Favorites 1.20.14

Junot Diaz: Dominican-American writer, won the Pulitzer, etc. Juxtaposes hilarious cholo vernacular with vibrant beauty of language (utilizes "motherfucker" with wild abandon!). Start with The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. You'll see—his shit just dances right off the page.

Lemon zest: Have you zested? Why wouldn't you? So much more lemony than lemon juice. Soups, salads, a bowl of plain yogurt—it makes everything brighter. In fact, any time someone throws away a lemon peel without first zesting it constitutes kitchen crime.

Hot tub/sauna before bed: Soak until your cheeks are crimson. Get out and cool off on the tile floor. Transfer to the sauna—stay there until stars start spinning in front of your eyes. Go home and shower. Sleep the sweet sleep of the dead.

The Heat: Not a chick flic—a buddy-cop movie, but with funny females at the front. You will LOL. (Melissa McCarthy—my new favorite actress?!)