Nothing like a few days of sunshine to dust me off and make me feel like I can do anything. This weekend I had all the energy in the world. I was optimistic, making plans, thinking about summer parties I should throw. We hiked, we brunched, I wore makeup and may/may not have eaten a whole watermelon by myself, and James ate a paper tag at Target before I could fish it out of his mouth. All things to be proud of!!

For a minute there, I wondered where all this zip was coming from, and then I realized, ohhh of course!—it’s warm and sunny. It shouldn’t surprise me anymore—the way a string of warm, sunny days brightens everything including my feelings about the world—it’s been 34 years of these same seasons, but it does. It’s like how I’ve spent the last 20 years forgetting that the week before I get my period (tmi, I’m sorry), I always slip into the same blue-blahness and start to question the direction of my life and my god why am I so HUNGRY?! Twenty years of these weeks and I’m still always shocked and relieved when my period comes and I realize that it was all just hormonal. I have a sinking feeling I’m not going to get any better at this memory thing now that mom brain is in the mix (last week I spent a good ten minutes looking for my phone while holding it), but oh well. Maybe it’s a good thing that I still get surprised by the more mundane parts of life. In other news, we’re starting swim lessons with James tomorrow! Wish us (me) luck!

READ

Are Big Houses People Any Happier?
Sure, homes are getting bigger, but how much more pleasure are we getting with all that space?

“Despite a major upscaling of single-family houses since 1980,” writes Clément Bellet, a postdoctoral fellow at the European business school INSEAD, “house satisfaction has remained steady in American suburbs.” This finding, Bellet reasons, has to do with how people compare their houses with others in their neighborhood—particularly the biggest ones.

This restaurant owner asked for 1-star Yelp reviews
When one restaurant owner became unhappy with the power Yelp had over his business, he decided to make a mockery of the system. He offered discounts for one-star reviews and boom, he had created his best marketing campaign yet.

If you can do this many pushups in a row, Harvard scientists say your risk of heart attack is over 30 times less
Turns out pushup capacity is a good indicator for your risk of heart disease, according to a recent study. For example, men who can’t do at least 10 pushups have a 30 times greater risk than men who can do 40. [brb going to do some pushups]

WATCH

I mentioned Shrill once a few months back, and while I liked it, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. It was a solid, if unremarkable show, with one notable exception: the fourth episode, Pool, written by Samantha Irby and directed by Shaka King.

In the episode, Annie (Aidy Bryant) and her friend go to a pool party for plus-size women. Annie wears jeans. She watches as dozens of women—with bodies just like hers—dance, swim, have fun…in public…in bathing suits. It was a revelation—all of these women, comfortable in their own skin, living and enjoying life without apologizing. Some of the scenes are unlike anything I’ve seen on TV, so beautiful and resonant and heartening. Shrill was renewed for a second season and I hope they can find the highs of Pool more often.

MAKE

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with BBQ Dry Rub
Spring Zucchini Noodle Salad with Salami, Provolone and Olives
Spinach Salad with Chicken, Feta, Almonds, and Fresh Strawberry Dressing
Salmon with Yogurt Dill Sauce and Cucumber Feta Salad