Friday Faves 8/16: Veronica Mars, Ciders, and A Sign of Aging

Best Activity

This week’s activity could be tagged as a Sign of Aging, but hey, I’m getting older, so screw it, it was my favorite activity of the week.

Ready? Here goes…

I went to the chiropractor this week. Over the winter, after logging more miles on a treadmill than in past winters, my body was a tad messed up. At the behest of my wife, I visited our local chiropractor who fixed her up as she trained for the 2018 NYC Marathon. This was not a new venture for me, as I would tag along with my mom or dad when they would go see their chiropractor when I was younger. I would get a quick re-alignment (some satisfying cracks) and be on my way.

Now, I try to make an appointment every two months or so. I’ve been playing a lot of golf and adding miles to my runs because I’ve got a marathon on the horizon. The weeks following each visit are typically the best feeling weeks I have. I feel better on my runs and I feel better in the mornings. I’d like to think it helps my golf game, too.

Best Read

1619 Project - Slavery in America started 400 years ago this week, and the NYTimes has a massive section with stories, essays, and articles. It’s visually interesting and emotionally stirring. It’s worth your time.

Best Watch

The Family - This new Netflix series is captivating, strange, and confounding. Don’t let the first episode, a clunky combination of dramatization and documentary, turn you off. Once the first episode delivers the backstory, through the eyes author Jeff Sharlet, who wrote The Family back in 2008, it gets much more interesting as the dramatization is eliminated and it’s just a documentary. If you enjoy conspiracy theories and borderline cultish leaders, then you should giveThe Family a spin. Here’s a good read in The Atlantic about the show.

Veronica Mars - The impetus of Tiff and I deciding to watch this is unclear. If I were forced to come up with an answer, I’d say that the recent reboot of the series put the original season on our radar. The show came out in 2004, it stars Kristin Bell and a bunch of hack actors who end up in nothing else, ever. The show has the same feel as the O.C., which came out at the same time, but the tough, gritty Veronica Mars is on the case, showing up the Neptune sheriff, along with the rich, cool kids in high school. She takes down drug dealers and super-secret societies; infiltrates a supposed cult and uncovers a baby swap. The over-arching, season-long plot is Veronica’s mission to find the true killer of her best friend. She does all this while having time to narrate the show (one of the laziest story-telling crutches that exists and it drives me crazy.).

With all that being said (and I say it A LOT when we watch), the show is entertaining and contains some great, era specific references. There are also some hilarious pre-fame credits by Max Greenfield (Schmidt in New Girl) and Aaron Paul (Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad).

If you need any more convincing, Kareem Abdul-Jabaar is a writer for the reboot and had this to say in The Hollywood Reporter about the first season and the chance to join the reboot:

But the original Veronica Mars is one of my favorites. It expanded the boundaries of both the mystery genre and the high school drama genre by combining them in such a clever, witty and intelligent way that the whole exceeded the sum of its parts. Raymond was a superfan: He teaches the Veronica Mars pilot in his English lit courses at Orange Coast College. No way we weren't doing this. Our only fear: screwing up a series we loved.

Best Listen

The Clearing - This podcast dives into the life of Ed Edwards, a convicted killer (due to his daughter turning him years after the case went cold). Following his conviction for murder, Ed Edwards to tied to a rash of internet conspiracy theories. Edwards became the scapegoat for some of the most famous unsolved murders in the country: the Black Dahlia and Zodiac to name two. Over the course of the podcast, the host along with Ed’s daughter, April, begin trying to debunk these connections to other murders, but it is harder than it seems.

Best Drink

Downeast Cider Aloha Friday - I enjoy a good cider, and as the English Soccer season kicks off, I doubly enjoy a Saturday or Sunday morning cider as I watch a match or two. I have been on the lookout for the Aloha Friday for a while and finally found it in cans this week (maybe I wasn’t looking hard enough?). In an effort to stave off this insane invasion of pumpkin beers, I am trying to find as many summer-y beers as I can. Aloha Friday is one of them. And it’s aptly named or this blog.

Best Shameless Plug

The Random Division - Tiff and I are gluttons for punishment. The last two weeks we have consumed far too much Bachelor in Paradise (four episodes that are all two hours each…). If you love the Bachelor franchise or know someone that does, please send this to them! We plan on recording every week, and once the show ends this fall, we will dive into more random topics (if you have an idea for a topic you’d like to hear Tiff and I talk about, add it in the comments!)

“…of the decade” - It’s 2019, which means we’ll be turning the page on this decade in December. I will be doing a little mini-series of podcasts where people come on a rank things from the past decade. The first guest was Paul Burke, we ranked the top five golf majors from the decade. Here’s the link.

I’d love a bunch of guests to join me on this series. There are no rules or requirements. Your list could come from any category you would like. It could be personal, pop-cultural, or super-niche. It doesn’t have to be the “best” either. Pick your superlative: the worst, the scariest, the saddest, the most petty. Whatever you’re passionate about, make your list and tell me about it on Skype or in person.

If you have an idea for an episode send it along to theimperfectgamepod@gmail.com.

What were your favorites this week? Stick them in the comment section.