We just had a long weekend which our family packed to the gills with fun (a beach day! visits with friends! a top-tier playdate with fave buds! a family improv class!) and today I’m crashing back into the workweek a little hard.
But summer life marches on, so here’s what I’m currently into. A listen, a read, a watch, and a snack.
Radio Garden
I have recently been quite obsessed with this app that lets you listen to any of the 25,000+ live radio stations in the world. When you open the app, a picture of the globe covered in thousands of glowing green dots greets you. Spin it and zoom in—each dot represents a radio station. Listen to what’s going on in Thimphu, Bhutan, or Nuku'alofa, Tonga, or Antsiranana, Madagascar, or literally anywhere. There’s a certain slot-machine rush that comes from spinning and landing somewhere random.
The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman
A funny and fascinating book inviting curmudgeons like me to flip decades of self-help advice on its head and rethink our attitudes toward happiness, success, failure, uncertainty, and even death. A friend recommended it to me years ago, when I started on my journey to become a less pessimistic person. I’m not sure why it took me so long to get to this gem, but earlier this year Colin and I read Burkeman’s Meditations for Mortals, and it kind of changed our lives, so we were both ready for seconds. It’s great. Both books are great.
Keep the Meter Running by Kareem Rahma
It’s a new-ish series by the Subway Takes guy that I just got around to checking out last week. In each episode, he gets into a taxi in NYC, keeps the meter running, and does a deep dive into the driver’s world. The episodes I’ve seen so far deliver on the promise of a heartwarming space for connection and storytelling. “As the meter fare rises, Kareem asks the poignant questions he never had the chance to ask his own cabbie father.” Awww.Every summer needs an official theme, and an official snack. This summer, our family is struggling to come up with a theme, so suggestions are welcome. (As an example, a couple of years ago it was “pools” and we made a big, hand-drawn map of the city and tried to visit as many public pools as we could.) At least there’s no doubt about the snack of 2026. Alongside farmer’s market berries with homemade whipped cream (the snack of every summer), this year it’s The Weekender chips from Covered Bridge. Four flavours in one bag (salt & vinegar, sea salt & cracked black pepper, smokin’ sweet BBQ, and sweet & spicy jalapeño) = the perfect blend for a sunny day at the beach or a warm night in the back yard.
