Set the Setting: August 2026

Meme drop, My marble palace, MDMA's FDA approval, Set the Setting playlist: Oozing with Desire, Photo drop

Meme drop

This meme requires context of having seen the Surprise Party Sue SNL skits in 2008. It’s usually not a good sign if you have to explain a meme/joke but the gist is that Sue (Kristen Wiig) loves surprise parties so much that she can’t keep the secret no matter how hard she tries. And as all my close friends will tell you… I am basically Surprise Party Sue in real life!

The throwback meme is fitting because I’m coming up on my 15 year SF anniversary on Labor Day weekend (whoa!) and I am so freaking effing excited for all the amazing developments in my life right now!

My marble palace

Through all of the twists and turns of my condo remodel, I never lost sight of my north star: a steam shower. My shower is my happy place and I know I’m not alone here. So many breakthroughs and aha moments come when you’re naked and alone with your thoughts.

In the early phases of my project, Scot and I dreamt of a shower with a single marble slab that would be the statement of the whole bathroom. And last month, it started to come together:

Moving the slab from the sales warehouse to my garage was no easy feat… watching 8 dudes move the 1,000 lb. slab off of a truck was terrifying. Then, we measured where each slice of marble would go, based on which swirls and veins we want placed. Then, a guy slices it up and glues it on super carefully. Then, your nail tech uses a picture for some matchy matchy inspiration. Voila!

MDMA’s FDA approval

Jack Gorsline has been reporting on rumors that Resilient Therapeutics (fka Lykos / MAPS Public Benefit Corp.) is expected to be granted a full reevaluation of the MDMA-assisted therapy treatment for PTSD without having to do another phase 3 study.

(For those that haven’t been following along, the new drug application for MDMA for PTSD was filed in 2024, the FDA did not approve it and asked for another phase 3 study - which would take tons of time and money.)

People have been asking me if the rumors are true. To which I respond: “you think they would be telling me?!” I am such a surprise party Sue, everybody knows it; that I should be the last person to be given any secrets!

Luckily for me, one of MAPS’ principles is open science, open books: “We commit to sharing what we learn and create, including our findings, protocols, and finances. Transparency creates a culture of accountability and contributes to the public domain, facilitating ethical collaboration toward a greater shared purpose.”

This past month, MAPS released an Investigator’s Brochure (IB) on Ibogaine, which I am incredibly proud of. An IB is a super comprehensive, technical, scientific and regulatory resource summarizing preclinical, safety, dosing, and observational data - made as proprietary documents (by pharma companies) that are kept out of reach for academics, nonprofit researchers, and community-based organizations.

(And if you don’t know what ibogaine is, it’s derived from the Gabonese iboga plant and has remarkable potential to interrupt addiction and help people recover from trauma, and it is now attracting unprecedented scientific and political momentum from the Trump administration.)

MAPS has been part of ibogaine research since before it was a serious conversation in mainstream science. So we released this IB publicly (with input from stewards in Gabon, from which this resource will inevitably be extracted) to ensure that the science underlying ibogaine research is accessible to everyone working in good faith to advance it. Releasing this resource publicly is an expression of our commitments: to keep advocacy honest, to ensure that ibogaine research isn’t limited to pharmaceutical companies alone, and to bring the public along as the field advances.

Set the Setting Playlist: Oozing with Desire

That Meduza set at EDC Vegas really rewired my brain/heart. For the past few months, I have been oozing with desire. Not for sex; the desire for love. I can recognize that dating/hookups apps are purely coping mechanisms for my true desire and I’ve gotten off of them. These are the tracks that have been on my heart:

so can you kiss me like you’re dying of thirst and i’m water

so can you kiss me like my lips help you breathe underwater

because that’s how bad i want you

-Water (feat. ZOHARA) by KREAM-

EDM is honestly a core element of Set the Setting and my entire vibe. I noticed this playlist has tracks with uber expressive love-y lyrics and epic piano drops. There’s something about the way a piano and bassline can rush over the lyrics… that just pulls my heart. Enjoy the tunes!

Another super exciting development: I’ve started working with a new coach who works with gay men on self-love. It’s been really refreshing to honor and focus on my journey; leaning into desire rather than trying to suppress it or to “protect” myself from it.

I feel good. I feel like something beautiful is on the horizon.

Photo drop

1) Kale hosted a ping pong party at Spin; such a blast! 2) Mission Dinner Club, except the theme was salad during a cyclospora outbreak, whoops!