My fellows, my friends, my "fam,"
1) Quick plug for my Spotify playlist for MezzaDigesta tracks, where you can easily access all tracks I've plugged in previous iterations of this email.
2) Secondary plug for my Twitter account, as I'm always trying to get that clout up.
3) Reminder ask to please send me names of any people you think would enjoy this email weekly! I much appreciate people who have done this so far (looking at you, Ali, Olivia, Vic, Mike, and Sarah) - it's great to have new people joining every week.
Today is a good day. It's a good day for a couple of reasons. One, it's June 13th, meaning it's my half birthday. I know, I know - happy half birthday to me. Two, I'm leaving for my bachelor party tomorrow morning in Denver. Excitement is at an all-time high.
So, to summarize - I'm amped, I'm juiced up, I'm ready to do this. Let's go!
Three Things Joe Likes This Week
1) Sad fan close-ups and montages in sports
This idea came to me the other night, while watching game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Raptors and Warriors. After a hotly contested and intense game which included a brutal injury to Kevin Durant, some poor sportsmanship from the Toronto fans, and incredible plays down the stretch, the Warriors ended up pulling it out and forcing another game. At the end of this roller coaster of a game, emotions were understandably running high. And after all of this, the ABC/ESPN cameramen decided to scan the crowd of Raptors fans and focus in on some particularly confused/shocked/drained/SAD attendees.
And what a perfect way for that broadcast to end.
I love sad fan shots and montages. That shit gets me laughing every single time, even if it's at my own team's expense. It's so funny. Look, sports are intense and maybe the most sensible way to let out "pure" emotion away from work, family, politics, etc. When you ride with a team through thick and thin, it's only natural to experience some raw feelings when your heart gets ripped out at the end of a game. But boy is it funny how mad/sad people get and how eager camera crews are to exploit these feelings every single time.
Not as familiar with sad fan moments as I am? Ok, great! Let me provide a few other fun examples in addition to the Northwestern kid above:
The poor Villanova piccolo band girl who had to play her school's fight song after Villanova lost in the NCAA tournament a few years ago. Classic.
A very sad/wet man who watched his Washington State Cougars get pummeled by Stanford in 2013 in the pouring rain. Legend.
And here's a 4-minute clip of sad Michigan football fans. Not sure why Michigan got singled out but maybe they just get more sad than most?
I love sad sports fans.
2) Relatable/recognizable gifs that can be used repeatedly with friends and in groups
Gifs are so fun for so many reasons. They're short and sweet. They repeat, so if it's a particularly fun gif you can keep watching it and it can keep being fun. They spice up group text threads. And gif search engines have really improved in recent years!
But more than anything, I love how repeatable they are. I'm a big fan of going back to the popular gif well when the occasion calls for it. As an example let's reference the gif above. It's a great gif for when someone gets roasted in the group chat. Fantastic diss gif. Damn boy (or girl!), you got roasted.
Do you care to know what else is on my "most frequently used gifs" list? Great, I'm so glad.
When I'm feeling a little bit spicy or frisky: you get the Shaq gif
When someone is wildin' and says something totally ludicrous that is just plain wrong: you get MJ laughing at what you just said
When someone says something that is worthy of a thumbs down: you get thumbs down guy
When somebody says something confusing that doesn't make sense: you get confused lady gif
You get the idea.
3) Free shit
Free stuff is awesome. It doesn't even have to be particularly cool stuff - getting things for free rocks. And then, when you can get things for free and work hard to get things for free, it feels really fulfilling.
Case in point: I recently have been getting back in the fitness game (no big deal) and have been attempting to figure out the best way to work out without completely breaking the bank. Luckily, gyms and fitness classes are willing to give you free trials and classes to try to lure you in! A couple months ago, I signed up for a free boxing class at a gym near my apartment. Recently, I signed on for a free two week trial with Class Pass and was able to take three Barry's Bootcamp classes FO FREE. An email list that I'm on got me access to free classes at a fitness studio for a full month! You best BELIEVE I'm gonna take advantage of free personal training sessions that all the local gyms offer when they try to get you to sign up with them.
Free shit is awesome! I feel so sneaky and in such a gratifying way!
Two Things Joe Dislikes This Week
1) Swamp Ass
If you live in California or have access to an Instagram account, you probably heard that it's been quite hot in California over the past few days. Heat wave, baby! Well, with all the fun things that hot weather brings - trips to the beach, tanning, rosé, great Instagram pics of sunsets - come some inconveniences.
My main bone to pick is with swamp ass. Swamp ass sucks. I'm a sweaty guy, and I get a pretty sweaty ass. It's just the way it is. The other day, it was 101 degrees in San Francisco. I wore a pair of tan shorts to a coffee shop where I hung out and did some work. Big mistake for 2 reasons: 1) this particular pair of tan shorts makes my big ass look even bigger. 2) SWAMP ASS. I got up to go to the bathroom and my ass was soaked. Soaked, I tell you! I'm not sure how many people noticed, but it certainly felt like all eyes were on my ass. And not for good reason! Embarrassing!
Screw you, swamp ass!
2) The origin of the ubiquitous term to "stan"
There is a term that gets thrown around a lot these days that you are all probably familiar with. The term is "stan" and can be used as a noun or verb. It describes a super fan, a fanatic, an obsessive supporter of something. As in, "I'm a Kendrick Lamar stan" or "I stan for the Los Angeles Dodgers" or "I'm a stan of the MezzaDigesta, the best weekly newsletter on the planet."
I'm not a huge fan (or should I say, stan) of the "stan" term. It's a complicated one for me. As you could have probably guessed, I had a huge Eminem phase growing up. In middle school, I got obsessed with his music and played a couple of his albums on repeat. As such, I got quite familiar with the song "Stan." The song is a fictional story about a crazy Eminem fanatic who obsesses over Eminem and goes crazy after a perceived slight by the rapper. The guy turns on Eminem, loses his mind, and suffers a tough fate.
IDK, maybe I'm overthinking this, but it feels like this song's main character should not be the basis of a pervasive modern-day term with positive connotations like "stan." Weird rant over.
One Random Musing from Yours Truly
You guys ever see dudes walking on the street vaping and just think how freaking cool they look? Like damn, dudes who vape are so fucking cool. They must feel awesome when vaping, cuz they definitely look awesome. Am I missing out by not vaping?
Three Song Recommendations From Your Dear Pal
1) The National - Rylan
There are two types of people in this world - people who like the National and people who don't. I've been a huge fan of the band for years, but I totally understand when my friends aren't into them. And now, 8 albums and 20 years into their existence as a band, I totally get it if people feel like the whole National thing just isn't ever gonna happen for them. With all of that said, give this song a shot! It's on their new album, and it's gorgeous.
2) Maggie Rogers - Fallingwater
Last week, I said that Phoebe Bridgers' "Motion Sickness" was likely my top played song of the last year. Well, I'd wager that this absolute TUNE from Maggie Rogers is second on that list. This song really pulls at my heart strings. So many things to like about it - the beat, Maggie's incredible vocals, the backing vocals, the way the beat builds at the end of the song. This song is amazing.
3) Nipsey Hussle - Last Time That I Checc'd feat. YG
When Nipsey Hussle tragically passed away a couple of months ago, I admittedly didn't know too much about the dude. I had heard of him, but didn't know his music too well and certainly didn't know his backstory or how inspirational he was to so many people. Well, his death sent me on a deep dive of his life and his life's work, and I found myself being hurt that he was taken from us too soon. I'm definitely a big fan of his music now, but more importantly I vibe with his work outside of rap and his message. I'd strongly suggest reading about him if you haven't done so yet. Here's a jam he released with another of my favorite LA rappers, YG.
Thanks for riding and reading with me, this week and every week.
Much love,
Joey