What I've Been Doing:

I spent 7 wonderful days at a 4A's working on insurance briefs. Yes, insurance can be wonderful. Who knew.

My team (fantastic French and Japanese creatives) did some good work together. And it was nice to be back in the agency environment, cracking ideas, writing manifestos and breaking my three months without caffeine by drinking a ton.

Also, the ECD was for real. I'm sure he's going to be a huge success there.

What I've Been Listening to:

The Story Grid podcast. Shawn Coyne is a New York-based editor with decades of publishing experience, and he breaks down what it takes to write a story that works. This guy knows his stuff, and his co-host is someone trying to make it as a writer, which makes for a great combo.

What I've Been Reading:

I haven't been very good at this lately, owing to work. But I'm still in the middle of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. For someone who grew up in a working class background where money is something you spend, it has salient advice on money management.

What I've Been Cooking:

Continuing our theme of New York, I made New York-style dan dan noodles. Cooking the beef is interesting: you put the mince in a dry pan, no oil. (The last time I did that, the Head Chef screamed at me and I spent 2 hours cutting burnt bits off meat with scissors).

As I was saying, you put it in on a high heat and you keep it moving around until eventually it’s brown and crispy. Paired with fresh egg noodles from the wet market, some bok choi and freshly ground szechuan peppers, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce… fogeddaboutit. (Adapted from Jamie’s America cookboook.)