10 Things We're Doing Besides Putting a Bow on It

erica’s things

• Picking out a Canadian tuxedo to wear to the Denim: Fashion’s Frontier exhibit at The Museum at FIT.

• Racing through all the episodes of the podcast Open Account with SuChin Pak (yah, that SuChin Pak!). It’s all about honest conversations re: money, and you should start with “Thank You Cake” and “Who Among Them Are Happy?”

• Reading this profile of Jane and Michael Stern...and reminiscing about a five-week-long, pre-internet-on-ya-phone, cross-country trip with their authoritarian Roadfood as a guide.

• Scheming how to borrow steal my husband’s new robe—a cozy-as-they-come collab between Ace Hotel and Wings + Horns.

• Heeding the advice of Italian nonnas and switching to Sclafani canned tomatoes, which are as good for sauce as for a Gwyneth-y tuna bowl.

claire’s things

• Having all my birthdays past and future ruined by the realization that they’ll never live up to this. (Thanksgiving is suddenly in danger, too.)

• Finding myself addicted to a new first-thing-in-the-morning phone habit: The NYTimes app mini crossword—two minutes or less to wake up your brain, totally inbox-anxiety-free.

• Doing my best to mix up the holiday sugarfest by sending out fresh and dried fruit from Frog Hollow Farm instead of cookies—the best produce on the internet, IMHO.

• Letting Google be my guide to my next credit card—this amazingly handy tool lets you compare all the options based on whatever your priorities are: cash back, points, APR, etc.

• Ticking off the most vain of my bucket list items at Beam Laser Spa. Bye razors, bye waxers, I’ll miss you never.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Cooking the Books

erica’s things

• Brainstorming whose face is worthy of a cookie cutter (and, following from that, a holiday cookie).

• Digging up this article about the mess that is airplane-boarding after spending some solid time and mental energy on the matter over the weekend.

• Gifting my brothers Tinker Watches...and letting them choose every last component.

• Getting way into The Mindy Project again. Season 4 (on Hulu!) is the best yet.

• Tossing a jam jar of my go-to vinaigrette—olive oil, rice vinegar, dijon, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper—in the fridge as a regular reminder to eat some more GD greens.

claire’s things

• Finding a new favorite sipping tequila in Siembra Azul—which, hilariously, is serenaded by the sounds of Mozart and Vivaldi during the fermentation process “to reduce environmental stress.” Sure, whatever works!

• Getting jealous of my seven-month-old niece’s super-minimal and chic high chair.

• Finding myself totally engrossed in this timely, relevant, and captivating story about a member of the Westboro Baptist Church who defected because of…Twitter.

• Applauding the mission of Carry the Future, an org that collects new and used baby carriers for refugee families. Because let’s face it: The one you’re storing in your attic for your future grandchildren isn’t doing much good up there.

• Discovering that Essie is not just a nail polish brand but also an actual person—who I’m dying to know so much more about than the internet is able to provide. This is a good start, but I’m holding my breath for a full-length autobiography.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Looking for a Novel Solution

erica’s things

• Giving a standing O to the all-female cast of Henry IV at St. Ann's Warehouse in Dumbo, Brooklyn. Even if you don't make it out to see the production, you should probably read this, about being a woman performing Shakespeare.

• Planning a trip to Vienna and finding myself very taken with the idea of this way-chic Airstream hotel set-up. (But also: Got any Austria pro-tips?)

• Seeing the clear potential of glass waste.

• Wanting to stay up all night to read Lauren Groff's Fate and Furies with all of its feeeeeeelings.

• Spiffing up my bathroom with some fancy-looking marble sink accessories. There are some rock-solid options out there whether you're into a sharp corner or not.

claire’s things

• High-fiving my still-wary-of-this-whole-cooking-thing husband for IDing—and executing!—an A++ delicious, easy, and healthy dinner recipe.

• Vowing to get myself to more of the totally free and totally motivating Nike+ Run Club events that happen all week long in cities around the country. If you're looking to tap into a sense of community around running, this is where it's at.

• Attending a Jon Kabat-Zinn lecture and being reminded of just how much of an impact his work (this book and this book in particular) has had on me.

• Nominating OxiClean for a spot in the stain-removing hall-of-fame (right next to Mr. Clean erasers, obviously). In the last six months alone, it's saved chlorine-tinged swimsuits, coffee-stained couch cushions, and mud-caked running sneakers.

• Trying to keep Miss Jones Baking Co brownie mix at arm's length—it is total crack and is somehow better than the Ghirardelli equivalent, which I've considered the standard-bearer since my college days.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Hiring

erica’s things

• Enthusiastically adding fish sauce to my salad-dressing arsenal thanks to this tangy-smoky recipe. You’ve gotta pony up for Red Boat brand—that’s key.

• Waiting for the appearance of a Getaway house near NYC (‘cause that’ll happen, yah?!). Until then: Get on it, Bostonians.

• Scrubbing myself down with Frank Body. Feels like a messy—but real effective—weekend ritual in-the-making.

• Going BANANAS over the fact that the cooler-than-cool Danish design co. Hay is popping up in NYC at the MoMA Design Store. Even better? It’s also taking up residence on the shop’s website.

• Picking up all kinds of tips from this A Beautiful Mess home makeover. Oof, those concrete kitchen counters.

claire’s things

• Questioning what other sorts of magical powers this newsletter possesses now that it’s managed to conjure up the recipe for Tokyo’s (and maybe the world’s?) greatest breakfast dish.

• Loving everything about the Boscia charcoal pore cleansing stick—starting with how well it works and ending with how well it travels.

• Hoping mango-flavored Hi-Chews are gonna hit the candy mainstream (A.K.A. drugstores) real soon. Nothin’ better happening in the world of fruity gummies if you’re asking me.

• Wondering why iPhoto’s shared album feature isn’t more of a thing—it’s a stupidly easy way to group-share photos privately and without all the hashtagging. Feels so grown-up.

• Devouring an entire head of kale in one sitting after tossing it in a simple vinaigrette and throwing it on the grill. Basically, kale chips turned up to eleven.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Nothing

erica’s things

• Calling it here and now: Jun is the next kombucha.

• Remembering the August joys of fresh pencils and unsullied Trapper Keepers—and donating to Operation Backpack, which sets homeless kids up with the supplies they need to start the school year.

• Handing it to John Waters—that man really knows how to deliver the zingers, even when talking about personal finances.

• Recommending the crap out of the chilled-out Sparrows Lodge in Palm Springs. Bonus points if you combine a stay with a meal at Chi Chi, which serves food that falls squarely into the everything-I-want-to-be-eating-right-now category.

• Nodding through this *very important* guide to email intros. It’s all about the double opt-in, you guys.

claire’s things

• Fulfilling my civic duty by voting (emphatically) to keep Reuben-flavored Lays on the shelves, which is exactly where this high-quality potato product belongs. Trust me on this.

• Declaring that whoever is running the fantastic @historyphotographed account deserves a big, fat raise for knowing exactly what sort of high-low history lessons I crave.

• Reconsidering my take on Sarah McLachlan upon hearing DMC (of Run DMC) tell the amazing (and, uh, totally unexpected) story of how she saved his life.

• Feeling really impressed by the thoughtfulness of WeShelter, an app that makes it impossibly easy to give to and help the homeless in NYC.

• Falling head-over-heels, crazy-in-love with Sublime Samana, a chic little resort in the DR situated on the most beautiful slice of beach I’ve ever encountered. (They’ve got a sweet discount happening rn too, if you’re looking for something last-minute.)

10 Things We're Doing Besides Partying with Gronk

erica’s things

• Counting down the days to any ol’ event—it’s good to have things to look forward to, right?

• Tuning into the chatter about country music and women and ‘Murica happening here and here.

• Talking my husband into evicting the CDs and DVDs that had taken up residence under our bed. The fix: Selling them off to Decluttr.

• Praying that bunnies secure installment #2 of “The Verge Review of Animals.” WHO’S WITH ME?

• Trying my hand at making a plum shrub—just great in a cocktail or with some seltzer. Oh, and I very much recommend consuming the resulting pickled fruit with some tomato, burrata, and olive oil.

claire’s things

• Re-reading Power of a Positive No because it really is that good. It bills itself as a business-advice book, but it’s definitely a life-advice book.

• Fearing I’ve become a walking infomercial for The Bar Method because I swear I saw results after one class, and now I’m hooked. The Brooklyn studio is really pretty, too.

• Giving two thumbs up to the seriously happy-making Everyday People: Any party that takes place before my bedtime, serves food, and celebrates nineties music is hitting all the right notes in my book.

• ID-ing the most delicious, flavorful, and hard-to-eff-up way to cook chicken other than roasting. It is also a welcome discovery for someone (cough, myself) who cannot properly brown a bird for the life of her.

• Feeling totally inspired by the late television reporter Marlene Sanders, who I had never even heard of until reading her wonderful remembrance.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Talking a Lot

erica’s things

• Hoping to see Paul Rudd on the cover of all the magazines—and trying to understand why I feel that way.

• Daring you to find a better public-transportation app than Transit. No, no—double-dog daring you.

• Feeling like a real LADY when I schmear this rose face mask all over my mug. The cooling, soothing, good-smelling vibes have motivated me to do such a thing a couple times a week, even.

• Cracking up at the I-know-these-people realness of the main characters in Catastrophe, the latest Amazon TV production you should probably be watching.

• Learning about fast-food restaurants...in ancient Rome.

claire’s things

• Finding myself constantly lost in thought about Dietland, a violent feminist parable Trojan-horsed inside glossy chick lit. Impossible to put down and impossible to ignore.

• Cursing my fate of being born several decades too early to properly explore the full potential of Balloon Bonanza.

• Getting way more excited about tampons than I ever thought possible thanks to the launch of Lola, which is exactly what happens when women start making products for themselves. Hopefully birth control is next?

• Thanking Bon Appétit for knowing that I’m constantly ISO grain bowls these days (salads are so 2013, right?)—and for helping facilitate.

• Realizing that MindBody has quietly grown to become one of my most relied-upon apps for booking everything from acupuncture to waxing to exercise—all my faves are on it.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Giving Away $500 worth of Dinner-Party Goodness

erica’s things

• Diving into the history of the American home from 1900 on. Should we bring back sleeping porches?

• Double-tapping @withthelocals, which serves up insider-y tips to a new city each week from somebody who really knows it. Bonus: bunches of under-represented American locales get love (Sacramento! Rochester! Omaha!).

• Gifting my dad this thermometer, which seems ideal for anyone whose heart swells in the presence of a grill and an iPhone.

• Reminiscing about some good times with Samantha Parkington: This deep-dive into the world of American Girl dolls by Julia Rubin is everything I hoped it would be. And maybe more.

• Settling on an ideal trifecta of NYC hotel lobby bars—with, very importantly, good snacks—for meetings around town: The Marlton in Greenwich Village (beet chips!), Martha Washington in Midtown (risotto croquettes!), and Smyth in Tribeca (free olives and nuts and chips...that they'll refill if you ask real nice).

claire’s things

• Tearing through the fascinating socio-political tale of how and why Korea is hell-bent on becoming a international pop-culture powerhouse in The Birth of Korean Cool.

• Refusing to leave a dinner party last weekend until the hostess handed over the recipe for this ooey-gooey (and somehow gluten-free) banana, peanut-butter, chocolate situation.

• Finding myself unable to stop watching the seriously soapy Unreal. A fictionalized behind-the-scenes account of what it’s like to be a producer on The Bachelor—what’s not to love/hate?

• Tipping my hat to Glynnis MacNicol for making one of the most compelling arguments for the selfie I’ve read in awhile—a feminist evolution of Jenna Wortham’s 2013 musings on the topic.

• Keeping my Japanophilia alive and kicking thanks to @tokyofoodfile, which is basically an Instagram education in what’s happening in the world of Japanese food.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Lightening Up

erica’s things

• Dipping my toe in the world of Korean beauty, starting with this Be the Skin toner (that smells almost too good) and this Touch in Sol mascara that leaves me with no end-of-the-day under-eye smudginess—a June miracle.

• Showing up all the takeout Thai joints with this way fast and healthy spin on drunken noodles.

• Needing more baby goats in my life. Thanks for getting that, @mcgoaties.

• Reading aloud far too much of Station Eleven, a brilliantly gripping apocalyptic novel that feels real in ways that are mind-bending, funny, and horrifying.

• Spending some time with the fashions of the NBA Draft. See: Racked, which really nailed that headline—LOLZ.

claire’s things

• Thanking Sloane Crosley for so articulately crystallizing something I knew to be true but needed to hear: I say sorry too much. (And I’m cutting way back! Already!)

• Using up my dad’s home-grown bounty of rhubarb on this A+ take on chicken tagine that tastes even better as leftovers.

• Excitedly backing a documentary about Philip Glass and Robert Wilson’s seminal opera Einstein on the Beach. I used to work in Wilson’s archives and still miss poring through all the insanely entertaining footage and imagery.

• Chuckling and squirming in equal measure at the darkly hilarious short film Actor Seeks Role, which feels like the pitch-perfect vehicle for the talents of Alex Karpovsky (of Girls fame).

• Not caring that my desire to try out these DIY cardboard cacti makes me sound like a full-on Pinterest cliche...so damn cute and probably easy enough for kids, too?!

P.S. For those of you who are more advanced in your crafting skills than, um, cardboard cacti, definitely consider getting involved in the American Craft Council Shows.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Going Negative

erica’s things

• Bidding farewell to Lucky magazine (where I worked, prior to starting this ol’ thing!). Rumaan Alam's sendoff rings very true.

• Feeling like a U.S. Open champ in this tennis dress. Let’s not talk about my serve speed, though…

• Craving classic—and vegetarian—summer cookout sides. Ones calling out to me: marinated cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes, broccoli slaw, and stewed green beans (with soy sauce delivering the umami-ness instead of the meat).

• Filling a Stephen Colbert-shaped hole in my heart with his new podcast that’s like a Late Show prequel.

• Spreading the word about this Airbnb situation in Ojai, California—just in case you’re in the market for the perfect, easy summer getaway.

claire’s things

• Adding Coverjunkie—a celebration of beautiful magazine covers that’s reminiscent of my bedroom walls in high school—to the list of design-nerd sites I turn to for visual inspiration.

• Feeling incredibly grateful that Push for Pizza did not exist during my college years—it is basically like Uber for pizza delivery and it is pure danger.

• Finding myself desperate to know Jake Gyllenhaal’s true height thanks to Starlee Kine’s hilarious podcast The Mystery Show.

• Saving up all my pennies (and I do mean all of them) for a so-worth-it haircut from Chris Lospalluto. My mom’s even started seeing him now, so you know the relationship’s getting serious.

• Getting my butt kicked by Joe Holder at S10 in downtown NYC. One session of his Run Strong class already has me completely rethinking my form.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Giving out Internet Hugs

erica’s things

• Binge-listening to the podcast Mortified. The concept: adults sharing things they wrote as kids—like diary entries and fan fiction. Try this and this.

• Digging the serene vibes of the Iyengar Yoga Institute of Brooklyn—the classes are slow, super-focused, and especially solid after a frantic day.

• Discovering a very unboring riff on hard-boiled eggs that's as good for breakfast on-the-run as for a salad/grain bowl topper.

• Handing it to Jolie Kerr for giving good cleaning tips AND laughs. Who knew that instructions for washing sheets could be funny?

• Doing some last-minute recon for an upstate New York trip on the almost-too-pretty site And North.

claire’s things

• Wanting to gift all of the dog-lovers in my life back issues of Four & Sons—it's like if the makers of The Gentlewoman started a mag for canine fanatics.

• Using the seriously fantastic StoryCorps app to record the amazing stories that come out of the mouth of my sassy, 101-year-old great aunt. Next up: everyone else in my family.

• Realizing the full chic potential of the lowly cot thanks to Remodelista. Wouldn't this guy make a perfect outdoor bench with some cute throw pillows on top?

• Loving the Turbie Twist hair towel enough to pack it when I travel—anyone with overly dry hair (especially my fellow curly adopters!) needs to get on board with this thing.

• Sending alcohol to a party I had to miss (next best thing, right?) using Drizly's super-easy delivery service. Use code GVCWT for $5 off—and, hey, go ahead and have it delivered to yourself. That's allowed.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Giving Away Our Getaway Essentials

erica’s things

• Diving into the complicated world of seafood consumption thanks to this smart (and service-y!) Outside article.

• Watching Serena and Venus Williams play tennis...when they were 11 and 12.

• Spending a couple hours with the book Get a Financial Life—because I think I’m officially too old to not really understand what a money market fund is.

• Trying out wool dryer balls: They stand in for fabric softener, fluffing your laundry and speeding along the process.

• Penciling in an outing to the Museum of Arts and Design to check out their inspo-heavy Pathmakers exhibit, all about women’s contributions to the postwar design aesthetic.

claire’s things

• Finding a self-help article made for me: how to deal with browser tab overload.

• Gifting a tired and achey new mom an in-home massage, courtesy of Zeel. (Get a $25 credit with that link!)

• Recommending this profile of venture capitalist Marc Andreesen to anyone wanting some insight into why and how certain businesses (revenue-generating or otherwise) are getting funded these days.

• Picking my jaw up off the floor after reading this heartbreaking, two-part story written by two women who fell for the same guy.

• Getting ready to run my first ever road race (!!) next weekend and rediscovering what a great running playlist Girl Talk’s Feed The Animals makes.

P.S. You should probably listen to the latest episode of our radio show—especially if you want to know anything about linen sheets, underwire-free bras, and BABIES.

10 Things We're Doing Besides Stocking Up

erica’s things

• Blazing through The Selection, which, according an in-the-know 12 year old, is the next big Y.A. book series. Think The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games, with ballgowns.

• Trying to show restraint at Oriental Garden in NYC’s Chinatown...and failing miserably. All the dim-sum is stellar—but the scallop dumplings especially.

• Nodding along to the brilliance of Modern Recast, which breaks down who would play what role if, say, Lost in Translation, Dazed & Confused, and Grease were made today. (Yes to Jennifer Lawrence as Bridget Jones!)

• Stumbling upon an underwire-free bra I can get behind. WHO KNEW.

• Dying over The Cut’s “I Like This Bitch’s Life” column. It perfectly encapsulates that jealousy-tinged fangirl sentiment.

claire’s things

• Cheating on coconut oil with Malaya Woods body oil, which smells amazing and has kind of a dry oil vibe.

• Finding a new summer workout gear staple: these magical tanks that make running in this humidity way more bearable—almost like running topless, but without...having to be topless.

• Confessing that, for god knows what reason, I could not stop reading this hilariously detailed timeline of Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak’s relationship.

• Ending my fear of shampoo-fueled bad hair days thanks to Purely Perfect, which makes everything fresh and clean but not dry and frizzy.

• Eagerly anticipating the release of Pixar’s Inside Out, which, if the trailer is any indication, is going to be an Up-style instant classic (and tearjerker).

10 Things We're Doing Besides Joining a One-Off Book Club

erica’s things

• Prescribing Roadmap: The Get-It-Together Guide for Figuring Out What to Do with Your Life as a gift for any grad who’s tired of being asked what she’s going to do with a gender studies degree. (I’m an alum of Roadtrip Nation, the way-cool company that created this thing!)

• Eating up CJ Hendry’s pen-and-paper food drawings—background here, and all of ‘em here.

• Looking for an excuse to book a week at the glorious Tu Tu’ Tun Lodge in Gold Beach, Oregon, where I spent one way-too-short night in April. Maybe someone’s interested in getting married there, for my sake?

• Switching up my non-milk milk consumption with this hemp-oak take c/o the geniuses over at Nourish Kitchen + Table.

• Hearing the word finstagram for the first time. It refers to secondary Instagram accounts the kids make for their not-ready-for-prime-time photos—fake instagram, if you will. Usage: “Oh, this unflattering selfie is for my finsta.”

claire’s things

• Rescuing my chlorine-stained swimsuits with a good, long soak in white vinegar and water.

• Getting way too excited about my new herb keeper (if my husband’s eye-rolling is any indication)—but what’s not to love about not having to trash precious bunches of cilantro after only a couple of days?

• Completely rethinking the concept of vulnerability and the roles it plays in every single part of my life thanks to this fantastic talk by Brené Brown.

• Adding Mineral Sunscreen from Supergoop to the very short list of facial SPFs that don’t give me a rash—and so far it’s the only one that doesn’t leave white residue all over my mug.

• Resolving to keep a (ridiculously portable!) packet of of Justin’s Peanut Butter in my purse at all times to solve for my way-too-frequent hunger-induced breakdowns. Bye, granola bars. Never liked you that much anyway.

10 Things We're Doing Besides...Our Own Damn Nails

erica’s things

• Taking advantage of a really stellar gift and having custom Bite Beauty lipstick made (in a sheer coral and a dusty rose, in case you were wondering).

• Thinking that this all-white American flag from Stampd would be a grade A way to commemorate Memorial Day. (See how maj it looks here?!)

• Contemplating sibling relationships, ambition, and Jared Leto, all within the space of 51 pages, thanks to Kayleen Schaefer’s awesome ‘n introspective Kindle Single.

• Discovering a great use for a tub of tahini. These lentils are the sort of thing you could eat for lunch all week long.

• Sleuthing out the Veronica Mars of fans: This Vornado one is small, fierce, and cool when things heat up.

claire’s things

• Finding a PJ set that feels right for the semi-public display of sleepwear that will inevitably transpire with this summer’s house guests and home shares.

• Thinking even non-freelancers stand to benefit from this calculator that helps you understand your hourly rate.

• Marveling at the comic genius of rising star Eliza Bent, creator and performer of Toilet Fire, which is a play that manages to make bathroom humor somehow not embarrassing.

• Feeling like I’m getting a pretty decent music education purely by keeping up with The A.V. Club’s “We’re No.1” column, which dissects the history and significance of various billboard hits, including my personal favorite “You Oughta Know.”

• Adding Bar Bolinas, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn’s vegetable- and seafood-heavy new spot, to my regular rotation, especially now that the weather is nice enough to take advantage of its back patio.

10 Things We're Doing Besides A Few Things

erica’s things

• Preparing for monoi oil to invade my bathroom. First up: this soap that’s as close to a tropical vacation as something that suds can be.

• Passing out flourless peanut butter cookies—because I would have consumed the whole batch myself otherwise, clearly.

• Committing the Ring Theory to memory. It’s all about how to cope with coping, and the fact that it’s super-intuitive is what makes it so brilliant and useful.

• Whipping up an all-purpose cleaner. You just need some citrus peels and vinegar—smooth, huh?

• Wanting to learn more from big-shot movie producer Brian Grazer after reading what he has to say about the power of asking good questions.

claire’s things

• Spending the dreamiest possible weekend on Long Island’s North Fork in this simple little seaside cottage that I’ve pinned all of my retirement dreams on.

• ...And tasting all of the wines at the nearby beautiful Macari Vineyards, where I fell especially hard for this bottle of red that came home in our trunk.

• Handing it to Anna Wintour: She comes across as likeable, savvy, smart, and kind in this lengthy interview in New York magazine.

• Applauding Emily McDowell for creating the first empathy cards I’ve seen that feel authentic, and, well, like something I wouldn’t feel goony giving to a person going through a tough time.

• Devouring Liane Moriarty’s smart, funny, but still beach-read-y Big Little Lies, which—YAY—is being turned into an HBO series.

10 Things We’re Doing Besides Breaking Business Rules

erica’s things

• Dedicating too much brain space to rugs, between the amazing needlework ones I discovered in Arraiolos, Portugal, to this Blu Dot one woven from newspaper.

• Picturing Dolly Parton amidst all the flower crowns, crop tops, and wellies of Glastonbury Festival.

• Falling down the rabbit hole that is Who’s Dated Who. It’s all of the best and worst things about the internet—proof here and here.

• Watching back-to-back-to-back videos of Seb Lester’s way-cool calligraphy (technical term: letterform).

• Going ca-razy for pretty much everything having to do with the Portuguese winery Esporão—and celebrating the fact that its super-well-priced bottles are making their way to the U.S.

claire’s things

• Cry-laughing at this firsthand account of living by Gwyneth’s It’s All Good cookbook for a week. Make sure you read all the way to the end, mmmkay?

• Getting super psyched that my longtime favorite internet person, Molly McAleer, is surfacing with a new personal project: advice podcast Plz Advise. (Ep. 3 is my fave so far.)

• Applauding the badass ladies behind Mother Juice for laying down roots (veggie pun alert!) at their first brick-and-mortar space in Boston.

• Reliving the mind-blowing adventure that was my trip to Naoshima, Japan through Bernadette Pascua’s beautiful photo series of the art-filled island.

• Finding the perfect hearty summer slaw that—and I can’t believe I’m saying this—might even taste better without the cheese.

10 Things We’re Doing Besides Terrorizing Chicago

erica’s things

• Learning, from Flavorwire, that 1999 was The Golden Year of Teen Movies—and not just because I was in high school.

• Finding out that cauliflower + dates + green olives = a delicious, if unlikely, combo.

• Getting pumped that my favorite NYC museum, the Cooper Hewitt, will be reopening in December after a big-time renovation.

• Finally understanding the value of a makeup primer after trying out Hourglass Veil.

• Watching high-school boys proclaim themselves feminists—and loving every second of it.

claire’s things

• Thinking, in the vein of who-would-play-me-in-a-movie, that if I ever had to have a celebrity profile written about me I’d really like Jada Yuan to be responsible. I mean, how bad do you wanna be friends with Jack Antonoff and Patti LaBelle ‘cause of last week’s NYMag?

• Feeling thrilled that the women of Bachelorette Party Emails are back with Ladies’ Brunch.

• Applauding Fuzzco’s genius Pocket Art Director. A quick fix for all of your design problems.

• Loving the insane food fashions happening on the instagram of Laura Miller—we got leek wigs, kale fascinators, watermelon helmets, fruit necklaces, vegetable collars, and froobs, which she really out to trademark.

• Wondering how irresponsible it would be of me to hop on a plane to France for the weekend just to check out the seriously major-looking Lee Ufan installations at Versailles.

10 Things We’re Doing Besides Putting Clothes on Animals

erica’s things

• Getting a little misty-eyed over the story my pal Julie wrote about her feminist dad. (Which brings me to: Happy belated Father’s Day!)

• Demonstrating my commitment to coconut oil as a beauty product by buying handy, travel-ready packets of the stuff. Does this make me insane or savvy, I wonder?

• Wanting to consume everything that’s ever been written by or about poet Patricia Lockwood after reading this New York Times Magazine profile.

• Setting up Google Alerts for my honeymoon destinations (YAY!). The weekly digests do two things: 1) Surface travel guides I’d probably otherwise miss. 2) Make me even more excited to go.

• Deciding that I’d really get into the World Cup spirit if someone just made me a batch of gooey brigadeiros—one of the best sweets ever IMHO, brought to us by Brazil (and, in this case, PBS).

claire’s things

• Finding the perfect partner for summer road trips in the Waze app, which gives you driving directions based on real-time traffic updates so you’re always on the quickest route possible.

• Retiring my Moleskine Cahier in favor of a Life Vermilion B6 with grid paper—just a little bit sturdier and a little bit cuter.

• Searching for the best bircher muesli recipe after falling hard for Park Hyatt Tokyo’s version (random, I know, but you gotta try it if you’re ever there). Jamie Oliver delivers the secrets—use good quality yogurt to really get it right.

• Hosting a delicious dinner party without cooking a thing, thanks to the charming and talented Kitchensurfing chef Ozlem Oguzcan. Way cheaper and cozier than if we’d gone to a restaurant.

• Applauding the interactive update to NYMag’s outstanding feature, The Approval Matrix—the digital version now has rollover links, making it even more entertaining.

10 Things We’re Doing Besides Getting Back to Business

erica’s things

• Fighting the urge to customize some Adidas shower shoes.

• Discovering what it would look like if Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Tammy Baldwin, and Harper Lee filled the pages of Us Weekly.

• Thanking Tasting Table for providing a cocktail guide that doesn’t require you to spend $300 at the liquor store just to make a G.D. drink.

• Falling hard for the movie Obvious Child (that you could call an abortion rom-com if you wanted to). Love you, Jenny Slate!

• Wishing I didn’t see so much of myself in this McSweeney’s post titled “Client Feedback on the Creation of the Earth.”

claire’s things

• Being reminded daily (yes, I use it that often) that the Vitamix is one of the best kitchen investments I’ve ever made—particularly now that I realize I can make cashew milk without the hassle of a nut bag.

• Suddenly thinking that writing crossword puzzles seems like the chicest job ever.

• Making packing about a zillion times easier on myself with the help of Muji garment cases. Game-changers for overstuffed suitcases!

• Thinking this genius fan might be the most necessary accessory of the summer—key to surviving NYC subway station heat.

• Wishing I could spend an entire day perusing the stationery and pen selection on the basement level of LOFT in Tokyo.