kiss makeup while wearing a hoodie and otherwise normal clothes. He was just going about his day.