January 06, 2021

SLIDING INTO THE FIRST WEDNESDAY OF 2021, LET'S TALK NIGHTMARE WASPS! BUT FIRST...

Happy National Cuddle Up Day! Yes, really. Since January has some of the coldest temperatures of the year in the northern hemisphere, I guess it's a natural fit to want to get cozy with family (both human & fuzzy and/or scaly) while we all wait for things to warm up again.

I'm hesitant to bring any more attention to #BeanDad — and if you happened to miss out on that Twitter kerfuffle last weekend, more the better — but today is ALSO National Bean Day! Whether you're a fan of kidney beans in bowl of piping hot chili, black-eyed peas in some freshly made hoppin' john, or unadulterated jelly beans by the fistful for dessert, enjoy!

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Before I get to today's notable birthdays, we have a new thing to share at Boredwalk! I know I don't usually do "sales-y" stuff in these Wednesday emails — the goal remains, as ever, to entertain you with some fun links — but I figured this is something worth sharing!

Ooh! What will be in YOUR bundle!?!

We're now offering clearance-priced mystery sample sets for 50% OFF! Each bundle comes with three mystery tees, tanks, and/or fleece at half their regular price. What a deal!

Please note that the shirts included in these bundles are of the same quality you've come to expect from Boredwalk — they're not damaged or defective or remaindered or anything of the sort. This just helps us clear out excess stock while also passing some sweet savings on to you!

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We have several notable birthdays to celebrate today, so let's get to it!

• First up, happy admittance day to "The Land of Enchantment", the great state of New Mexico! Following the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848, New Mexico was classified as a "territory" from 1850 until this day in 1912, when it was admitted as the 47th state in the Union. Terrifying fact: the state insect of New Mexico is the tarantula hawk wasp! Eek! If the name alone is enough to give you nightmares, just wait — the tarantula hawk is one of the largest parasitoid wasps, and uses its sting to paralyze its prey before dragging it to a brood nest as living food; a single egg is laid on the prey, hatching to a larva which eats the still-living prey. For the land of enchantment, New Mexico's ecology sure is metal AF! Thanks for the Hatch chiles, but please spare us your larvae.

• Next, give a NOT-AT-ALL-ADULTERATED sugar cube to the psychedelic ghost of Pink Floyd guitarist, songwriter, singer, and co-founder Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett, born this day in 1946! Despite his dominant songwriting influence from the band's inception in 1965, the combination of Syd's mental illnesses and his predilection for consuming copious quantities of mind-expanding substances eventually led to his dismissal from the band in 1968. He released two uneven (but occasionally inspired) solo albums before retiring from public life in 1972. Pink Floyd continued to be influenced by their time with him, though, with 1975 album Wish You Were Here's multi-part epic 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' and their 1979 album The Wall among the homages and tributes the remaining members wrote in Syd's honor even after he was no longer in the band.

• Moving along, a very brainy piece of cake for actor Norman Reedus, born this day in 1969! While Mr. Reedus's breakthrough role was as Murphy MacManus in the film Boondock Saints, his role as the gritty bow-hunting Daryl Dixon on AMC's long-running The Walking Dead series is what made him a horror superstar.

• Next, a yuk-y (but not yucky) slice of cake for actor, comedian, and hilarious Saturday Night Live cast member Kate McKinnon, born this day in 1984! Prior to joining the cast of SNL in 2012, Kate was a member of the cast of Logo TV's The Big Gay Sketch Show for all three of that show's seasons from 2007-2010.

• Finally, a very cool, very erudite cupcake for Arctic Monkeys singer, songwriter, and guitarist Alexander David "Alex" Turner, born this day in 1985! While Arctic Monkeys' 2006 debut album was (and remains) the fastest-selling debut album in British history and 2009 third album Humbug is among my most favorite albums, some of his best pure songwriting work is on the soundtrack EP he released as a solo artist for the 2010 film Submarine. Key tracks: '505', 'Cornerstone', 'Do I Wanna Know?', 'The Dream Synopsis', and 'Stuck On The Puzzle'. His songwriting evokes a mood of ennui with a dash of delightful wordplay.

OK, OK...you've waited long enough. It's link time!

1. In honor of Syd Barrett, here is Pink Floyd's classic tribute to him with a fresh spin!

Musician Luna Lee covers 'Wish You Were Here' on the traditional Korean instrument the gayageum, and it's very cool!

2. Reddit comes through with the goods as far as coded clothing choices. Those Norwegian hikers are thirsty! 

The whole "wearing anything with pineapple print when on a cruise signifies that you're a swinger" thing is news to me, but then I suppose I'm not the target audience. You do you, pineapple peeps! (Or each other, if you're among consenting compatriots.)

3. If I make it to the other side of this pandemic alive and intact, these are some of the places I would like to go.

Fodor's Travel has compiled a list of bizarre museums across the US, and I am HERE FOR IT. I know that the sensible among us are still at least several months away from this sort of outing, but boy howdy, do I look forward to a visit to the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin!

4. Werewolf arrested in Pakistan.

This story is slightly less hilarious than the headline suggests, but dude — what a headline it is!

5. Finally, Google's workers are unionizing.

The workers of Alphabet, Inc. — parent company to Google and all of its subsidiaries — are joining forces with the Communications Workers of America. Program Manager Micki Anselmo states “This union builds upon years of courageous organizing by Google workers, from fighting the ‘real names’ policy, to opposing Project Maven, to protesting the egregious, multi-million dollar payouts that have been given to executives who’ve committed sexual harassment, we’ve seen first-hand that Alphabet responds when we act collectively. Our new union provides a sustainable structure to ensure that our shared values as Alphabet employees are respected even after the headlines fade.”

Here's hoping this is the first of many steps Google's workers take in being the change they want to see in the world!