I’ve had a pretty powerful week when it comes to women. Here’s to orgs as big as Women for Women International, helping women who have been abused all over the world, and as small as the Orange County Rape Crisis Center, where I used to volunteer during undergrad. A big thank you to everyone doing their part to not “protect,” but bring justice to women’s lives all over the world.

I applaud Geneveve Levin for her candid and reflective essay about her experience with a married man in an open relationship. In this case, my husband. To continue the conversation she initiated, I thought I would pipe in. I am glad she wrote about her experience–she is right that this can be a sensitive topic, but it is a great one to give more breathing room to. What I have found being in an open relationship is that folks are curious about it, occasionally inspired, sometimes threatened, and at times, slightly baffled. I am neither proselytizer nor sage, just a woman who prefers to do things in a way that makes sense to me. For me and Ryan, this manifests in the freedom to be enriched by human connection and intimacy in all forms.

A big premiere, that I’m sad to have missed, happened in my old hood last week: Matador Goods contributor Austin Chu’s movie, The Recess Ends, made its way onto the big screen at the Victoria Theater in the Mission district (I used to live 2 blocks away). The film chronicles how the recession/depression has affected people all over the US, as Austin and his brother road-tripped and interviewed people throughout the 50 states. Check out their website for further engagements. Although the season premiere of House has come and gone, check out this video from the first episode’s gala in LA. Bridget O’Neill hosts and questions the stars of the “most popular show in the world” about the importance of social media in their lives. Filmed on location and edited by my friend, Joshua Johnson.