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My friend Gina was in Bulgaria and took this picture of my doppelganger.
Random Thought
As I write this, the temperature outside is in the 60s and for the first time in a while, I didn’t need to turn on my air conditioner before going to sleep. I currently have the windows open and a part of me wants to put a hoodie on. I know it’s not quite Fall yet, but this feels like a sneak preview. And it’s kinda wild. It feels like just a few days ago I was posting a picture of pumpkin spice flavored coffee on social media (a yearly tradition of mine for whenever I have my first cup of the season) and even though I’m a fan and don’t really care what time of year it is when they put it out there, I can admit that it does feel like it comes out earlier every year… almost like Christmas does in Fall. But then this sudden drop of temperature hit and now I’m thinking, maybe it is Pumpkin Spice Season after all.
This has been a weird year for me. I fractured my elbow in March and after a doctor visit, I realized that this was gonna put a damper on my summer. There goes my summer body, among other things (I still exercised, but I definitely lost some muscle/size). But also, I just kinda got bummed out on the idea that I’d be going into summer not 100%. I’m not even a summer dude but for some reason, every year I get swept up in the hype of summer and when the weather begins to hit, I wanna try and get out there and enjoy some of it.
I’ve been to the beach once this year. It’s okay. I’m not a beach dude. I mostly like to dip in the water for a few minutes, grab ice cream or funnel cake on the boardwalk, and call it a day. The sun hates me and when it comes to exposing my body to it for a prolonged period, I’m not fan of it. But if I can get a couple beach trips in, do a few summery things, that’s always cool. This summer felt lacking of that.
Also, don’t even get me started on how my one trip to the beach this summer was thwarted by rough waters. They said we could only go into the water ankle deep. Do you know how sad that is? A line of fully grown adults standing at the very edge where the beach meets the water and we’re all just standing there looking down at our feet.
I know summer isn’t over yet but typing this while the temperature is in the 60s outside is a firm reminder that it’s beginning to wind up. Kids will be back in school. Leaves will start hitting the ground. Hoodies will become the appropriate wardrobe choice for outside. People will start hollering for their favorite football teams.
I like Fall. Fall is my favorite season. So, the inevitable end of summer shouldn’t bum me out so much. But I just feel like I was robbed of some of my time this year recovering from a bum elbow. No matter what the facts or science are, this will most likely go down as one of the fastest summers of my life because it started with me being compromised physically to some degree.
As summer comes to a close, I am grateful for how I feel now. I’d say my elbow feels about 95%. I’m back to a workout that feels like a real workout. I can lift things like chairs, tables, and speakers… things that I was afraid to risk my right arm on when summer began. It was a fast summer, but it was a summer of healing and I can’t be mad at that.
There’s still time to do summer-ish things but I’m not gonna be a mad man and try to cram a bunch of stuff into the next couple of weeks. It’s time to bring on Fall. It’s time to think about embracing Fall activities. It might even be time to plan a Fall getaway since I haven’t been able to do one of those yet this year.
As far as 2025 goes, Fall is my summer.
One of my favorite reminders that Fall is on its way is the Reese’s Pumpkin. It’s not pumpkin flavored but it is elite. It’s like a peanut butter cup but in a larger vessel to hold more peanut butter candy. Reese’s should have something like this year-round (during the holidays, there’s the Reese’s tree) but I guess they decide to take it easy on us during the warmer seasons. I’d be all for a Reese’s Beach Ball though during the summer months.
Movie I Watched Recently
Riff Raff
(Hulu)
I didn’t even know this was a movie until I logged into Hulu and saw a thing for a new-ish Bill Murray movie I’ve yet to see. So, I gave it a watch pretty much on that whim alone but by the time I was done with it, there were so many more reasons than just Bill Murray to watch this flick (don’t get me wrong, Bill’s great in it).
It’s a bit of a comedy-tinged drama that leans into dark comedy territory. It’s just the right amount of dark though. It didn’t bring down the entire mood or bum me out. It’s got an excellent ensemble cast that really brings this whole thing together (Ed Harris, Jennifer Coolidge, Gabrielle Union, and Pete Davidson among others). Bill Murray and Pete Davidson are the bad guys. They murder people. As I write it, it sounds ridiculous in my head, but I don’t know, somehow the two make it work.
It’s a story of murder, revenge, and family. There’s a fair amount of fun surprises and plot turns and twists that keep the whole thing moving. I totally recommend.
TV show I’m currently watching
Wednesday
(Netflix)
Netflix has done it again. They did that thing where they only give you some of the season and then make you wait for them to release the rest of it. Me and the girlfriend burned through the first four episodes pretty quickly and now we have to wait till Sept 3rd for new episodes. I’m actually a fan of this approach. Binging is too easy and sometimes I’ll tear through a new show, watch the whole thing too quickly and when it’s over, it’s almost like a blur and do I even really remember most of it? I also enjoy the anticipation. It’ll be much more rewarding if I have to wait for it.
Wednesday and the gang are back and it’s all a lot of fun. The parents seem a lot more involved in this season, which is probably a good thing although Gomez does come across as a bit of a bumbling fool now that he has more screen time. They found a role for Steve Buscemi which is always a good idea. Uncle Fester gets a fair amount of shine (Fred Armisen kills it in this role). And Jenny Ortega is so pitch perfect as Wednesday Addams, it’s almost impossible for me to fathom anyone else in the world getting cast for it.
The story is a little all over the place but basically Wednesday’s powers have diminished and that’s too bad because she could use them for bad things that are happening around her, her friends, and her school. By the final scene of the fourth episode, it feels like there’s three or four different crises all about to collide with each other head on which is probably a masterful spot to choose to end the first batch of episodes and make us wait.
Black tears… creepy.
King of the Hill
(Hulu)
Man, I love King of the Hill so much. I was super excited when they announced that we were gonna get more of it. Sure, a part of me was slightly concerned that maybe it wouldn’t work, and this would jump the shark and possibly tarnish the show’s overall legacy. But I feel pretty confident in saying that it lives up to the King of the Hill standard. These ten episodes are a well-done look into the beloved cast of characters many years after from where we left them.
I love grown-up Bobby. I love grown up Bobby’s relationship with an older Hank Hill. Hank doesn’t treat him like a kid, but he treats him like his son and it’s just a very honest and sincere take on the relationship of a father and his grown-up son. Much of everything else in this show revolves around that.
But everyone else is great in this show as well. I don’t know if these ten episodes are it or if they’re gonna go any further. Maybe they should end it here with some of the recent passings of voice actors (rest in peace Johnny Hardwick, the voice of Dale, and rest in peace Jonathan Joss, the voice of John Redcorn. Also, rest in peace Chuck Mangione who played himself in some of the old episodes). But who knows? Mike Judge seems to know what he’s doing. So, obviously, the choice is all his. If it does continue further, I will absolutely still give it a shot.
And here I am all these years later wishing I had my own alleyway beer crew.
Album of the Week
Panic Shack / Panic Shack
This is a very fun album. Panic Shack is a high energy onslaught mix of punk and indie rock. They’re an almost all-female lineup from Wales (4 women, 1 guy). They pack a lot of stuff into 34 minutes. Themes range from hanging out and friendship to assholes and not living up to the standards of others. It’s youthful. It’s got a lot of attitude and it always remains high energy and fun. The sound is infectious. You’ll never stop bopping your head to the beat. I spun this album twice in a matter of a few hours.
For all my worry about the future of all things, it’s always comforting to hear a band like Panic Shack and know that some of these kids are alright and still know how to rock, have a good time, and not take shit from others. I’m totally into it. Bands like Panic Shack could possibly save the future.
This is the album cover and not my excuse to put butts in the newsletter, I swear. But it sorta matches their vibe. This cover has attitude but doesn’t take itself too seriously. Also, it’s in a bar and this definitely sounds like a band who know how to have a good time in a bar.
Book I’m Currently Reading
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood / Quentin Tarantino
I finished this book up and overall, it’s a very fun read. Having seen the movie before, there weren’t really any surprises (well, maybe one sorta surprise that I don’t wanna spoil but if you read it, you’d probably be like, “yea, that makes sense,” if you’ve seen the movie already). Mostly, this book offered a more in-depth look at the story presented in the movie with the same title.
In typical Tarantino fashion, the plot is not completely linear. The movie is actually a more linear presentation of the story than the book which I thought was kinda weird. I mean, I was able to follow along but mostly because I saw the movie first. If I read this book without seeing the movie, my head might’ve spun a time of two. The ending is sorta buried in the middle of the book in the middle of another story. Kinda bizarre but not impossible to follow.
I also dig that it’s the story of a Hollywood personality who’s not a Top-Level star. I’d say Rick Dalton is more of a B-list actor who has his brush with the top and shows signs of top potential here and there, but mostly, is stuck at that second tier. To me, that might make for a more interesting story. Tell me more about the 2nd place characters, the ones who got the talent and benefit from it but still gotta deal with a world where someone has more talent than them.
Tarantino also flexes his cinema nerd muscles with all the knowledge of old-time names of actors, directors, movies, etc. That’s enough to keep your head spinning at times. There are moments when I don’t know what’s a fictitious name and what isn’t. Tarantino weaves so many real names into this story, I wanna believe Rick Dalton is as real as the rest of them.
It’s a fun book based on a fun movie. If you enjoyed the movie, you’d probably enjoy the book. But what I wanna know is if there’s anyone who’s read the book and has not seen the movie? That’d be super interesting to me. I’d like to be in the room with them the first time they watch the movie to see how it holds up against the book.
I did NOT get the deluxe edition with the Mad Magazine parody, and I didn’t even know that was a thing till now. I’m sure it’s very enjoyable.
Random sports thought of the week
I haven’t been watching sports really at all this week, but I did hear that Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury and that seems like a tough break for the Indiana Fever. Caitlyn Clark has been injured for a huge chunk of the season, but this team is still able to perform well enough for what will most likely be a playoff berth. But going into this season, it felt like maybe this would be Clark and the Fever’s time to put a stamp of dominance on the rest of the league. It looks like that era might have to hold off a little longer.
I also don’t wanna be a fan that ignores how great the rest of the league outside of Caitlyn Clark is. There’s a lot of great basketball players, teams, and games and that should be enough to focus on. So, it sorta bums me out that I’ve been that kinda part time fan that hasn’t been completely dialed in but has a hot reaction to something that happened to the team with Caitlyn Clark on it. My bad. But this is it. This is my random sports thought of the week.
Maybe I’ll just cram in one more small reminder that the NY Liberty are the best sports franchise in my beloved NJ/NYC sports area.
Anything is possible and Clark could still come back, and the Fever could still make a lot of noise in the playoffs. But it looks like this duo is poised to lay low and reemerge as part of a powerhouse next season.
Random pro wrestling thought of the week
Some quick random thoughts:
-Congratulations to Naomi and Big Jim Uso on announcing they’re having a baby. The Bloodline really is gonna go on forever. This is pretty cool for them but there is a part of me that’s bummed that it’s happening so early in Naomi’s title reign. She had to relinquish the title right when I was really pumped to watch where her title run was going. I had written just a few issues ago how stoked I was on this turn of character for Naomi and her winning the title. Hopefully she can pick up right where she left off when she comes back.
-Bryan Danielson was really good on commentary on AEW Dynamite this week. He seemed to focus on adding a layer of sane reality to the fighting that’s going on inside (or outside) the ring. He made it feel like what the athletes were doing was more real (I mean, it is real. We could debate ad nauseum about how “real” pro wrestling is but like, they’re athletes doing real athletic things). As a big fan, it’s always good to see Bryan Danielson back in whatever capacity they can have him at.
-Speaking of “more real,” I wish AEW would stop doing that thing where wrestlers try to kill other wrestlers in backstage segments (like remember when the Death Riders were gonna make Orange Cassidy drink bleach? C’mon, man). On this past episode of Dynamite, MJF threatened to light Mark Briscoe on fire, on TV! Like, even if you did want to murder another human, you wouldn’t do it on TV. You’d be imprisoned for life for sure. It just sucks the reality out of the room completely.
-I am looking forward to Forbidden Door. The card has really come together in the past couple of weeks. Looks like a fun card that could potentially offer us a couple of classics (Nigel McGuiness vs Zack Sabre Jr and Swerve vs Okada are two sick matches I can think of off the top of my head that could deliver big time).
Before I forget to mention it and it becomes too late, I LOVED Naomi’s SummerSlam entrance. Her dad (Shawn McCrae) is a professional musician and guitarist who can absolutely shred. This was such a great moment, one of the highlights of SummerSlam for me and definitely my favorite entrance of the weekend.
Top 5 Reese’s Peanut Butter Snacks
1- Peanut Butter Pumpkin
2- Peanut Butter Tree
3- Peanut Butter Cup
4- Reese’s Pieces
5- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup with potato chips
Weekly Quote
“Excuse me, do you have any beer that tastes like beer and isn’t trying hard to taste like something else?”
-Hank Hill in the new season of King of the Hill
Thanks for reading!
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