Good morning, fam!
After being back in STL for a week, I’ve noticed a few things:
Vacation hangovers are worse than real hangovers
Jet lag has been doing wonders for me sleep schedule
You appreciate PTO even more when you actually take it
I could get used to spending the 4th of July abroad
TL;DR: I have mixed feelings about being back home.
Anyway, I won’t bore you with the rest.
Pull out your Pogs, pour up some Oops! All Berries and let’s get into it.
Here’s what I have for you this morning:
I’ve read a ton of books about creative work, but The Practice by Seth Godin cuts the crap and offers and a much-needed call to action for anyone working on a creative project. No sure who Seth Godin is? Check out his blog and you’ll quickly find out.
After seeing this show pop up everywhere online, I finally hunkered down and binged The Bear on Hulu. It’s short (eight episodes, 30 minutes max each) and very sweet. If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, then this show will hit close to home, especially this episode.1
I doubled up on my TV watching this week and also finished the newest season of The Boys. Never heard of it? Imagine if superheroes were real, a bunch of assholes, and were owned by an evil conglomerate. As someone who grew up on comics, I love the premise, but if you’re not into dark humor and gratuitous violence, you might want to sit this one out.2
A few days ago, I saw Thor: Love and Thunder and it’s safe to say Taika Waititi strikes again. His two Thor outings have been some of the best Marvel movies to date. Chris Hemsworth steers even more into comedy, we finally get actual queer representation, and Christian Bale gives us some hardcore Voldemort #vibez.
Speaking of Taika Waititi, I let my mustache envy get the best of me and used this photo of him and this photo of Miles Teller as inspiration during my most recent visit to Union Barbershop. That’s right - I am one of those guys who saw Top Gun: Maverick and thought, “Hey, if Miles Teller can pull it off, so can I!” Here’s to overinflated male confidence!
I know I’m a Crooked Media fanboy, but I can’t help sharing solid #content. Hysteria is a feminist podcast where Erin Ryan (a political commentator and comedy writer) and Alyssa Mastromonaco (former White House Deputy Chief of Staff) break down different topics with some of the funniest women in Hollywood. In this week’s episode, they answer the question, “Would you join a cult?”
While writing this episode at Gelateria Coffee Co. (my fortress of solitude), I tried their tonic espresso for the first time and I can confidently say my life was missing something until this very moment. This super simple drink (espresso + tonic + orange bitters) is one of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth.3
I’ve never really considered myself bougie enough to collect art, but if I did, I would start with Noah Verrier. Check out his Twitter account where he shares oil paintings based on one of my most favorite things in the world: food.
Never, ever go grocery shopping with your friends when you’re hungry. If you do, you’ll end up splurging on Little Debbie snacks. During our weekly movie night, we ended up going HAM on two of the greatest hits: Oatmeal Creme Pies and Zebra Cake Rolls.
Have you ever considered freelancing? Sure, the commute and dress code are great, but the lines can easily blur. In my newest post for BuiltIn, I shared how to get started and the best way to (eventually) turn clients into customers.
You made it to the end! Here’s a little somethin’ somethin’.
Cheers,
Billy
This one-shot episode might be the most stressful 20 minutes you come across for a while.
The first 15 minutes of the first episode has one of the fucked up scenes I’ve ever seen. You’ve been warned ;)
Welp, that could have been worded differently…