june was a total whirlwind. between work, visitors, a work trip, and birthday things, i blinked and it was over!

june highlights.

queens night market // queens county roots show at culture lab // started my new job // parents came to visit // lunch with robin after many years // beautiful nyc weather for weekend wandering // my first work trip // alex and marcus arrived in nyc! // early birthday picnic // nyc pride // the jimmy awards // my dad wrote a porno live show at radio city music hall

june books.

my reading fell off steeply when i started my job, but i’m finding my groove again.

big feelings: how to be okay when things are not okay by liz fosslien & mollie west-duffy. aunties liz and mollie, as i refer to them, wrote no hard feelings, my favorite book of 2019 and still one that i reference when talking to friends, so i picked their new one up almost as soon as it released. each chapter of this book focuses on one of the “big” feelings [uncertainty, comparison, anger, burnout, perfectionism, despair, and regret] and dispels myths, provides anecdotes from liz and mollie as well as many of their friends and readers, and supplies you with multiple coping mechanisms. in addition, they share assessments and additional resources should you wish to learn more about any of the topics they cover. i continue to be a huge fan of their writing [and of liz’s drawings] and have already texted multiple friends about learnings from this book. highly, highly recommend.

the hurting kind by ada limón. i have gotten into the habit of reading poetry before bed each night, and after hearing ada limón on a podcast interview and attending a reading with her it felt only fitting that i pick up her most recent collection. i especially loved the pieces about her parents and her best friends and the importance of those relationships in her life.

in a new york minute by kate spencer. a rom-com that is quirky and cute and also a love letter to new york city? sign me up anytime, but especially now that i live here. do i actually think i’m going to meet someone on the subway? unlikely. but do i approach every subway ride as though it could happen? of course i do. it’s highly improbable that two people who live in such different corners of the city would run into each other as often as franny and hayes, but you never know. and my inner romantic loved it.

2022 book tally to date: 35

the best things i listened to.

the rise and fall of america’s monuments [vox conversations, may 26]. the history of america’s most controversial monuments, and what needs to come next.

ray liotta from 2018 [wtf with marc maron, may 27]. after liotta’s passing, maron replayed his 2018 interview with the actor. he seemed like such an interesting, friendly man.

ava duvernay is triumphant [taken for granted, may 31]. adam grant + ava duvernay. i think that says it all.

how to learn your parents’ language [life kit, may 31]. what it’s like to be a heritage language learner, and how you can take steps to learn the language as an adult.

the do’s and don’ts of returning to the office [worklife with adam grant, june 7]. lots of workplaces are in hybrid situations or are fully back in the office. adam grant shares tips on how to make it a positive experience and how to support your employees.

the argyll scandal [noble blood, june 7]. maggie and i saw the premiere of the first episode of the amazon prime series about this scandal, and it was fascinating. i loved listening to this full background on the story.

pilot [what would ted lasso do, june 7]. my friend aja shared this with me, and i am so glad. it’s a deep dive into the themes that are present in ted lasso, from toxic positivity to positive psychology to leadership styles and everything in between. highly recommend.

lunching@work: when eating at your desk is forbidden [rough translation, june 8]. what happens when a woman from the u.s. who is used to eating lunch at her desk moves to france, where doing so is illegal. i really enjoyed this episode.

by accident of birth [throughline, june 9]. the story of wong kim ark, a man of chinese heritage who was born in the united states and then denied his rights as a citizen in the turmoil of the chinese exclusion act at the end of the 19th century. this is one of those “if you only listen to one” recommendations.

when your neighbor’s the highway [still processing, june 9]. how the vine street expressway came to bisect philadelphia’s chinatown, and how that has impacted the neighborhood in the decades since. it reminded me a lot of the 240 expressway in memphis.

benching the patriarchy: 50 years of title ix [up first, june 12]. the story of coach jody runge and how she transformed the women’s basketball program at the university of oregon.

susan cain [design matters with debbie millman, june 13]. lovely conversation about the work that went into cain’s newest book. both of these women are so thoughtful, and listening to their conversation was so comforting.

why you’re smarter than you think [hidden brain, june 13]. how our assumptions about intelligence limit our potential. another “if you only listen to one”.

it’s time to stop ignoring disability [worklife with adam grant, june 14]. how workplaces are taking steps to support people with and without disabilities.

meet us by the fountain [99% invisible, june 14]. this episode about the 80s and 90s pull of the mall was a great trip down memory lane.

after roe: a new battlefield [throughline, june 16]. the follow up to may’s episode about the history of women’s healthcare and reproductive rights leading up to roe v wade. this one focuses on everything that has come after. my final “if you only listen to one” recommendation.

the racist origins of fat phobia [vox conversations, june 16]. okay, i lied; one more “if you only listen to one” episode.

we belong together [still processing, june 16]. j wortham returns!

i’ve also been listening to a few series about the overturning of roe v wade and its implications; the following have been very insightful

• banned focuses specifically on the story of the mississippi case that led to the overturning of roe v wade
• slow burn season 7 goes through the movement leading up to the passage of roe v wade, the different responses to it at the time, and everything that has happened since

the best things i made.

sometimes you need a favorite recipe to pull you out of a cooking funk, and this butter cauliflower curry from damn delicious always does the trick for me.

i also made a few nyt cooking recipes, but no real standouts.

the best things i purchased.

hey veena, what did you spend your first paycheck on? great question! the answer is a new vacuum cleaner, a new dress and a pair of “nice” sandals from madewell, and a bottle of perfume.

the best things i read on the internet.

this op-ed by a former coworker on the importance of including youth in creating solutions. mlk50

advice from 90-year-old runners. nytimes via cup of jo

how climate change and rising temperatures exacerbate income inequality in new york city. nytimes via moo

the impact of fire on queer cinema in india. and also chutney popcorn. the juggernaut

all the ways our bodies are processing the ongoing trauma of the pandemic. “we recover together — or not at all”. culture study

an ode to yeh jawaani hai deewani, my brother’s favorite hindi movie of the last 20 years. the juggernaut

the comments on this post about teenage crushes are absolute gold. cup of jo

the doom loop that is the internet. the atlantic

my moo and my boo are famous! via clinton school

gun control policies are ableist. marie claire

morgan parker’s “confessions of a perpetually single woman” feels like it was written about me. elle via ann friedman

the lasting impact of eugenics programs in the united states. nytimes via roxane gay

why air travel sucks right now. the atlantic

that’s it. happy july!

xx