This past Friday I went downhill snow tubing with our Cub Scout pack, which was a fun reminder that my brain still thinks I’m 12, while my body has very clearly moved on without me. Thank bleep this was an actual ski hill with a magical conveyor belt to carry us uphill, because if I had to walk back up even once, I’d have thrown out my back, my pride, and possibly my will to live.
As I rode that conveyor of mercy, I couldn’t help but wonder how I survived childhood. I used to sled all day long—no lift, no breaks, just raw cardio and terrible decision-making. We’d climb that hill over and over like it was nothing. Now I get winded opening a stubborn pickle jar.
Then came my teen years, when sledding graduated into snowmobiling, a hobby best described as “giving a teenager a motor and hoping for the best.” I haven’t passed that tradition on to my kids, mostly because snowmobiles aren’t the safest and maybe not the best investment during climate change, and also because I’ve already personally stress-tested that theory. I wasn’t even a daredevil—yet somehow I still managed to collect injuries like Pokémon cards. Turns out you don’t have to be reckless when gravity is fully committed to your downfall.
I’ve been watching the last few episodes of the first season of The Pitt. Finished it up and am probably going to dive into season 2 which is mid-release, I think only 4 or 5 episodes are out. It was a great ending, it’s all pretty fresh and building popularity so I won’t give spoilers. Really, really good show.
Also watched the Superb Owl of course. I was a bit concerned about the huge financial company using a cover of a Mister Rogers song. But I loved Green Day at the opening and the halftime show was a fun peek into another culture that doesn’t get much representation in Super Bowl halftime shows, which was a nice change. Loved the camera work. I guess I leaned Seahawks in this one, Pats being back here so fast after a complete rebuild feels kinda unfair. I guess the Seahawks are kinda the same but not exactly in Pats former dominance territory.
In terms of the broadcast, I was truly impressed that the SkyCam was sponsored by Bud Light. I wish they would have told us which corporation sponsored the turf.
I’ve been reading Prequel – An American Fight Against Fascism by Rachel Maddow. I was thinking that taking a break from online and television news consumption could be kept calm by reading the work of a person I respect on a subject I think is becoming more and more pertinent but I don’t know what I was expecting. No, I wasn’t deluded to believe she was going to have some great reassurance that those things won’t happen again and aren’t happening as we speak, no it’s giving me exactly what I actually thought it would. But she is making one point that’s really resonating and it reminds me of the Mister Rogers quote that I’ll leave at the bottom of this post.
I’ve been drinking Toppling Goliath’s Pseudo Sue, my highest rated beer, a Hazy Pale Ale. It’s a cream of the crop and it’s out of Iowa, which is a surprise. I put up a full review of Pseudo Sue last week.
I’ve been listening to my New Jamz playlist a bit more since adding some new tracks from Black Label Society, Story of the Year, Sevendust, The Black Keys, All Them Witches and of course The Black Crowes, all of which have new albums coming out over the course of the next several weeks. Pretty stoked, these are a lot of big bands for me coming out with new stuff.
Hot Take of the Week:
Don’t let VR gaming die, you fools! VR is my favorite advancement in gaming, and it feels like no one is taking it seriously and it’s going the way of the laserdisc except there’s no compact disc to replace it. Come on game studios, make more VR games! Gran Turismo on VR has been like a whole new ballgame.
Quote of the Week:
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”–Fred Rogers, from his 1983 book Mister Rogers Talks with Parents
Be sure to check out my other recent posts:
- Beer review on Pseudo Sue
- The One Time I Tried Fortnite (And Rage Quit)
- Confessions of a Recovering Roadrageaholic
- Why We See the Same Videos So Differently
