Both how is already June 13th, and how is it only June 13th
I am pleased to report that my phone has stayed operational. I also think my summer tan got a little darker. Wins all around.
For the last few months, every couple of weeks, I have been changing the last sentence of my Instagram bio, and no one has noticed, because it would probably be strange to.
It’s just a little inside joke I have with myself, and now I have with you too.
Last week I made the Long Weekend Salad that Kate recommended a few weeks ago. Holy moly. The dress is to die for. The rest of the salad is really good too. But go ahead and make that dressing this week, pour it on everything.
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This sentence now has links to the my instagram, peep the bio, and old issues of the newsletter. Look at Jill go.
Number One: The case for keeping floss in your car
The case is this: floss, unlike gum will not melt. And you can easy toss the tiny pack from the dentist in the console, and then when inevitably a little something is making your teeth feel like public transportation pre-COVID, you can take care of it. There is no sexy way to floss in your car, you just have to lean into it. And if a stranger catches you at a red light, you’re giving them a conversation topic for later. A true favor.
Number Two: Lunya Pajamas
Last fall, I found out two of my friends had the pajamas that been aggressively served to me on Instagram, so before checking the price I sent a link to my mom as a suggestion for Christmas pajamas. After checking the price, I was like, uh, never mind. My mom still got me a set. They are heavenly. Definitely worth the Christmas list inclusion, worth the “if we get another stimulus check, even though inflation is already out of control” list. These are not the kind of PJs I would pack on my big co-ed friend group trip, nor would I take out the recycling in them. But I one hundred percent sleep more soundly when I have them on.
Stay tuned for my a review of my latest Instagram ad buy: the Spanx Skort.
Number Three: Mare of Easttown
Believe the hype about Mare of Easttown. Especially if you have spent any time at all in Pennsylvania. The set dressing could not be more iconic, more perfect. At first Kate Winslet’s accent is disarming, and then it is just, absolutely right. The character that wears the knee-length Michael Kors black puffer, would be the kind of woman that wears that coat, no question. It is not uplifting, but it is well executed. I am this close to saying “n’at” even though that’s more Western PA, and Mare is East.
Number Four: The way National Park Lodges are decorated
One of my most cherished memories from growing up is running around Old Faithful Inn with my older sister Emily. We were pretending we were in a spy movie while our parents napped. National Park Lodges across the across the country are kind of all the same, same decor, no TVs, incredible Caesar Salad. The look is Calabela’s, but calmer. Rocking chairs, but not the Cracker Barrel kind. Cozy, but spacious.
Number Five: Couvade Syndrome and curiosities
I had never heard of Couvade Syndrome - the empathetic symptoms partners of pregnant women take on until I read this article. Hormones are truly a wild, and sometimes wise thing. (The Atlantic)
Fatherhood is physiologically transformative too. Research by Saxbe shows that becoming a dad is associated with declines in men’s levels of testosterone, and those declines are linked with greater paternal investment. Hormonal changes could explain fathers’ weight gain as well as their pre- and postnatal depression. (Still, whether hormones create these effects or vice versa is unclear; the research is in its early stages.)
Not to brag, but I do want people to know I have seen Lake Quivira in all of it’s gated glory. Mostly (exclusively) because my friend Emily is a trainer there. Emily rocks. And Emily is my go-to gal for talking about weird cultish phenomena in our world. So naturally, at Lake Quivira, I had to ask her if she had heard of what more than a few of my guy friends in Kansas City had experienced: where they’re just out and about, and another guy starts to him about this mentoring program he’s in. But the new guy has exactly zero details to share about this program besides that he will retire at 32. Emily was like, “have I ever, also I read an article about a guy who tried to infiltrate the system.” And here is that article. (Medium)
I read this profile of Yashar Ali, and now I hope a well-produced HBO doc is in the pipeline on this guy. Fascinating, and a little bit haunting. Worth the read. (Los Angeles Magazine)