Newsletter #6
Jesse - SXSW, 2023
SXSW Brunch
Come by the house on Saturday, March 9th, to pre-game the SXSW festivities.
Location: 1704 Timberwood Dr, Austin, TX 78741
Time: 10am
We'll meet here, have some breakfast and head downtown to explore South By Southwest around noon.
The easiest parking is on Timber Ridge or Royal Hill. Even through the address is on Timberwood, the front door is along Royal Hill.
I NEED A FAVOR
I want to meet a financial planner, lawyer, and mechanic in Austin. Not jus to spend money with them or send referrals, but also who are cool people that like to hang out and do stuff - tailgates, breweries, pickleball, etc. Let me know if you know anyone I should meet. -- Eddie
I NEED ANOTHER FAVOR
Does anyone have the hookup on getting casted as an dead person on Law and Order? That's got to be a real possibility with the right connections, right?
Last week, you may have noticed the giant fire cloud coming from 35 and Ben White. That was the Casulo Hotel. It's just south of our house on the west side of our community fence. I had just come in from a bike ride when Eric called and told me the hotel next door was on fire. I went to my roof to see what was going on and I saw one of the buildings come donw. Turned out to be a 4-Alarm Fire, more info on what that is here. It was pretty intense but I don't think anyone got hurt or that the fire caused any damage to surrounding residences.
View From West Austin
View from I-35
View from my roof
What We're Watching
Bookie
I have not watched this show yet. But my buddy John Chanoux recommended it and I trust his taste in TV shows. This ones next on my list.
I have been watching Loudermilk and its good enough. It's a comedy about a guy who leads a rehab group. It has some really funny parts and some just funny enough parts too keep you putting it on when you need something to watch before bed.
-- Eddie
Barbie
I thought it was pretty good. Some parts were a bit overly cheesy, but I might think that because I'm not the target audience. A couple of things they could have done better was not draw it out so long, they could have shaved off 30 minutes of extended scenes. I feel like this is common these days. I also thought they could have done better with Will Farrel's part. Overall I'd say it was pretty good though.
-- Eddie
Jon Stewart Returns to The Daily Show
on Mondays until the 2024 Presidential Election. My only note here - When is he going to run for president?!?
-Jen
John Oliver is back with a new season of Last Week Tonight
No worries, he takes fair stabs at both sides of the political isle. I laugh, and sometimes cry, but overall, learn so much about how messed up our politics can be.
-Jen
Vanderpump Rules Season 3
Slowly but surely making my way through VR on Peacock so that I can be a part of the Tuesday night watch crew. It's taking way longer than I thought it would, but man, is this show juicy or what?!! I am actually preferring it over the housewives. Every personality so far is despicable, except for Lisa Vanderpump, who is a goddess. You can totally judge me, January & February have been very shallow and basic b*tch months of streaming content (lest we forget I started 2024 re-watching The Vampire Diaries), but I'm addicted, and will keep watching... --- Jen
The OC
To break up the monotony of back-to-back episodes of Vanderpump Rules, I am integrating The OC. I love this show, and re-watched for the first time during quarantine. I am currently re-watching for the second time. Sandy Cohen = #1 dad of all time. -- Jen
plus one
I love romcoms and thought this one was great. Its simple - girl and guy are friends but not romantically involved, they need dates to a bunch of weddings and have a drunken hook up. Its pretty predictable from there, but that's kind of what I liked about it. Nothing crazy, just a by-the-book romcom, with more rated R humor. --Eddie
What We're Listening To - Podcasts
Murder with My Husband is my latest discovery. The story telling is good and I like they don't really get off track or have too many promos in the beginning. The one thing I'm noticing is that there's been a couple of stories I've already heard before. I guess that happens when you are subscribed to as many true crime podcasts as I am.
If you like true crime, its worth checking out.
-- Eddie
Jen's Podcast Recs
Rock Me Mama
One of my favorite singer/songwriters, Amie Miriello, and fitness babe, Macy Pruett, have released season 3 of Rock Me Mama. Y'all....I don't even have kids and I love this podcast! It's raw, it's hilarious, it's genuine, you will cry, you will laugh, and you will learn more than you ever wanted to about what it's like to be mom. I may not have children, but a lot of my friends do, and it's really helped me to understand what they are going through. Highly recommend!! Catch it on Spotify, Apple, or Youtube (my preference most of the time).
Not Skinny, But Not Fat
This was a recommendation from Charlene Ladd - I absolutely love just checking out at work or on my drive home, and listening the drama of pop culture. Host, Amanda Hirsch, shares her hot takes on entertainment news, celebrities, and pop culture, and has some pretty awesome interviews. This is also how I found out about Thrive's liquid lashes, and eyelash growth serum for $20 on Amazon that actually works.
Woo Woo w/ Rachel Dratch
This is a new on that I am going to try. I feel like it will be good because Rachel Dratch (for all you young'uns she was a cast-member of SNL from 1999 - 2006, and best known for playing Debbie Downer) is hilarious, and she has collected creepy and just really weird stories from celebrities, co-workers. etc. and discusses them on this podcast. I have not taken the dive yet, but plan to this month!
Jen's Audible Listens
Fourth Wing - just finished this one. It's very...if Game of Thrones had it's own version of Hogwarts? I really enjoyed it, but also think it's very much a Dune type situation where you have to catch part 2 to get the action. There was a lot of story building, and some good action takes that I think would be sooo freaking awesome in a screenplay adaption. I give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Atlas of the Heart - I have had this one for a while, and really hesitated to get into it. I wanted to knock it out so that I could move it out of my queue, but honestly, Brene Brown is such a likable person, and this book surprised me at how much I enjoyed it. It's very comforting, and is just very self-reflective. Giving it a 4 out of 5 and the bar of standard I'm holding it to is Eat, Pray, Love. I can listen to this one over and over.
What We're Reading
Its a quick about how people handle handle money and what determined their success or failure in investing. What I got the most from this book is how when people were born shapes their view of the economy and their relationship with money. There's stories about Bill Gates and his best friends who did and did not found Microsoft with him, stories about Warren Buffett, stories about luck (or bad luck), timelines that show how major events in history changed the away Americans spent/invested.
Its a good easy read if you're looking for something finance related without too many numbers.
-- Eddie
This Time Last Year
This time last year...March 2023 was basically all about SXSW being back in full-force!! We had a blast getting our 20,000 steps in all over downtown Austin and catching some really fun events / great music. Looking forward to doing it again this year being healthy! I had gotten sick, and for 3 weeks had a bad cold that turned into laryngitis, so I couldn't talk, but...no need when you can dance!! It was also the last time we go to see Quincy and the A-Town Getdown perform (but you can always listen to them on Spotify!) And last, but not least, the moment when Kassidy got to partake in the twerking contest with Big Freedia. She twerked so hard she ended up summersaulting on stage. History...was....made on this day.
Any ideas for the next update, email me eddie.d.gamez@gmail.com
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