Finer Things

Fine Reads

How everyone got so lonely by Zoe Heller in the New Yorker.

Tressie McMillan Cottom on shame vs. stigma.

From Jessica Bruder at the Atlantic, how a covert network of activists are preparing for the end of Roe.

Also in the Atlantic, why the past 10 years have been so incredibly stupid.

Fine Tunes

Well, not tunes exactly, but podcasts. A few to check out:

Love Thy Neighbor, hosted by Collier Meyerson, looks at the four days of the Crown Heights riots, and how they changed New York City forever.

What Happened to Sandy Beal, hosted by Melissa Jeltsen, looks at a decades-old death of an 18-year-girl who was romantically involved with a police officer. Her death was ruled a suicide; her family (and much of the evidence) suggests something else. Full disclosure, I am in one episode of this podcast for like 30 seconds.

I assume you’re already listening to Revolutions with Mike Duncan, but if you’re not listening to Revolutions, listen to Revolutions.

This is very not on brand for me, but I am somewhat obsessed with Huberman Lab. Basically, Stanford professor of neuroscience tells you all kinds of stuff about how your brain and body works, and how you can make choices to maximize your body’s natural inclinations.

Fine Tuning

When I’m not writing for work, I am teaching writing (and yoga). If you’re interested in a writing + yoga retreat this fall, I’m co-hosting one at a woman-owned organic farm in Tuscany and there is one spot left.

Fine Goods

I am a certified Candle Woman and so I always recommend candles in this newsletter, and these two from Lodestar are some of the best things I have smelled in a while. Why is every candle almost $50 now though? Inflation is real I guess. If you’re looking for something (somewhat) more affordable, I also like this foresty scent from Brooklyn Candle Studio; however the throw is not great, so stick it in a bathroom or other small room. These elephant matches are cute too.

I am also a certified Soft Pants Woman, and these are the softest pants I’ve bought in a while. I wouldn’t necessarily exercise in them, but I would absolutely lounge around in them and I wear them every time I fly. They come in men’s and women’s and they are a dream.

As I’ve gotten older and more woo-woo I have also adopted a series of little rituals to be kinder to my body. One of those is lymphatic drainage massage, which you can do yourself at home. You can do a version of it with your hands, or you can use tools. I use a dry brush and a body massage tool. Here’s a how-to. It feels very good, and it gets rid of a lot of puffiness, which I appreciate as a relatively puffy human.

Finally, it’s spring! At least in the northern hemisphere. Go to a farmer’s market this weekend and get yourself some fresh flowers. My husband came home with an armful of absolutely massive cherry branches the other day and they now live in various vases around our apartment, and nothing has made me happier in a very long time.

Fine Foods

I have felt extremely lazy and uninspired about cooking lately, and so I haven’t been doing much of it (thank god for good partners who cook for you). But I made these very simple scallops the other night and they were easy and delicious. I served them with Via Carota’s insalata verde, which is an all-time favorite salad in my house, and a little bit of herb and shallot rice (sauté a chopped shallot in a tablespoon of butter until it’s soft, then add the shallot and the butter to your rice and water in your rice cooker, cook the rice, and when it’s done stir in some chopped herbs — I like dill, mint, and parsley, but pick your faves).

I am not a baker so I often struggle with what to serve for dessert at dinner parties (and often default to some good chocolate and mixed citrus wedges, which is all I ever want for dessert anyway) but a few months back I made this tangerine flan and it was good and easy and looks more impressive than it actually is to prepare.

It’s getting nice in New York, which means it’s Sit on the Stoop weather in Brooklyn. I grow lots of little herbs on my stoop (and used to grow them in a windowsill before I had a stoop), and now that I have a little outdoor space, I like to keep a lavender plant so that it all smells nice and I can drink rosé outside and pretend I’m in Provence. But wine needs snacks, and my favorite easy one is to slice up some radishes and top them with your fish salad of choice — whitefish salad from Shelsky’s is my personal favorite, as is a good smoked / baked salmon salad, or even just a little bit of cream cheese and a little piece of smoked salmon on top. Scatter on dill or chives if you’re feeling fancy. Alternately, skip the fish and just dip your radishes in some soft, sweet butter and sprinkle on a very good salt. Radishes! They’re the best.

…and that’s it! Hope you enjoy, hope you have a beautiful weekend, hope you eat some radishes and buy yourself some flowers, and hope to see you back here soon.

xx Jill

Jill Filipovic

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