July 07, 2021

๐Ÿ“ Strawberry sundaes forever! ๐Ÿจ

OR AT LEAST AS LONG AS RINGO IS DRAWING BREATH

Happy National Dive Bar Day! With weather warming up and vaccination rates climbing ever-upward, I can think of few things as refreshing to do on a hot July evening than sip a frosty beer or a chilly cocktail. National Dive Bar Day falls on July 7th in honor of the classic dive bar drink the 7 and 7!

To make, just fill a highball glass with ice, add two ounces whiskey (Seagram's 7 Crown for authenticity), and six ounces 7-Up. Bonus points if you garnish with a strawberry, since today is also National Strawberry Sundae Day! Shout out to the folks at Harry's Berries (aka Gean Farm) in Oxnard, California for keeping Meredith and I bursting at the seams with candy-sweet strawberries all summer long!

Hey Dino, how many strawberry sundaes and/or cocktails have you had so far today?

Southpaw humor? As a lefty, I am here for this.

Southpaw drinking humor? As a thirsty lefty, I am here for this.

*****

Before we get to some funny links, let's celebrate a few July 7th birthdays!

โ€ข Happy birthday to Negro League and MLB legend Leroy "Satchel" Paige, born this day in 1906! Mr. Paige's career spanned five decades (he pitched in his final game at the age of 59), and he is routinely considered one of, if not THE, greatest pitcher to ever play the game.

โ€ข A very fab birthday to Beatles drummer Richard "Ringo Starr" Starkey, born this day in 1940! Despite a media narrative that has persisted for the last, oh, six decades that he wasn't a very good drummer from a technical perspective, there are very few drummers that are more or less immediately identifiable by their playing. He's one of them.

โ€ข A spinach-fueled birthday to the real-life Olive Oyl, actress Shelley Duvall, born this day in 1949! Ms Duvall started her acting career in the early 1970s, but it was her twin releases of 1980 โ€” in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining and Robert Altman's live action Popeye โ€” that made her a household name.

โ€ข Happy birthday to comedian Jim Gaffigan, born this day in 1966! A rarity in the modern era, Mr. Gaffigan is known for primarily working "clean" in his standup sets. Here's to family-friendly LOLs!

Alright, you've waited long enough โ€” let's get to some fun links!

1. Animals โ€” not as wild as you think!

Wild animals aren't always in "kill or be killed" mode โ€” the myriad species that live in Africa frequently coexist peacefully around the watering hole. This video shows them all respecting one another's personal space. How novel!

2. Robots grooving to BTS is about the most 2021 thing I've seen so far in 2021.

I appreciate the fact that the roboticists at Boston Dynamics work very hard, so it's only fitting that they get to play hard, too.

3. These parents will NOT SHUT UP about their kids...and it's pretty perfect.

Do you think those lions and hippos and meerkats and giraffes around the watering hole in the earlier video do this? I think not.

4. Salad cat is multiplying!

Salad Cat has been a meme-star for years at this point, so it was only a matter of time before other cats got in on the action. This collection of displeased cats with salads photoshopped into their vicinity is priceless.

5. Saving the best (or worst) for last...the small biz strikes back!

SmallBizMemez is an Instagram account dedicated to all the most insane, inappropriate, and unhinged comments, emails, and DMs small business owners receive from people who should probably have their access to the internet revoked. If you've ever stayed up till 3am working on a custom item that needs to be overnighted across the country to make it in time for precious little Jaxon's 13th birthday party only to receive a 1-star review from Jaxon's drunk and belligerent mom or dad because THEY misspelled their own kid's name on the customization request...this one is for you.

OK! Hopefully these little diversions helped to brighten your day! We'll be back here in your inbox on Friday with a sweet brand new design I just finished, an epic new podcast episode, more fun birthdays, holidays, and historical facts! Until then...

Peace, love, and strawberry sundae-flavored cocktails,

Matt