Here's what I've been thinking about and reading in 

June. 

We're almost halfway through the year! And closer to the longest day of the year for those of us in the northern hemisphere. And closer to my little girl being a full year old. Time is flying! :O 

I've been thinking about Anthony Bourdain - I read Kitchen Confidential when it first came out, right after I studied abroad in Italy, and it completely opened my eyes to the reality of the restaurant world: gritty, dirty, and lots of hard work. It made me appreciate the food coming out of kitchens more and also decidedly made me want to avoid ever working in the restaurant business (to those who do, you're amazing, and I admire you - it's just not for me)! It is definitely a loss, and he's managed to remind us in a completely different context that what you see on the surface or what others let you see is not all that is, below the surface. Depression and mental illness are something we're still fighting to fully understand (and treat, if possible) and they may be part of you or someone you love.

I can't pretend to offer advice or solace beyond saying there are good things and good people in your future, even if you can't see or feel that now. One of my favorite writers, The Bloggess, writes openly about her struggles with depression (Depression Lies is the apt name of the category) and there is a lot to relate to in her words. Please talk to friends and family about how you feel, or even a caring stranger. You're definitely not alone.

I've also been replying to all your letters, cards, and postcards via my snail mail initiative and I'd love to keep doing it, so send me a note, a thought, a pic, or a postcard. My P.O. box address can be found on this post or at the bottom of this newsletter!  

• There's a course on Yale about how to be happy. This article breaks down the course a bit lecture by lecture. The conversation about how you value money over time or vice-versa is especially interesting, especially when comparing yourself to someone else. 
• It's no secret I love The NYT's Guides (and a great way to keep content evergreen!) and How to Manage your Career and The Midlife (Wellness) Tuneup (cough) have caught my eye recently.
• Quartz is one of my favorite sites, and they now have a whole subsite dedicated to Work, and I really enjoyed this guide about How to Structure your Day Better.
• I love love love lists and notepads, and these super-specific sticky notes on Amazon are hilarious - I'm tempted to buy several, or all. 
• I served as editor on this piece: Do you have tips for learning and developing soft skills around leadership, negotiation, and influencing? via Women in Product. 

• It was Negroni Week recently (nothing against made-up holidays here, of course) but I'm more of an Aperol Spritz fan. Do you love or hate bitters? 
• This was a great, great read on The Last Conversation You’ll Ever Need to Have About Eating Right - all about myths, fads, trends, and some advice - highly recommended you read through. 
• A summer bucket list is a great way to have fun and do things this summer. Here's my summer bucket list from last year and I'm working on this summer's now!
• The reason why food tastes better in a bowl than in a plate - so true! I cook and eat at home so much and I definitely reach for a bowl to serve it in more often than not. Especially leftovers feel better in a bowl. 
• I've talked about How I Meal Plan, and I love sites which are giving you sample weekly meal plans (linking to their own recipes which helps in planning!) - Simply Recipes and Skinnytaste are two good ones to check out. 
• Thinking about...an air fryer. Does anyone have one? Love it? Let me know.

• Cook & eat: Instant Crack (the kind you put on noodles!) or the Dan Dan version. I don't like the idea of baking a cake and then pulverizing it into a cake pop, but this recipe starts with 6 unbaked / whole ingredients and ends up tasting like vanilla cake! I like that. 
• Listen: Hurry Slowly, a podcast about productivity from Jocelyn Glei is a great contrast to other podcasts because they advocate for improving yourself through slowing down. Great guests, too.
• Watch: Pasta Grannies - Watch (mostly Italian) grandmothers make pasta. Besides the pronunciation of pasta, which I know is entirely British, this series is great and you could learn something about homemade pasta!
• Do: I'm drawn towards this Year of the Doodle workbook because I don't think I draw very well and would love to have some sort of assignment each day already picked out. 

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