Back to school

Pop quiz, hot shot*

Cute, but no

How’s everyone feeling about fall and, like, *weather* and scarves and wearing pants? I’m dragging my feet. Not because this summer was particularly fantastic. One friend even described it as Sterile Summer, which I think is more accurate than bummer summer. Maybe it’s because, like a lot of us, I didn’t “summer” to the degree I wanted (nay, craved) that I feel as yet uninterested in apples or butternut squash or fucking cider or chunky sweaters. Maybe it’s just a tale as old as time: the older you get, the faster the years go.

Whatever the reason, even the idea of a chill in the air makes me want to tantrum. Halloween? Not for months. Thanksgiving? How dare you. If you even so much as suggest pumpkin spice anything, I swear…I saw a scarecrow on display at my local grocery store and I almost pummeled it.

That said, I am very ready for routine. A schedule, some structure, a brain that feels less like scrambled eggs and more like… a functioning brain. I spent the summer, in part, coordinating a delicate dance of the kid’s camps while working from home and it was complex enough for several tailspins. So I’ll take school being back in session and about 3/4 of the inherent refocus of fall, but would love to balance it with summer’s leisurely vibes (and also its stone fruit). Revolutionary, I know. No one has ever thought of this.

I don’t know how to achieve it. But I do know that a big part will be prioritizing pleasures as productivity ramps back up.

Incredibly simple things that help, for me:

• I wake up an hour before my son does (every day, every season). I do some morning writing, check emails, make a coffee, and generally get to be an adult human before debating the merits of Mario’s squirrel suit over waffles.

• I have finally accepted that I will not be doing work after my son’s in bed. For years, I’ve put things off saying ‘I’ll finish it after he’s tucked in’ only to tuck him in and immediately turn my attention to Netflix (and only Netflix). Whatever happens before 7:30pm is all that’s happening that day. Full stop.

• To that end, I also pack the next day’s lunches, snacks, water bottles, etc before the bedtime routine. I don’t want to do it after lights-out and I don’t want to spend my precious, quiet morning hour on it either.

• I like to lay in bed and scroll TikTok in the dark for 30 minutes+ before bed to wind down. This isn’t a tip. Don’t do this.

• As far as prioritizing pleasures, what I mean is…take yourself out to a mid-workday lunch, pausing around 3 or 4pm not for a coffee but for an ice cream cone (or a coffee + cookie), scheduling in a non-negotiable aperitivo hour with yourself, olives, wine, and a good book once a week. It’s about keeping all of that up, even as the temps drop.

  • My favorite mid-workday lunch consists of sitting at the bar and ordering a big green salad and a side of fries. I return to my desk, truly, a new woman. (Wine is quite optional and significantly dependent on your job. I’m a writer, so…)

Hot tip: Next week’s newsletter will be all about galettes! It will have my endlessly versatile ‘master’ recipe and a miso apple filling. If you listen to just one thing from me, make it this: you can make pie crust from scratch. I promise. So, make sure you’re subscribed.

Miso apple galette: she’s a beaut

*I will kiss you on the mouth if you can correctly identify the movie referenced in the sub-head above. (And by kiss you, I mean I’ll give one of you a free year’s subscription.)