Hi! We are Jay, Josey, + Collin and we are three friends, writers, creators, husbands, fathers, entrepreneurs, and busy people who think it’s important to be as involved as you can in the world around you, but also believe that people deserve to take a damn break every once in a while. That’s why we started this newsletter. Each week, we’ll give you some words on a few of our favorite things you may have missed. That way, you can miss out without completely missing out.
Oh, we don’t have an editor for this newsletter so if you find a typo or something just like.. be cool.
A WELLNESS THING FROM JOSEY
MUD/WTR is a brand I've seen pop up a few times in my Instagram feed and the branding is great, so I looked into it a little deeper. They position themselves as a coffee alternative.
"With 1/7th the caffeine of coffee mud leans on ayurvedic herbs, adaptogens, and cacao to give you natural energy, focus, and immune support without having to worry about jitters or sleeping at night."
This product has about 700 five star reviews, so I'm ordering some now and I'll report back to the newsletter once I try it.
A MUSIC THING FROM JOSEY
Since today is Mothers Day, please enjoy my favorite song about a son's relationship with his mother.
Warning: It's pretty emotional.
A MOVIE/SHOW THING FROM JAY
It’s tough to pinpoint my favorite thing on Reddit because there are so. many. things.
At the top of my list is probably watching people fight in the comments. My next favorite thing might just the combination of r/MovieDetails and r/ShittyMovieDetails.
Movie details is fantastic because it gives you small, but really fun looks into things most of us would most likely never notice. One that I love is from the movie Liar Liar where Jim Carey makes a cameo in his own movie. It’s small and makes no difference in the movie whatsoever, but it’s absolutely brilliant at the same time.
On the other side, Shitty Movie Details is amazing in its own right. Just look at this gem about the movie The Lighthouse.
A TRAVEL THING FROM JAY
First, this is not sponsored. Second, Getaway House looks amazing.
I haven’t used it personally - yet - but I plan on doing it as soon as possible.
In short, Getaway House is a fleet of tiny rental cabins located just outside major cities in either the woods or mountainside that are meant to help you.. get away.
Brace yourselves.. there is no wifi.
It’s hard to breakaway from your day to day if you are also hooked up to the internet checking your Twitter and shit every 10 minutes. They also offer optional lockboxes to put your phone in if you really can’t control yourself.
They try and keep the amenities minimal, but you’re provided with everything you need to have an enjoyable, stress free trip away from your daily grind.
Read An In-Depth Review of Getaway House
SOMETHING ELSE FROM JAY
One of the most interesting and fun books I’ve ever read is Moonwalking With Einstein written by Joshua Foer. Bill Gates called it “absolutely phenomenal” and that dude knows what he is talking about when it comes to books. He reads like a thousand (50) of them a year. Obviously, you should take my opinion on this book and his opinion on this book at the same value.
Moonwalking with Einstein recounts Joshua Foer's yearlong quest to improve his memory under the tutelage of top "mental athletes." He draws on cutting-edge research, a surprising cultural history of remembering, and venerable tricks of the mentalist's trade to transform our understanding of human memory. From the United States Memory Championship to deep within the author's own mind, this is an electrifying work of journalism that reminds us that, in every way that matters, we are the sum of our memories.
Joshua Foer was born in Washington, DC in 1982 and lives in New Haven, CT with his wife Dinah. His writing has appeared in National Geographic, Esquire, Slate, Outside, the New York Times, and other publications. He is the co-founder of the Atlas Obscura, an online guide to the world’s wonders and curiosities. He is also the co-founder of the architectural design competition, Sukkah City. Moonwalking with Einstein is his first book.
SOMETHING ELSE FROM JOSEY
My favorite read of the week was shared by the great and powerful Tim Ferris. It's a phenomenal list titled 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice by Kevin Kelly.
For those who don't know Kevin Kelly he is a “Senior Maverick at Wired magazine, which he co-founded in 1993. He also co-founded the All Species Foundation, a non-profit aimed at cataloging and identifying every living species on earth. In his spare time, he writes bestselling books, co-founded the Rosetta Project, which is building an archive of ALL documented human languages, and serves on the board of the Long Now Foundation. As part of the last, he’s investigating how to revive and restore endangered or extinct species, including the Wooly Mammoth."
SOMETHING ELSE FROM COLLIN
Yesterday, I was showing my 5 year old daughter the seminal Rick Moranis masterpiece Honey, I Shrunk the Kids for the first time.
I, myself, hadn’t seen it in probably 10 years, so I was in awe rediscovering this perfect film through fresh eyes, and make no mistake about it: HISTK is a bonafide 10/10.
Everything about it WORKS.
From the set up (if Wayne Szalinksi can only get his shrinking machine to work, things will change around here!), to the acting (Matt Frewer’s interpretation as ultra Dad-neighbor Big Russ Thompson reminds of his role in The Burbs, but more on that movie later), to the set/production design (the sprinkler scene! The ant! The giant grass! So ahead of its time!), even down to the James Horner score (the wacky, instantly recognizable theme song slaps, as does the downright horror-organ of the lawn mower scene). Halfway through, it got me thinking, “did this late 80’s oeuvre win any awards and if not, who will I be slandering online for this travesty?”.
A quick google search and I learned to my dismay, that the only awards it won was a BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects and an ASCAP Award for Best Score.
Well, as I set out to right the wrongs of the past and see what movie from 1989 could possibly have prevented this classic from a clean-sweep at the Oscars, the Golden Globes, and the Emmy’s and what I found shook me to my core: 1989 was the greatest year of movie releases of all time.
One must only google “1989 movies” to see what I mean. Here’s a short list:
Back to the Future 2
Weekend at Bernie’s
Uncle Buck
Tim Burton’s Batman
ROADHOUSE
The Abyss
Tango and Cash
Lethal Weapon 2
GHOSTBUSTERS 2
Little Mermaid
The list goes on and on. The Burbs was released on my actual first birthday - February 17 1989 - which means Matt Frewer starred in both HISTK AND The Burbs as a cool ass neighbor.
It was also a great year for baseball movies, as both Field of Dreams and Major League were released in 1989. And it wasn’t just cult classic comedies; Dead Poets Society, Born on the Fourth of July, Glory, and Driving Miss Daisy were just a few of the classic dramas that dropped that year. It was an absolute monster year of great films.
Deeper into the dive, one could argue it was The Year of the Sequel, as Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, Lethal Weapon, Fletch and Indiana Jones all released follow-ups, although technically The Last Crusade was the 3rd movie of the Indiana Jones trilogy).
One could argue who had a better year of releases: Tom Hanks or the late great John Candy, as TH dropped The Burbs and Turner and Hooch, and John Candy had Uncle Buck, Speedzone (also starring Matt Frewer), and Who’s Harry Crumb.
And I haven’t even mentioned rom-com pièce de résistance When Harry Met Sally. Or Spike Lee’s directorial debut Do the Right Thing. Or motherfucking Bill and Ted’s Excellent godamn Adventure??? Are you kidding me??
Other notable mentions:
Pet Semetary
Say Anything
Look Who’s Talking
Little Monsters
Lean on Me
Kickboxer
All Dogs Go To Heaven
She-Devil
The Wizard
Sex, Lies, and Videotape
So, it goes as no surprise that my anger at HISTK’s lack of awards subsided the further I delved into the 1989 movie rabbit hole. The year’s slate was simply too stacked for HISTK to garner the accolades it deserved.
But what did win, you ask? Well, here’s the link for the full list of winners, but as you can see, it’s hard to argue they got any of the winners wrong, although for HISTK to be completely left out of the nominations, especially for Visual Effects, Score, Original Screenplay, Directing, Acting, Cinematography, Art Direction, Makeup… Godammit now I’m mad all over again.
We want y̶o̶u̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶d̶o̶ ̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶j̶o̶b̶s̶ to hear from you! Write us a little something about an article you thought was cool, or about some band from your hometown, or send us a joke.. We don’t really care. Stop making us do your work for you. Each week, we’ll pick our favorite thing and post it here. We’ll always be sure to give you credit and link to whatever you want to promote yourself.
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