June is fascinated by popular culture: What do we spend money on, and how do we spend our time? How do we connect—and disconnect? Here are some articles that explore the American zeitgeist:

Hoarding Conference In S.F.

The San Francisco Chronicle

It began with the magazines and newspapers that Paula Kotakis hadn’t finished reading. How could she just throw them away?

Fearful of discarding any paper that entered her San Francisco condo, Kotakis, 51, held tight to everything. Piles of recipes, magazines and junk mail ringed her living room walls. Towers of the Nation, The Chronicle and the San Francisco Bay Guardian teetered precariously. “I couldn’t get rid of them until I’d read them perfectly, every page,” she said.
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Well Oiled

Pechanga Play!

Imagine a fruit so versatile it can be transformed into a nourishing soap, a savory salad dressing—or fuel for a lamp. Its thick juice, universally touted for its heart-healthy properties, is also routinely enjoyed fresh from the bottle.

Sound too good to be true? Not at all. You probably have this miracle liquid in your kitchen, in a bottle labeled “olive oil.”
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The Pursuit of (Professional) Happiness

Arrive Magazine

It’s not even 6 a.m. when attorney Hilary Henkind kisses her three young children goodbye each morning. An hour-long train ride whisks her into New York City, where she spends 10 hours a day scrutinizing densely worded insurance policies and claims. She doesn’t return home until 6:15 p.m.

Sound like a grind? Not to Henkind.

She adores her work, her duties and her autonomy. She basks in respect from her co-workers and clients, and she thrives on the variety her job provides.
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