Japanese head spas, incredible coffee, and why I stopped wearing a fitness watch

Links we sent our friends #103 feat. author Ruthie Ackerman

Hi! How was your weekend? I (Aliza) ran my first half marathon in nearly a decade — and I’m feeling damn proud of myself. In case you missed it: Running didn’t come easily to me postpartum.

These days, I don’t wear a fitness watch, and I couldn’t tell you my pace. But I’m looking forward to continuing to put on my shoes and get out the door this summer.

Meet Ruthie Ackerman, a Brooklyn-based writer whose new memoir The Mother Code grew out of her viral New York Times essay (gift link) on freezing her eggs. It’s an intimate exploration of her decision to become a mother — and what happened when that decision threatened everything else in her life. I finished it in days.

Take it away, Ruthie!

1. I love this candle so much that I have a monthly subscription.

2. One of my favorite places to write is the Omega Institute in upstate New York. They have every kind of workshop imaginable – or you can use their meditation and yoga facilities, or just sit in a hammock by the lake.

3. Now that I’m more regularly sending snail mail, I’ve decided to splurge on “From the desk of Ruthie Ackerman” stationary. I have so many favorite letterpress studios, but when A Thing or Two recommended Paper Chase Press… It was game over.

4. I want to get a scalp treatment at this Japanese head spa. (Aliza: Wow, this is my dream.)

5. A friend recently told me about her perfect day: a soak at Williamsburg’s Bathhouse followed by lunch at Cafe Colette. I’m going to replicate it for a birthday date with my husband.

We see why letterpress studios like this one make it even more fun to send snail mail…

Aja’s Links:

1. The perfect summer tee.

2. “I am almost 40 years old… and it was only in the last few years that I learned how to consistently orgasm with my partner.”

3. This coffee subscription has changed my mornings. It’s SO good.

4. If you need a pick-me-up, The Quilters — a short Netflix documentary about male inmates who hand-make quilts for foster children — was a really lovely watch.

5. I might be the last person to hear about these?? They were game-changing after a few long days of dancing at last weekend’s music festival.

Aliza’s Links:

1. A must-listen discussion of loss, parenthood, and the duality of everyday life. Feels oddly connected to what I wrote last week about the question “How are you?”

2. The shorts I’d like to wear every day this summer… at a price that makes more sense.

3. I feel sad about Anne Hathaway’s eyebrows by

   Diana Fox Tilson
   .

4. Found this personal profile on the experience of homelessness along Rhode Island’s coastal towns deeply moving.

5. Wore this barn jacket all month and decided to buy it. (Aja: YES! I was hoping you would.)

6. In mid-July, author (and recent guest) Carla Fernandez is hosting a Kripalu retreat on navigating life after loss. If this sounds like something you’d like, I couldn’t recommend Kripalu — or spending time with Carla — enough.

A few of our summer wardrobe staples.

What’s one thing that’s made you proud of yourself lately? I (Aliza) ran the aforementioned half marathon, and Aja realized she’s made it to the halfway point of her New Year’s resolution to cook one new recipe per week. We’d love to hear yours (big or small!)

The real star: this local donut from Jim’s Bagel & Bake Shoppe in Gloucester, MA — will be returning just for that!

• 10 things I’d tell my 16-year-old self

• How dating has changed in our thirties

• How to help a friend through grief

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