Friday Faves 10/4: Sturgill Simpson, Maradona, Oatmeal, and Tea

Best Activity

Open Houses: I moved into my apartment in December of 2009. Over that decade (where did the time go?!?) I’ve dreamed of moving far away (this usually happens while I’m shoveling out my car or standing outside during a recess duty in subzero temps). This past Sunday, Tiff and I, along with another couple, decided to hit up some open houses in our neighborhood. While a move within our little neighborhood wouldn’t solve my seasonal depression, it is fun to wander through other homes to nitpick, oggle, and check out roof decks with the understanding that there’s no way, even with our four bank accounts, that we could afford them.

As the lone non-midwesterner in our group of Open House crashers, there is also the required comparison of house prices in Boston to Ohio or Michigan (We could buy a five bedroom on 35 acres for this much!). We left the second Open House last week and already promised to do it again soon.

Best Listen

Sturgill Simpson’s Sound and Fury: This album is unlike anything I’ve listened to in a very long time. It’s amazing. There are so many great songs and Simpson tries a bunch of new stuff on here, he sounds like The Black Keys (“Sing Along”) and then dips his toes into funk/disco (“A Good Look”) and then you’re listening to another song where he’s back to his country roots (the first ten seconds even has Alex Jones as a radio skims through stations). In the wrong hands, those sounds can just be distracting and annoying, luckily Simpson is the perfect guy to handle it. There’s also a Netflix special (or extended music video) to go along with the album.

Best Watch

Diego Maradona Documentary: I double dog dare you to watch the first four minutes of this new HBO documentary and decide to stop watching. Yes, it’s about soccer, but the story runs so much deeper. It tackles racism, drugs, sex, poverty, nationalism, regionalism (is that a thing?), loyalty, and fanaticism. I knew how incredible Maradona was in his prime, but I wasn’t old enough to really watch him. I only got to see the fallout of his drug abuse and then his brief return to the game as a manager.

The documentary is all old footage. No cut aways to talking head interviews; any interviews they do have are just voiced over the footage. The soundtrack is superb. If you think sports fans in America are insane, just watch the reactions Maradona gets in Naples, both as a Napoli superstar and as the Argentinian villain during World Cup ‘90 when he beats Italy (in Napoli’s stadium) in the semi-final. I’m getting goosebumps just writing about it…

Brian Phillips at The Ringer wrote a piece about Maradona that’s worth a read, too.

Tourist Sauce in Ireland: I’ve written about these guys before. They just released the first episode of their golf trip to Ireland.

Best Read

Range by David Epstein: I wrote about this book on Wednesday. You can read about it here. It’s an excellent, quick, thought-provoking read about generalists who tend to find their way to prominent roles due to their lack of specialization. It’s a book about having a wide range of perspective, both within individuals but also within groups of people, to solve problems creatively.

One anecdote that I didn’t write about in my Book Club post: In an experiment that Epstein found, the majority of people would not read an article that presented an opposing view of a personal opinion they held, even though they would have been paid to read the article.

If that doesn’t sum up where our country is right now, I’m not sure what does.

Best Eat

Oatmeal: On Thursday in Boston the high temperature did not exceed 60 degrees. This feels like the right temperature for a few things that people have jumped the gun on around here: vests, aggressive fleece, winter hats, and pumpkin flavored things (more on that in a moment). Oatmeal is one of those fall/winter breakfasts that I find myself really enjoying. Usually, it is a weekend affair; now that I am not running off to work with a cup of coffee and banana for breakfast, I have started to have oatmeal during the week as I settle into my morning work-from-home routine. A little brown sugar and cinnamon, along with a cut up banana (fruit flies be damned!) is a great way to start the day.

Noosa Pumpkin Yoghurt: During my trip to Wegman’s on Monday I stumbled upon this seasonal flavor and couldn’t turn it down. I was intrigued. I love Noosa Yoghurt anyway, so I didn’t feel like I was taking too big of a risk. This stuff is delicious, even though it is a little decadent. A couple spoonfuls is really all you need. Some creatives could find use for this delicious yogurt in some deserts or smoothies.

Best Drink

Tea: With Sober September over, I am left with a new habit that is dying hard, a cup of tea at the end of the night. This is one of those moments where I realize I am turning into my parents (My mom sticks three tea bags into her tea pot in the morning and just fills it up throughout the day, ultimately drinking hot water at the end of the night). The tea provides a good filler for my night time drinking (along with a Tim Tam or two…) instead of a whiskey (this is where I begin to sound and feel like an alcoholic.). It also helps me sleep, rather than the opposite.

At some point this winter a Hot Toddy will be on this blog, but until then, just the tea, please!

Best Plugs

The Random Division Pod: Tiff and I wrapped up the first season of our podcast by planning a Bachelor in Paradise dinner party. Our guests were picked from the cast of Bachelor in Paradise, and we whittled it down to 6 guests that we both agreed on. Season 2 on The Random Division will be a series of podcasts focusing on the past decade of pop culture and entertainment.

The Imperfect Game Pod: I had Matt P. on to talk about the upcoming NBA. We dive into how stars are covered and treated by the media, and then dive into some team talk. Blazer, Clippers, and Lakers take up most of our time.

Cleaning out my Kyrie Irving Closet: I watched and then reacted to Kyrie’s first press conference. Full disclosure, I reacted to it like a crazy 1980s Italian soccer fan…