Guilty Pleasures
It's an incredible time of year. New York is bustling with excitement and energy. For many and most students, summer vacation has begun. For everyone else, the warm weather is ushering in the prospect of travel, near and far. In addition, there is finally playoff hockey here, with the New York Rangers advancing to the Eastern Conference Championship.
I really like the Rangers, gritty and underdogs. However, being from outside of New York (Chicago), I always felt one foot in and one foot out, and enjoying them was a guilty pleasure. In fact, I felt a little bad that my alien status prevented me from giving my children a love for New York sports despite growing up here. Nonetheless, we do love professional sports and have been to the Garden plenty. The last visit prompted an interesting discussion with my oldest daughter who was attending her first Rangers game (she was never interested) ... when is the appropriate time to don (buy) a jersey? I am not talking about a blue tee-shirt, but an authentic jersey. She accumulates clothes without thinking much of the messaging to others, but in reality, sports fandom is belonging to a tribe. While it's not entirely cultural appropriation, there need to be some rules on who can join. For example, someone who is a fan of another team (say the Blackhawks) most certainly can not wear a Rangers jersey.
Furthermore, someone who has never been to a game probably shouldn't demonstrate that level of commitment to the tribe. The thousand-dollar question (almost literally) is when can someone truly belong to the tribe? If you really want to geek out and feel part of the tribe, the next question is who's the jersey to own. Do you go for the vintage Mark Messier jersey to show you have been there all along? Maybe a classic Lundquist jersey because of his greatness. Or how about Kris Kreider, or even rookie sensation Adam Fox. Maybe you put your own name??? Lots to unpack here; I should probably see a professional ...
The way we consume information has changed dramatically. I, for one, like to spend (some) time each day learning something new or random. It is slightly different than reading the paper (New York Times) in that you can pick things that interest you, a pull rather than a push. I think of it as free time for my brain, a break from the daily routine of work and life. For this, I rely on various sources (such as Blinkist), but my latest obsession is Highbrow. Highbrow creates a simple and easy way for people to gain new knowledge in less time than it takes to drink a cup of coffee. They have assembled an offering of courses in various interest areas, including Arts, Business, Culture, History, and much more that can be consumed in increments of 5 minutes per day. They are taught by engaging teachers who will draw you in, at least in my courses. To be honest, it is a nice extension of Blinkist, which summarizes non-fiction books. You can try it for 30 days; then it costs $60/year. This is an excellent value for the guilty pleasure of enriching your brain!
Top Gun, Maverick
I have to admit it, I love Tom Cruise as an actor. He initially won me over in Risky Business, and I have never stopped liking him, despite some of his personal life antics. The movie that I always loved the most was Top Gun. It came out in 1986, just as I was entering high school. It wasn't quite a coming-of-age movie, but it was a movie about being true to your authentic self. It was an adrenaline rush like I had never seen before in a movie. This past weekend I went back to the movie theaters for the first time in over two years to see Maverick. This is the movie that theaters were built for --- the large screen and the overwhelming sound system were made for Maverick. And to be honest, this movie was surprisingly excellent. Cheesy, yes. Trite, of course ... but it was great to be back in a movie theater, and this was the perfect excuse, at least for me!
2 UNDR
I fancy myself as someone who seeks to optimize everything. Nonetheless, I have yet to optimize my underwear. One of the most important decisions you make, (almost) every day, is your choice of underwear. To be honest, I hadn't found the perfect garment for every day, until recently. Previously I was oscillating between briefs (many have laughed at me) and boxers, cotton and polyester, never fully satisfied. However, at a golf outing recently I hit the golf shop and was made aware of 2 UNDR. Oh, boy, are these great!. They are like the baby bear in the Little Red Riding Hood story, just right. They are neither briefs nor boxers, but rather boxer briefs. They are the perfect blend of cotton and polyester, keeping their form and feeling comfortable. They even have adequate support for the nether regions without being too tight; they call this patented technology the "Joey Pouch" (yes, a baby kangaroo). They have a variety of colors and patterns as well. This, secretly, might have been the most important purchase I have made in quite some time. It is arguably the most important garment decision of the day, every day.
May the Summer hold many, many guilty pleasures (you deserve it), and consider Highbrow, Top Gun: Maverick, and 2UNDR Found!