...BUT WHAT ABOUT FANGS? 🧛🏻♀️
Happy National Day On Writing! Whether you're a seasoned pro with an extensive bibliography or an amateur with a seemingly unending collection of private journals, this day is for you!
Boredwalk co-founder Meredith and I were actually just lamenting to each other over the weekend about how much the quality of our handwriting has diminished over the years as we've shifted the majority of our writing to keyboards, but I like to imagine that The National Council of Teachers of English, who are responsible for this holiday, are of the opinion that it's not so much how you write as it is that you write.
But maybe don't eat people before doing so. Red...ink...is for editors.
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Alright, let's eat some birthday cake! Pace yourself, though — we have a LOT of very deserving celebrators today!
• Hungarian-American hunk of handsome Bela Lugosi, born this day in 1882! There have been many worthy actors to portray Count Dracula over the decades, but Bela was, is, and will forever be the OG.
• Baseball legend Mickey Mantle, born this day in 1931! Mr. Mantle was a 20x All-Star, 7x World Series champion, 3x American League MVP, and the namesake of George Costanza's hypothetical son, Seven.
• Rock 'n' roll legend Tom Petty, born this day in 1950! Between his solo albums, those he recorded with his backing band The Heartbreakers, and as a member of the late-80s supergroup The Traveling Wilburys, Tom sold over 80 million records worldwide. Key tracks: Honestly, just download the dude's whole catalog.
• Director Danny Boyle, born this day in 1956! Mr. Boyle has directed some of the UK's biggest films of the last 25 years, including Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire, and Yesterday.
• Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris, born this day in 1964! Ms Harris is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in US history.
• Finally, happy birthday to rapper, actor, songwriter, producer, and hip-hop icon Calvin "Snoop Dogg" Broadus, born this day in 1971! First introduced to the world on Dr. Dre's 1992 debut album The Chronic, Snoop has gone on to sell over 35 million albums worldwide.
OK, let's get to the main course — fun links to brighten your day!
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1. Like Boredwalk's tweets and memes? Then you'll probably dig Lindsay Theisen's, too!
Existential dread? Cringe-worthy moments of painful self-reflection? Occasional cute dog pics? Check, check, check!
Gabe is very funny, extraordinarily generous, and a sweetheart to boot. I hope you enjoy his videos as much as I do!
3. Comedian Alasdair Beckett-King parodies haunted house movies, and it is SPOT ON.
People — and by "people" I mean me — will often make sweeping proclamations that "all haunted house movies are the same." Of course that's not true...but what if it is? Alasdair helps us figure it out.
I know, I know — candy hearts are for February, not October. But when they're conveying sentiments this grimly relatable, why not make a little room for them in your candy sack?
5. Need some jack o' lantern inspiration ahead of Halloween? Feast your eyes on these!
As far as technical proficiency goes, my favorite selection from this roundup is definitely the astronaut. But that Gandalf vs Balrog carving is very freaking cool.
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OK! Hopefully these little diversions helped to brighten your day! We'll be back here in your inbox on Friday with NEW ART, more random holidays, celebrity birthdays, a new episode of the Boredwalk Podcast, and (probably) more! Until then...
Peace, love, and happy writing,
Matt
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