Thanks to ongoing concussion recovery (if you’re sick of hearing about it, imagine how sick I am of dealing with it!!!), most of this month has somehow simultaneously been dreadfully boring and exceptionally exhausting.
The bright spot of my month, however, was a weeklong visit with my family back in Pennsylvania. I finally got to meet my sweet niece Emma James, see my brother and sister-in-law in their new role as first-time parents, spend peaceful quality time with my parents and Nana by the pool, and catch up with old friends from my hometown, all while totally avoiding any screen time whatsoever. My brain was relaxed! My heart was happy! My cup was filled!
Then I returned to reality back at my home base in Amsterdam. At my doctor’s recommendation, I had to cancel plans to attend Pride Month events this June — I missed the Utrecht Pride parade the first weekend of June and I’m supposed to be at the Dublin Pride celebrations right now, damn it — thanks to my stupid light and sound sensitivity. I’ve been advised to avoid concerts/movies/festivals/etc. until at least the end of July, so I’ve got another month of FOMO ahead of me. We’ll see if I can find a bit of joy in all the missing out. Knowing my partner, we’ll find a way.
But anyway, back to the point of this monthly series: Here are the top things I ended up reading, eating, playing, obsessing over, recommending, and treating myself to this month.
Reading: THE BOOK OF THE SUMMER
I’m calling it right now: BAD TOURISTS by Caro Carver is going to be the book of the summer.
Talk about twists! and! turns!!! I have not been this surprised by a thriller since the first time I read GONE GIRL — and for someone who loves suspense and mystery, that’s saying something.
I couldn’t have asked for a better book to tear through by my parents’ pool (thank you, Simon and Schuster!) with such vivid vacation scenery, sinister secrets left and right, and complex characters galore.
If you’re looking for a beach read that’s *not* a romance, add this treat to your TBR right this second.
Eating: ALL BRINY EVERYTHING
I’ve always been a pickle girl, and I love olives so much I literally bought a dedicated olive spoon from a kitchenware shop in Amsterdam a few months back.
But my obsession with all things briny reached a fever pitch this month when I stumbled across De Leeuw Zuurwaren. For background: This family-owned shop has been a household name in traditional Amsterdam Yiddish pickles for 180 years, and it was the only original Jewish pickle shop in Amsterdam to survive after WWII.
I can’t speak highly enough of the shop’s kind and knowledgeable staff — the first time my partner and I popped into the shop, the owner came out to greet us personally, gave us samples so we could get a sense of which flavors we preferred, gave us insider apartment-hunting tips and advice for navigating the oversaturated housing market in the city, and gifted us a jar of pickles and refused to let us pay for them.
But I’m being totally candid, I would’ve fallen in love with this shop even if it didn’t have heartwarmingly generous staff or such a proud and storied history, simply because THEIR PICKLES ARE SO RIDICULOUSLY DELICIOUS. We polished off that gifted jar in one evening, and we’ll be going back for more immediately.
Playing: BRIDGERTON S3
Representation matters, my dudes, and I cannot believe I finally got to see:
a curvy character not solely defined by her size!
a bi character not reduced to the usual stereotypes of indecisiveness and greed but admired precisely for their openness and abundance of love!
a possibly neurodivergent but definitely at least a “different from the rest of their family” character who found a romantic partner who helps them feel more and more confidently themself each day (though she may fall in love with that partner’s cousin, admittedly — bringing us to even more bi visibility!)
a writer who was initially scared to be vulnerable enough to share their true identity openly with others, but finally found the courage to step into their power and was rewarded with deeper love and appreciation from those around them and a lifetime pursuing the craft they’re best at without shame or fear (or having to sacrifice romantic bliss for it)!
This season of Bridgerton was a touching reminder that happy endings are possible without losing weight, hiding what makes us different, or worrying what others might think about who we really are. I devoured each half of the season in a single sitting, and dearest gentle readers, I await season four with bated breath.
Obsessing over: ICY HEADACHE RELIEF
ICYMI, my fucking head hurts. And although it’s primarily marketed as a “hangover hat,” I’ve found that the HUGGS chillable head sleeve has come in handy for headache relief regardless of the aches’ origins. I pull it out of the freezer after screen time to rest my eyes and ease the throbbing in my noggin (or any other time I need it) and it provides a soothing sensation that the average ice pack simply can’t replicate.
I love it so much that I ended up buying more for family members who also experience headaches and heat exhaustion (and hangovers) often, and now they’re right here on the bandwagon with me.
Recommending: THE CLOUD CARRY-ON
I knew that I wouldn’t need to pack more than a carry-on’s worth of necessities for my week back in the States, but I also knew that I’d want to bring lots of things back to Amsterdam with me that I can’t typically find in the Netherlands. I didn’t want to check an empty bag on the way to the States and have to wait in baggage claim upon arrival for no reason, though.
The solution? I packed The Cloud Carry-On inside my Away carry-on.
Since this packable bag can be compressed and folded down to fit inside its own detachable interior zip pouch (like many BAGGU products!), it took up barely any room in my rolling suitcase on the way to the States while expanding to a proper duffel bag at 14”×19”x7” to fit all my souvenirs and then some when I checked it on the way back to Amsterdam.
The next time you go on a trip and know you’ll want to bring back more than you can fit in your luggage, I highly recommend you do the same!
Treating myself to: SUMMER SPA SUNDAYS
I was totally spoiled by the experience of waking up each morning at my parents’ place in Pennsylvania and heading straight down to their new pool to relax in the sunshine. Now I find that the lukewarm baths I’ve been taking in our non-air-conditioned, fourth-floor walk-up flat since returning to Amsterdam pale in comparison to that cerulean outdoor oasis.
The solution, my partner and I have agreed, is that we’ll spend summer Sundays at our favorite spa in Amsterdam, which has a massive indoor-outdoor pool we can float around in to cool off between schvitzing sessions in the saunas and steam rooms. It also has plenty of lounge chairs to sun and read in, an outdoor bar and indoor restaurant offering chilled refreshments, and a Himalayan sea salt caldarium that I dream of recreating in our own home should we ever win the lottery.
So maybe my July doesn’t have to suck just because I can’t go to concerts and festivals after all.
What’s in your June report?
Even if you’re not someone who enjoys “journaling” per se, this kind of guided reflection is a fun way to think about how you’ve been spending your time and energy lately. So, what have you been reading, eating, playing, obsessing over, recommending, and treating yourself to in the past month? I’d love to know!