Whew, gang! What a week!
I’ve been so busy with *work* and then also extraneous personal projects (when am I not, I guess) and ALSO actually going out into the world and seeing other humans?! 🤯 I got to meet one of my new coworkers this week while she was in town, which was fantastic — plus, I went out to the Millennium Park Summer Music Series with a friend last night to see Corinne Bailey Rae.
FOR. FREE. I have been listening to this woman’s music since 2006 and would die for a vinyl of her first album, and I just got to like…go to a park and eat strawberries I brought from home and listen to her sing. CHICAGO FOREVER.
I’m out, baby! I’m summering! Sure, summer is almost over but I’m determined to actually get to enjoy some part of it even if it kills me! The Air & Water show is this weekend and I *might* even go to the beach for it1! Who am I??
On top of that I am working on a piece for work right now that had me DM’ing an OLYMPIAN on TikTok and she RESPONDED?? Life is weird.
At any rate I’m having a great time but also feeling incredibly overwhelmed by deadlines and whatnot. I’m blaming all the negative stuff on Mercury being in retrograde again. Any stress I have is because of a planet appearing to move backward in the sky, obviously.
Of course I’ve been online this week, it’s literally my job now. I’ve been so online I’m almost sick of it. I can’t believe I wrote that down. Wild.
Anyhoo, onto the goods from this week:
‘Hog’ wild
A moment of silence, please, for the Olympians who got the world’s attention not for their prowess in their chosen sport, but for having giant dongs.
Oof. Now luckily for this other Frenchman, his…er…situation…doesn’t seem to have caused him any issues in his sport, just made him a spectacle instead.
Thank you to Kate Lindsay of GQ Magazine for asking the difficult questions:
Truly: where are the sports bras for schlongs? We’re getting dangerously close to MLB uniform territory here.
I stg, somebody needs to get ahold of that lady that makes the sticky boob-covers, Cakes. I get an ad for those every 6 videos on TikTok. Where are the Cakes for Men™? They can be like XTREME Cakes in cool colors like black and red and smell like the woods, or whatever it is that men like. Make them Axe body cups. Dude holsters. Shaft slings. I dunno. We’ve got 4 years. I’m counting on fashion and science to come together and help these men.
Rat swag
Eric Adams appears to have extended an olive branch to me, personally.
Mayor Eric Adams is hoping to recruit everyday New Yorkers to the New York City Rat Pack, a volunteer initiative to help fight the city’s some three million rat residents. At a news conference on Sunday, Mr. Adams described the newly formed unit as an “elite squad of dedicated anti-rat activists,” the latest effort in his ongoing war against rats.
Members of the pack are expected to complete three tasks to become certified members. First, they must attend a “rat academy” class led by the health department to learn about prevention methods. Second, they must participate in a “rat walk,” a stroll through the city with a group of up to 30 people to get a better sense of “the relationship between the built environment, human behaviors and rat biology.” Those hoping to join the Rat Pack must also participate in a volunteer project, like a park cleanup.
Participants will not be paid for their efforts, but instead receive Rat Pack swag, including a T-shirt and a baseball cap. The “R” in rat pack has been stylized to look like the trash-eating vermin the initiative targets.
At first, I was really annoyed. But after reading the details, this Rat Pack thing actually just kind of sounds like a rat tour club. Learn how to put your trash in a trash bin, stroll through the city and spectate on rats’ urban neighborhoods, pick some stuff up in the park.
I…can do that. Honestly, I want to do that, because look at this swag:
GIVE ME THE RAT SHIRT. Also, Chicago needs a rat club like this. Should I…start one? And can I get away with stealing this logo? 🤔
Shameless self-promotion corner
As I mentioned last week, I got my pitch approved to try tuna and beans in jacket potatoes and write about it for work. Here are the results of my taste test.
TL; DR: It’s not good. Please enjoy my hot take and multiple crime scene photos of potatoes that have been horrifically murdered.
The comments on this thing go crazy. Also, sure…I did everything wrong. Honestly, I might try this again one day, if I was like in England, just to make sure it’s not an ingredient thing. But today is not that day.
Randomly selected animal cutie
This is…ridiculously adorable. I can’t believe they found all this tiny decor for the mini kitty living room. It’s absolutely perfect.
That’s it from me this week! I’m either going to be busy all weekend or lay on the couch like a slug for two full days. There is no in between. Have a good one!
K
This is unlikely, if I’m honest. I saw the Blue Angels come by in formation yesterday literally right out my office window and if I can sit inside and watch the show while I play Against the Storm and eat cookies that’s probably gonna win out.
Lol the Rat Pack has great branding, nicely done. Also, great article! Love a culinary investigation!