Hi everyone. This is going out a little later today than normal because Substack was seemingly down for a bit. Let’s get into it.
Knit Polos
I find it amusing when a beloved staple returns with a new name, and everyone is suddenly keen to embrace it. To wit: the knit polo. At its core, today's knit polos are no different than a standard Ralph Lauren Polo shirt. Sure, there might be less overt branding, but the tightly spun cotton functions the same way as the Polo-popularized shirt. Nevertheless, I’m still seeing many freaky takes on polos that are well worth considering. Just today, Kith — who gets ragged on in some circles for how corny its founder is, I guess? — dropped this space-dyed one that’s decidedly Missoni-inspired but is undoubtedly stunning.
Same with this one from Paige that I like because of the v-neck, which has a nice dash of character to it.
Not unlike cardigans over the last few seasons, we’re seeing a real glut of knit polos right now. But they’re all so well-executed that I can’t be upset. Good stuff all around.
Morning Workouts
I am, historically speaking, not a morning person. In fact, I am, historically speaking, a big “don’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee” kind of person. So, the fact that I’m starting to enjoy being up and exercising before the sun comes up is bizarre? To me?
Part of the equation is that I finish it all and then go about my day. But I think the real reason is an understanding that with the time change, it’s serene to see the sun come up. I mean, just look at this:
I woke up this morning to do a shakeout run with Carl and some other folks (said folks overslept) ahead of the half marathon here in town tomorrow and got this as a reward.
I mean, come on.
That was absolutely worth getting up at 6:45 in the morning to see. I don’t know how sustainable this will be after I land a full-time gig, but maybe I need to give myself a bit more credit. Either way, I’m enjoying it while I can. And before DC turns into Shrek’s swamp.
Patio Szn
One of my fondest memories of my Dad goes like this: I used to work at a ritzy golf course as a cart attendant. It was a miserable job, but it paid pretty well — especially when I worked Saturday mornings and got to rake in tips. One weekend, after a particularly hard shift, I came home to find my Dad smoking a cigar on our screened-in porch, listening to Bob Marley while my mom and my sisters were out of town. He was having a blast.
Porch season is starting to trickle into DC. Maybe a little early. But I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, so I took full advantage of patio weather last night to fire up my first cigar of the season.
It’s in these quiet moments where I feel Dad’s spirit the most. Maybe it was in the old Jimmy Buffett cuts playing off Spotify or some amorphous smoke shape. Either way, it was peaceful and relaxing in an up-and-down week. I’m grateful for it.
Wemby Saying the Coolest Stuff Ever
In addition to being a generational prospect and putting up insane basketball stats, San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is a quote machine who routinely says some of the coldest shit I’ve ever heard from anyone, let alone a twenty-year-old-rookie-playing-his-first-season-in-the-NBA. This week brought another banger.
Wemby is already proving to be a defensive monster. His sheer presence in the paint and the restricted area is enough for some players to make business decisions not to take him on. He’s averaging a steal and 3.4 blocks per game, which is a trend higher than Hakeem Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo. As such, he’s an extremely viable candidate for Defensive Player of the Year alongside fellow Frenchie Ruby Gobert.
Gobert, candidly, is a bozo who, about four years ago, touched a bunch of mics at a press conference while claiming he wasn’t worried about COVID. Days later, he was one of the first diagnosed COVID cases in the US. He’s since apologized.
Anyway, here’s what Wemby had to say about Gobert when asked about him winning Defensive Player of the Year this season.
“I know that Rudy (Gobert) has a very good chance of winning it this year, and it would be deserved. Let him win it now, because after that it's no longer his turn."
I’ve never said anything that incredible in my entire lifetime. Let alone at twenty. I cannot believe he’s on my team.
Repairing Your Clothes
I got a perfect-fitting pair of wider-cut jeans in Colorado last summer and quickly put a hole in them. I was fully content to rock a frayed knee until I came across Sashiko embroidery through this visible mending kit on Socorro Society. I spent part of my weekend doing my first stitch and was pretty happy with the final result — imperfections and all as I learned, on the fly, how to do Sashiko properly.
Good clothes should tell a story, and now these do. There’s the personal connection to getting them on a trip with Jordan’s family, patched back with a patch of designer denim that’s too small, skinny, and too out of style for me to sell. Instead, it gets to live on — and so do my jeans.
Odds & Ends
Outside of a disappointing Lily Gladstone loss, I felt that the Oscars were quite excellent, all things considered. Kimmel is a steady host, fully capable of moving things along, and I found that even with some of the predictability of the awards (I went 20/23 on my picks and really should have gone 22/23 if I had been a little more logical with my selections) they were still deeply entertaining to watch. More of this in the future, please.
I’ve got an exciting freelance piece dropping next week that checks another item off my personal bucket list, so be on the lookout for that. Otherwise, I’ve had a hefty freelance haul this week. Looking forward to doing a lot of nothing this weekend. See y’all next time.
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