(Psst: In 2024 I am going back to publishing here monthly. I also am going to be renaming this newsletter. I don’t know what I’ll call it, but I have a few ideas. Speaking of which…do you have any ideas? If so, please comment/email them in)
Seven Decembers ago I started making a list of all the good stuff I read, watched or listened to in a given year. I felt like too much of what’s online is designed to chap your ass, it was my way of putting up a billboard for the good stuff out there.
That motive still holds true, but now all the rage-bait that I hate is being joined by lifeless, computer-generated garbage. In a sea of internet offal, these lists are my attempt at building a refuge of good stuff.
Let’s begin:
Hacks
Enough can’t be said about how wonderful Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder are in Hacks. The premise a classic unlikely duo and they’re as hilarious as they are difficult. Also, all the supporting characters are truly bananas.
The Wonder Years
The Wonder Years have had a cult-like following in the pop-punk scene for years but for the longest time, they never really clicked for me. Then I saw them live and went home buzzing.
It might actually be a good thing that I didn’t discover TWY when I was younger, because if I came across lyrics like “Somewhere down the line all the wiring went faulty // I'm scared shitless of failure and I'm staring out at where I wanna be” when I was 24, I wouldn’t have been able to handle it.
Leo Romero’s “SKATER” Emerica part
Leo Romero’s like a chef that needs only a handful of half-wilted herbs, some olive oil and a frying pan to make the best meal you’ll ever have.
Skateboarding’s at a point where people are taking technical, flip-in-flip-out tricks that had historically been only possible on ledges and bringing them to handrails and hubbas. Leo’s SKATER part is chock full of the type of skateboarding that made me fall back in love with it: basic tricks done at mach speed.
The Ones We Sent Away by Jennifer Senior for The Atlantic
Reading about the peripheral life Senior’s aunt lived made me tear up. This story sat with me for weeks. It might be the most touching thing I’ve ever read. I cannot do it justice in a four-sentence blurb.
Jury Duty
A few months after watching Jury Duty, for the first time in my life, I myself was summoned to serve.
When I was in the courtroom and the attorneys were going over the details of the pretty-heavy case (allegations of violent crime and serious injury were involved), I had to bury my face in my palms because I was unable to stop chuckling, thinking of the Juror 33 saying, “It’s just not my thing, this jury duty stuff.”
Needless to say I was not selected as a juror.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and
Danny DeVito on Life and Death, Interview Magazine
Come for the photos of Arnold in a turtleneck, stay for this delightful exchange about mortality:
The Grinders Who Saved A College Golf Team by Shane Ryan for Golf Digest
Maycee Kay Aycock and Sarah Marshall’s improbable journey through D-III college golf is a type of story you only find in sports. They are true champions.
Fast Times on America’s Slowest Train by Harrison Scott Key
Friends + Traveling Literally Anywhere = Unforgettable Memories.
Three Pianos: A Memoir by Andrew McMahon
It should come as no surprise that McMahon can tell a hell of a story. In Three Pianos he takes you along for a ride from the depths of staring death in the eye when he had leukemia, to the intoxicating highs of performing with Jack’s Mannequin and Something Corporate. The story McMahon has to tell is itself fascinating, but good grief, this is a beautifully written book.
The Hug Goodbye, Moose on the Loose
This is a good, old-fashioned blog post, the type that I just love.
A passing snapshot turns into a thoughtful rumination on graduation, friendship and the way a college town can hold onto a piece of your heart forever. It made me think of the time I reflected on my own college graduation, a night I certainly hugged my bros goodbye.
The Mind Is Willing, So The Body Doesn’t Have Much Choice by Andrew Keh for The New York Times
The New York Times sent a reporter to cover a senior hockey tournament, which is a dream assignment. The Journal had a similar story, albeit focusing on Gen X skateboarders. Both prove true the idea that growing up is a matter of choice.
How Chad Caruso Skated Across America by Josh Katz for Jenkem Magazine
Having some experience in self-propelled travel across the country, I absolutely cannot wrap my head around how Caruso pulled off skating from Venice Beach to Virginia Beach. What a triumph.