First off, in case you missed it, T magazine published a great story this week about my favorite suppliers of farm fresh food, Good Eggs. And while you’re reading the piece, you might just recognize a name or two. (I just happened to be eating lunch there during the interview!)

My husband is obsessed with air conditioning and sleep. He is also supposedly trying to lose weight, but refuses to put aside time to exercise. Turns out, if this recent study is right, all he really has to do is sleep in a chilly room and the pounds will just melt away. Sounds like a match made in heaven!

And while were on the topic of sleeping, check out this Ultimate Bedtime Routine For Better Sleep. I bet if we all turned off our electronic devices an hour before bedtime, we’d not only sleep better… we’d be happier people.

NYC water towers are about to get a makeover…

Oooh… the new Apiece Apart line has just hit the racks at Bird. Run, don’t walk…

Uh oh… summer is almost over. Go to The Archivast and buy a vintage photograph from the New York Times to keep that warm feeling going all year long. (They’re having a sale!)

But before the season is out, maybe you’re going to spend an August weekend at somebody’s house and need to bring along a hostess gift… check out this beautiful post on summertime gift wrapping and turn even a jar of jam into a priceless present!

Finally getting it together to post in a timely fashion… sorry about the last two weeks. My hope is to get my digital situation a bit more sorted this month… My daughter is in a 3 hour day camp down the road from a library, so my plan is to get some tea and go hunker down in the library reading room with my laptop and really clear out my digital universe during the next two weeks. To be honest, if all I do is clear off my desktop, I’ll be a happy woman.

But before the cleaning begins, some links to get the week rolling:

Here’s a really long, detailed and completely thorough video explaining how to remove the keys and clean your MacBook Pro (which is what I have) I am not sure I’m going to take things this far, but it’s good to have the knowledge just in case.

Apartment Therapy has a whole bunch of posts about digital spring cleaning… this one is all about cleaning out your hard drive by eliminating huge files and all of those duplicates (how many copies of Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road does a person need?)

Here’s a list of 17 apps to help with clearing some space in our digital worlds…

But digital stuff isn’t all bad. Check out this rad new online art school for girls.

Evidently, our light bulb woes are over. Hooray! Now I don’t have to keep stockpiling my favorite incandescents.

When we get back to the city from these two weeks of beach/farm bliss, these are the types of off the beaten track museums we are going to visit.

And last but not least, we watched The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe this weekend and is was actually really good. Here’s the trailer, if you haven’t seen it a thousand times already…

Ok ok I know I usually do these links posts on Mondays. Maybe, if things are really hectic, it’ll come out on a Tuesday. But posting one of these on a Friday is a new low, even for me. Sorry about that. I’m hoping to become a completely different person who creates systems for getting everything done in a methodical and timely manner, and for that, I’m going to need some help. I spent a little time online looking for the answer, and while I came up with a few ideas, I meandered off the track (as usual) Here’s hoping next week is more focused.

In case you’re interested, here are a few things I found this morning during my search for more productivity…

First off, I’m getting Elevate for my phone. Because lord knows my poor brain needs help in the memory department…

Hmmmm… do I need to pay more attention to these 10 tips for staying focused while working at home?

Oh no! Is this imminent kale shortage going to get in the way of my getting enough of my favorite green juice? How will I keep my energy up?

Or maybe I should not worry about what greens are in my juice and just be glad we narrowly escaped total catastrophe caused by a massive solar storm two years ago.

Here are 7 ways your home can help you have more energy, according to Apt Therapy. It might sound a bit far fetched, but I’ll try anything, at this point. No kale required.

Imagine how much simpler life would be if we didn’t have to keep track of all of those pesky passwords. Evidently, that time is right around the corner…

Hey I just found out that the entire New Yorker archive is available this summer for free. Online. Does sitting at home reading beautifully written articles about fascinating people by some of my all time favorite writers count as being productive?

I was planning on heading into Manhattan this morning to do a few errands, but (surprise!) the L train was delayed, so I bailed. To avoid future surprises like this, we addled L train riders can check the MTA alert page for real time updates on all service (bus, subway, LIRR…) Or you can check the more L specific istheLtrainrunning.com, though they don’t go into detail about delays, etc, so you could easily still walk into a nightmare.

28 pieces of mostly 2-D street art that brilliantly interact with their 3-D surroundings.

How 15 of the world’s greatest thinkers manage their time. (They all seem to be getting an ample amount of sleep.)

Here are 7 ways for you to start getting a better night’s sleep. Maybe you will then become one of the world’s great thinkers.

According to the people at World of Wanderlust, these are the 12 most scenic countries you can visit to escape reality.

We should all check out this list of 5 easy ways to start reusing grey water in our gardens (if we have gardens) and implement at least one of them into our regular routines. Because from what I’ve been reading lately, water shortages are going to start being a huge world-wide problem in the near future.

12 great DIY posters, record covers and zines from the 70′s punk and reggae movement. Lets bring this spirit back, shall we?

32 top rental houses featured on Remodelista. In case you’re in the market for a beautiful place to stay…

Woops, guess computers aren’t better at everything. Check out what happened a couple of years ago at at July 4th in San Diego when the computer decided to set off all the explosives at once!

Now that the search for the perfect red, white and blue napkins is behind us, I am suddenly finding myself reflecting more thoughtfully about important stuff like what America is all about. Frederick Douglass had some interesting things to say about that back in 1852 (13 years before the abolition of slavery) and James Earl Jones reads some excerpts.

While we’re on the topic of our fair nation, here are !3 facts about the USA that conservatives would rather we all forgot…

And speaking of altered realities, here’s one person’s honest comparison of their real life vs the version they put up on Instagram.

My pretend Instagram universe, if I had the energy to produce one, would be filled with all sorts of organized cabinets and NO CLUTTER. Here are a few tips personal organizers use to help turn that fantasy into reality. (Oh and Apartment Therapy has some other tips worth checking out too…)

And while I was visiting Apartment Therapy, I couldn’t help but check out the House Tour called Claes and Melinda’s Natural (and Beautiful) Chaos. Any couple who lovingly describes their home as chaos are my spiritual brethren. Looking at their place gives me hope. Maybe I don’t need to aim for emptiness, just a bit of order…

And lastly, a propos of nothing except the heat… here are some great ways to cool your body from the inside out, using the ancient practice of ayurvedic medicine as a guide.

The sales are on… Makie, my favorite (but totally not inexpensive) clothing line for kids always has some great pieces on sale this time of year.

If money is no object (or selectively no object, like when it comes to beauty products) here’s a list of top all-natural sunscreens that really work and don’t go on like plaster.

Make yourself a delicious red cabbage stir fry like the ladies from A Beautiful Mess evidently do all the time…

And while you’re cooking, try one or all of these super easy summer appetizers from Dinner A Love Story when you’re having friends over (or just want to feel festive!)

I almost never look at Buzzfeed, but the brilliance of their list of 28 travel hacks for summer road trips might turn me into a regular visitor…

Having people over for July 4? (which is Friday, by the way…) Here are 10 red cocktails from the ever stylish Design Sponge that will brighten up any Independence Day table. (just add a blue table cloth and white napkins and you’re good to go!)

Last, but not least, the sale is raging over at Bird so maybe now is the time to buy a new pair of summer shoes for Way. Less. Money. (’cause who doesn’t love a good markdown?)

I have been having a hard time recently… maybe it’s the end-of-the-school-year-blues so common amongst parents, or just the increased heat and humidity which always take a big bite out of my energy levels. (Full disclosure: I have a mild case of Multiple Sclerosis, or MS, an autoimmune disease which often causes me to be extremely lethargic when the temps go up.)

Whatever the reason, I find myself, this year more than others, really searching for ways to beat these summertime blues. Here are a few things I’m going to try…

Watch Stripes. Because whenever I remember to watch this movie, I am happy. Even the trailer puts a smile on my face.

Take more naps. This may be hard with an energetic 6 year old at my side 24-7, but I’m going to do my best. Check out this article to see why quick power naps can really be a lifesaver.

Make sure I’m getting my vitamins, especially B12, which is crucial if you’re feeling sluggish. Read what the folks at Dr Oz have to say about this particular energy booster.

Listen to Tightrope, by Janelle Monae. Hell, even watch the video. Sure it’s a couple of years old, but so am I, and the tune still gets me dancing around the room…

Drink more hibiscus tea, which is evidently an ancient cooling herb, and is most definitely delicious. Check out this recipe for hibiscus strawberry rhubarb iced tea… Yum!

Eat more sour food. Especially some of the Southeast Asian soups that food writer Robin Eckhardt describes in her piece for the WSJ blog.

Mist myself with some peppermint hydrosol from Ever Brooklyn. Because a spritz of peppermint will always freshen me up in a pinch.