Happy Friday! I hope you’ve had a great week. Since I got back from Europe on Wednesday night, I’ve been getting my life back in order (so much laundry) and studying for an exam this afternoon. I’ll have a recap of my days in Barcelona up soon, but in the meantime, here are just a few things I’ve been loving lately!
- Sara Bareilles’ new album Amidst the Chaos was released this week and I’ve probably already listened to it 40 times. Since her last album, she wrote the music and lyrics for Waitress on Broadway and even starred in the production! I was lucky enough to see her as Jenna and it was magical. Everything she writes is gold and this is no exception. She was the musical guest on SNL last weekend and no lie she sounds the same live as on the recording. That takes serious talent. Go listen now!
- Not sure how I’ve missed listening to the Bad on Paper podcast until this point, but I’m glad to finally know it exists. Grace and Becca sound like my friends and I when we banter with each other. I’ve only listened to their episode with Indie Lee and (obviously) loved their chat about the beauty industry, but you better believe next on my list is the episode with Alyssa Mastromonaco!
- There are so many books out there about food, nutrition, and the obesity epidemic but none seem to capture the role of the food industry as vividly as Salt, Sugar, Fat by Michael Moss. This book is one of the reasons I decided to go to graduate school for public health and helped me clean up some of my own eating habits. It was eye opening to read how food companies use salt, sugar, and fat to addict us to their products.
- Season 3 of The Bold Type premiered this week on Freeform! I love the authenticity of the friendship between Kat, Jane, and Sutton and how the show tackles important issues (for example immigration, breast cancer, and sexual assault) while remaining fantastically feminist and dripping in fun and fashion. You can catch up on seasons one and two on Hulu.
- I have yet to find hotel toiletries that I really love and after using them for the last 10 days on my trip, there was nothing better than being reunited with my beloved Beautycounter shampoo, conditioner, and Citrus Mimosa body wash. My hair and skin are so happy today. Sometimes it’s the little things.
- NASA just released the results of the NASA Twins Study conducted while astronaut Scott Kelly was abroad the international space station for 340 days and his twin brother astronaut Mark Kelly remained on Earth. The researchers found a number of changes to Scott Kelly’s body, many which reverted after being back on Earth; however he does have some lasting genetic mutations and showed a decline on cognitive tests, provoking concern for longer space flight. One surprising discovery was the lengthening of Scott Kelly’s telomeres (the end of a DNA strand that protect from deterioration) – typically telomeres shorten as we age.
I’d love to know what you’re loving this week! I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Mine will be filled with catching up on neuro lectures, meeting prospective students at our second look event, celebrating a classmate’s wedding, and soaking up some sun at the beach for a friend’s birthday.
Molly, mph to md 