Hi all! This one is gonna be short, sweet, and to the point. I didn’t have five full things this week, so I almost didn’t send it, but I’m going to be out next week covering the F1 Miami Grand Prix, so there won’t be anything then, and I didn’t want to leave you empty-handed two weeks in a row. Anyway. Let’s dive into this week’s picks.
The Challengers Score
I don’t quite get the hype train for Challengers, a movie I thought was otherwise fine to good (more on that in a bit) and certainly not the overly sexual masterpiece some are saying it is. However, I do think the score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is among some of the duo’s finest work, matching The Social Network for me.
Propulsive and thrilling, it gives Challengers a real kinetic boost during its already (very) engaging tennis sequences. There’s a real kind of club-like feeling to it, particularly on tracks like “The Points That Matter,” where the synths vibrate and hum in a distinctive rhythm. It’s served (no tennis pun intended) as the background to my writing today and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
Patagonia Baggies
It’s not anywhere close to shorts time (outside of the platonic ideal of spring weather, aka, shorts and hoodie season), but it’s time to start thinking about them nonetheless. With that in mind, I present to you the short of the summer for the last five years running: The Patagonia Baggies.
Listen, I hear the critiques. “Oh, the pockets are too deep.” “I don’t like the mesh liner.” Frankly, those are skill issues. A simple pair of black baggies goes with everything. The recycled nylon doesn’t have a sheen to it like other nylon shorts can, and minus the branding in the lower corner, you’d probably be hard-pressed to discern these from any other sport-y, fast-drying nylon summer shorts on the market. The interior mesh doesn’t feel cheap like other linings and more than that, it’s just super comfortable. They’re super wearable, great with tee shirts and camp collar shirts alike, on the street or by the water.
A five-inch inseam is the way to go here, as it’s flattering on literally every guy. I live in these things and have for a long, long time. I cannot recommend them enough.
Bottomless
I live off of coffee. Specifically, good coffee. I try hard not to be too snobbish about things, but a lack of pretentiousness goes out the window when it’s time for a cup of mud. As such, I really get into different roasts, trying to sample lots of different blends and beans — which is where a service like Bottomless comes in handy. Basically, Bottomless sends a WiFi-connected scale that you drop your bag of beans onto and as you work your way through it, Bottomless will automatically send you a new bag, timed to when you’re going to run out of your existing beans. It works like a charm, and I’ve got a lot of different chances to sample all kinds of options. Plus, it’s not that much more expensive than going to the store to pick up a bag and then I don’t need to worry about ensuring I’ve got stuff on hand when I run out. It’s basically like Amazon autoship — but wayyy smarter.
Odds & Ends
A few Shōgun related things now that the series finale is out. First, I spoke with designer Carlos Rosario about the “thousands” of costumes he created for the show. Second, I chatted with co-creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo about the finale. I’m super proud of both of these and sincerely hope you’ll give them a read.
I reviewed Challengers, which again, I think is good but not great.
See you all in two weeks, probably with lots of thoughts from Miami. Be good to one another and get some rest.
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