Saturday Morning Cartoons #101
Kendrick and Drake Face/Off
Good morning, fam!
Hope you all had a good week.
I’m still basking in the post-100 episode glow from Raleigh for our friend’s wedding later on today and I’m already thinking of a few tweaks to make this newsletter even better for everyone who has decided to stick around.
Speaking of which, if you are feeling particularly opinionated, you can share your feedback in this reader survey. You don’t even need to leave your name which means you can be as mean as you want!
While I prepare for the onslaught of trolling, check out this week’s recs.
Tell the kids to go play, unleash your inner cyberbully, and let’s get into it.
Here’s what I have for you this morning:
I’m always curious to read advice from other writers on writing and after reading a lot of it, I can confidently say Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow by Steve Almond might be some of the best. It’s funny, insightful, and shares golden nuggets like this: “We have to feel entitled to tell our story as writers…we’re entitled to the effort, not the desired result.” A-freaking-men. (★★★★★)
Abby finally got me to watch Face/Off and ya’ll, this movie is absolutely bonkers. Abby’s pitch: “It’s basically Nicholas Cage playing John Travolta playing Nicholas Cage and John Travolta playing Nicholas Cage playing John Travolta.” She 1000% nailed it. It’s also a 90’s crime melodrama with insane writing, laughable effects, and a…93% ON ROTTEN TOMATOES?!? It’s so bad, it’s good. (★★•••)
We decided to watch The Roast of Tom Brady on Netflix for movie night and I gotta hand it to Kevin Hart - I can’t imagine keeping a 3-HOUR live roast on the rails, especially when Rob Gronkowski is on stage. The highlights were easily Nikki Glaser, Tony Hinchcliffe, and of course, Kevin Hart. I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard in a while. (★★★••)
But you want to know what was even funnier?! If you haven’t ever seen Hot Ones, start by watching the Season 23 finale with Conan O’Brien. The man is a human cartoon. I was watching it with headphones while Abby was watching something else on TV and she had to stop because I was laughing/crying. (★★★★•)
We finally went to Black Lab Coffee, St. Louis’ newest coffeeshop, and Tommy (the owner) hooked me up with a Finca La Fuente Pourover from Koppi, a Swedish roaster. It so was freaking good, I’m already looking at their other beans. (★★★★•)
Speaking of bomb coffee, I went to Comet Coffee and got their Wilton Benitez Colombian Pourover from September Coffee Co. and my God, I haven’t tasted anything like it before. It’s inoculated with anaerobic yeast, so it’s got a funky, fruity taste. (★★★★•)
As far as snacks go, I discovered two solid staples: In the sweet camp, we have these Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars from BelliWelli which are tummy-friendly so you already know I’m a fan. (★★★★•)
And for the savory, I tried Epic Sweet & Savory Bison & Uncured Bacon Bites (also a little sweet) and loved them. I don’t eat a ton of jerky, but it’s a perfect snack for that midday slump. (★★★••)
In case you’ve been living under a rock, Kendrick Lamar and Drake are beefing and shit is getting wild. You can catch up by watching this track-by-track timeline from Vulture. (★★★••)
What are the best books since 2000? The NYT Book Review has you covered. (★★★••)
You made it to the end! As a bonus, I’ll leave you with this.
Cheers,
Billy