My routines ebb and flow regularly. You’ve heard that saying about change being the only constant? For me, I stick firmly to habits, repeating them again and again, until one day: poof! I switch them up entirely. (There is the exception of a few daily rhythms, in which I’ve rarely wavered over the years: I always exercise in the mornings (when possible). I always shower at night before putting on pajamas and having dinner (when possible). I read a book before falling asleep. I only stretch after a run, and never before.
Read moreMILK BREAD
And here we are again: the lush, verdant days of late spring. This time of year has such particular charms; it’s lovely in small specific ways. The air in the early mornings is still cool and cold, ripening under the day’s sunlight into soft, warm spring evenings. I love watching people emerge from the subway as dusk approaches, flooding the streets with activity. I like seeing them unclench their shoulders and turn their faces to the sunset. I like how everyone ambles slowly home, unlike in the winters when they dash from train or cab to apartment, trying to spend as little time outside as possible.
Read moreBETTER THAN PIZZA TOMATO-STUFFED GARLIC BUNS
Let’s imagine that you have a craving for pizza. (Wait, you really do? It’s like I read your mind; let’s be friends.) Okay, now that you’re thinking about how delicious pizza is—with all that chewy crust and savory sauce—you might start thinking that you maybe want some garlic bread, too. (Look, you’re in good company—there’s a reason so many pizza delivery places throw garlic bread twists in with your order.) So pizza craving, check. Garlic bread craving, check. And then you think, while we’re on the topic of carbs, let’s just go for the trifecta (YOLO), and you start imagining the first bite of a buttery, soft roll—warm from the oven. The kind that would be like a simple dinner roll meets a Parker House roll meets…an entire slab of butter.
Read moreChocolate Hazelnut-Filled Rolls
Here is a nice way to have a nice day. First, get up and get out of bed. This is imperative to the plan—really, it just doesn’t work if you loll about reading old articles of Shouts & Murmurs on thenewyorker.com and wishing someone would bring you a plate of crispy bacon.
Okay, so you’re out of bed! Good! Well done! But that’s not going to be enough. Now listen carefully to this next part: tear through the “brush-teeth-wash-face-put-on-running-clothes-lace-up-sneakers” process. Under no circumstances are you to overthink this, or do it slowly, or put on your shoes but then instead of running shorts, try on a few nonsensical outfits like that ill-advised llama-print t-shirt you bought last spring from J.Crew with a long flowy silk skirt just to see if you can “pull off the high-low trend” (you can’t).
Read moreCHEESECAKE-STUFFED CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
Let’s talk about your sense of adventure. How is it these days? Thriving? While I believe each of us to have our own innate level of comfort with adventure—that can certainly fluctuate throughout the years. I think of myself as a solid 8 out of 10 on the adventurous scale, but I’ve dipped down as far as a tentative, trembling 2 at times and sometimes soared high as a fearless 14 (yes, out of 10), craving all sorts of risk, seeking hits of adrenaline in far-flung places.
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