News
Everything popular is wrong (unless we do it. Then it's juuusssst right.)
Hello, friends. Welcome!
It's been a bit of a weird week here at Boredwalk HQ. Meredith and I were in New Orleans last week for an e-commerce conference, and we're still recovering from the acute lack of sleep and intense amount of socializing and catching up with our pals from around the world. Seriously — we hung out with new and old friends from Australia, Ireland, Canada, the U.K., all over the U.S., and beyond, and got to nerd out about stuff like email deliverability, Facebook ads, hiring, etc., without anyone passing out from boredom. It was refreshing!
In our absence, Breana, Sarah, Scarlett, and Josh picked up the slack like the champions they all are to make sure your questions got answered and your shirts & bags got printed and shipped in a timely manner. They're kind of a big deal.
As exhausted as I was, I recovered enough to crank out the gem of a new design you see above inspired by the timeless wit of Oscar Wilde. Think of it as a companion piece to our classic Hell Is Other People design. As you all know, I'm loathe to too my own horn, but I think I kinda nailed it.
We also recorded a new podcast episode for your listening pleasure! In it, we expound on our trip, share a very verbose customer review, and complain about the aggressive cheerfulness of the Southwest crew on our flight home. It's short! You'll love it. Maybe.
We'll be back next week with a special Valentine's Day episode featuring an interview with someone who's trying to boil online dating down to a science — literally! We'll also have some new designs, possibly some new products, and other stuff to keep you entertained.
Oh, and a shout out to those of you in the heart of the polar vortex — we're thinking of you and hoping your furnaces hold up. If you're in the upper midwest or northeast, please be aware that the extreme cold may lead to delivery delays as shipping companies are limiting their staffs' exposure to the dangerous elements. Remember: they're just t-shirts. Yes, they're awesome, stylish, soft, unique t-shirts...but they're not worth your dedicated mail carrier getting frostbite or hypothermia.
Finally, happy early Groundhog Day! Until next week...
Peace, love, and warmth,
Matt
Cruising Along on the River Styx and Where the Heck Did I Leave my Zen?
We're back with fresh new threads and a fresh new podcast! This week Matt and I are back at doing what we love: ranting about everything that's getting our goat.
This week on the podcast we're talking dick drug commercials, trashy reality television, haters, peacock sightings, and half-heartedly spying on our neighbors. Plus I talk about my inability to relax. Basically, I'm hell-bound in an anxiety basket, but at least I know what I'll wear to impress Cerberus.
Listen below:
In case you missed it:
-
We want to give you a shoutout! If you email us your funny dating stories or meet cutes (AKA how you met your sweetheart) we'll give you a shoutout on our upcoming Valentine's Day podcast episode. You can also get featured in our new Boredwalk Community segment, like these fabulous customers. Just send us an email if you're interested!
- We've got sweet new designs and products; take a look below:
That's it for now! We'll be back next week with fresh designs, a new episode, and more! Until then...
Peace, love, and tacos,
Meredith
Boredwalk Community: Bitter Coffey + Cheetos With Chopsticks
Welcome to our weekly Boredwalk Community series, where we ask Boredwalk fans fun questions! Want to be featured! Shoot us an email at hello@boredwalk.com and we'll make it happen! This week we're talking to Kelly and Darek of Winooski VT:
What's your actual day job and what's your dream day job?
Kelly: During the day I work at a hospital in the Medical Group Education & Training department and nights & weekends I work as an advocate for survivors of domestic violence. My dream job would be to play percussion for Marvin Gaye from 1970 to 1975.
Darek: I spend my days as the Content & Communications Manager at Logic Supply, an Industrial Computer company. I love it, but in a perfect world my only day-to-day responsibility would be coming up with clever taglines.
What's your biggest pet peeve?
Kelly: Hearing someone use the word "literally" incorrectly.
Darek: People who stand still at concerts.
What's a life pro tip the Boredwalk community needs to know?
Kelly: Eat Cheetos with chopsticks to keep your hands from turning orange.
Darek: (Ed. note - Darek left this blank. Apparently he has no life pro tips to share. Or he just wants all of us to fail miserably at everything we do.)
Clear up a common misconception about yourself (e.g., about your job, where you are from, or some other topic you know a lot about.)
Kelly: As much as it may appear, I am NOT the love child of Sara Gilbert and Ben Folds.
Darek: Language is fluid. The "correct" way to say or write something often changes over time and is largely a matter of current popular opinion.
You can curse your nemesis with a minor annoyance. What do you choose?
Kelly: Sporadic dry-heaving.
Darek: Unpredictable chronic hiccups.
Where can the rest of the Boredwalk community find you?
Kelly and Darek are the co-hosts of the Vermont-based Bitter Coffey Podcast. Check them out on iTunes or your podcast destination of choice. You can also find them online at bittercoffeypod.com, email questions or comments to bittercoffeypod@gmail.com, or follow them on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook!
Killing them with kindness, one smile at a time.
It's no secret — we've been pretty effusive about our love for Netflix's 'The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell' since before it premiered last October. If you haven't watched it yet, go do it. Yes, now. We'll wait.
....
See?! Would we lie to you?
A big part of that love stems from the fact that the two primary puppet characters on the show, Rankle the reanimated ancient Egyptian cat and Rose the reanimated roadkill raccoon, both perfectly channel the personalities Meredith and I have projected onto our cats Oliver and Bigby for years.
In one of the episodes a dispute with one of her neighbors causes Christine to agree with Rankle & Rose — much to their initial glee — that yes, they should kill the neighbor...with kindness. Rankle's reaction was priceless:
Courtesy tccofcmcgifs.tumblr.com
It was at that moment we knew we had to do the design predicated on the old "kill them with kindness" adage that you see at the top there. Scroll to the bottom to view the other new design we added this week. On your way, give a listen to this week's podcast episode!
This week it's just Meredith, me, some cats, some rain, and some cocktails. We share a customer review, chat about the #MeToo movement and cisgender males generally being creeps, dole out a lot of shout outs to deserving folks, and relate our travails in finding a good petsitter. We also talk about how we want to hear from YOU for a new upcoming email feature! If you'd like to participate and be featured in an upcoming email sporting your fave Boredwalk gear and answering a fun interview questionnaire, let us know!
That's it for this week. Before you go, two more new releases to drop. First, this sweet little number for all you seafaring goths:
And finally, for those of you with tiny humans in your life — be they sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, grandkids, etc. — we've now added infant bodysuits for 6-24 months!
Until next time...
Peace, love, and tacos,
Matt
Here for a good time, not a long time.
New Year's resolutions that don't suck? It really is possible!
Well gang, here we are: 2019. One year away from the completion of SeaLab! I'm sure it will be right on time, just like jetpacks and (real) hoverboards.
While we wait to be disappointed by Science's failure to reach next year's futurism milestone, there are other important things we could be doing. Like eating more fruits & veggies!
*BOO! HISS! BLECCH!*
...
OK, got that out of your system? Good.
This week on the podcast we're joined by Emilie Hebert of the popular food blog Emilie Eats. Emilie is currently in school pursuing her Masters degree to become a nutritionist, but that doesn't stop her from creating delectable and gorgeous-looking plant-based recipes and sharing them with the world. What a dynamo! You can check out the full recipes at her blog (linked above), but if you'd rather salivate over some stunning visuals, follow her on Instagram!
We talk to Emilie about her food background, from her upbringing in Louisiana to her current home in Colorado, the differences between a plant-based diet and a vegan diet, how making healthier food choices is easier than you think — including some great tips that you can put into practice right now with minimal effort for maximum flavor — and what her long-term plans are for her career and her blog. We also discuss the ups and downs of having an activist mindset in the modern age, and deal with some comments from the furry peanut gallery courtesy of some mournful background wails from Oliver. What a lovable little jerk! Listen below:
As for new stuff, Meredith is still working on adding our next product type. I'm in the midst of a very finely-detailed design that's taking a bit longer than usual, but it's looking pretty sweet if I do say so myself. We'll have some brand spankin' new designs in the next few days, but for now consider turning over a brand new (lettuce) leaf with some of these veggie-tastic classics:
That's it until next week! We'll have some fresh designs, as well as a very cool podcast episode featuring fresh(wo)man Nebraska state senator Megan Hunt! She talks with us about Nebraska's political culture, its unique legislative process, and her tips on how to go about running for public office if you're interested in making a difference in your community!
Peace, love, and healthy eating,
Matt
Holiday Recap, New Designs, and New Podcast Episode!
We'll be back next week with more new designs, some new products, and a fresh podcast ep! And if you're digging (or not digging!) the podcast, please let us know! Shoot us an email, leave a review on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, etc. We'll read them on the pod and make you famous! Until then...
Peace, love, and tacos,
Boredwalk
New designs, chatting with musician Molly Lewis, and a delicious farmers market haul!
Finally, in addition to our great (white) new design up top, I also had time this week to work on a new homage to both science and literary hero Kurt Vonnegut. That is one hell of a Venn diagram of awesome:
That's it for this week! To those of you who celebrate it, we wish you a very merry Christmas! For those of you who do not, enjoy the holiday weekend! We'll be back next week with a new podcast episode and (probably) some fresh designs, but until then...
Peace, love, and good cheer,
Matt
I Feel Bad (For Anyone Who Misses This Week's Podcast!)
This week on the podcast we talk to actor, musician, and all around awesome guy Paul Adelstein. You may know him from ABC's Scandal, FOX's Prison Break, FOX/NBC's Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Bravo's Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce, and ABC's Private Practice. You can currently catch him as David Sweetzer on NBC sit-com I Feel Bad. Go binge Season 1 now, it's on Hulu! Then go check out Paul's band Doris. They're really, really good! Don't believe us? Well, stay tuned for the end of the ep to hear one of our favorite Doris songs!
We chatted with Paul about the entertainment industry, living in LA, music, being a creative professional, and a host of other interesting topics. Also, we got to meet Paul's adorable dog. Be jealous.
Have a listen to the new episode below:
Also, we've got new products! Take a peek below (and above). If you want to get your hands on this awesome new stuff (or any of our stuff) in time for Christmas be sure to get your orders in no later than THIS WEEKEND!
That's it for now, but don't worry — we'll be back next week with new designs, new products, and a new podcast episode for your listening pleasure! Until then,
Peace, love, and tacos,
Boredwalk
Grab Bag Podcast & New Designs!
It's been a busy week around Boredwalk HQ, but we still managed to record a wide-ranging, loopy podcast episode and knock out a couple fresh tee designs!
We've been digging a lot of 80s neon stuff of late, which informed the aesthetic of our new Wish You Weren't Here design...but not so much the indie cinema of the same period, as we discuss in this week's podcast episode:
I also got in touch with my inner Tony Hawk with this little gem:
We'll keep plugging away at more designs in the coming week. Until then...
Peace, love, and tacos,
Matt
The Troll Parade
You know it's the holiday season when the combination of forced familial interaction, cooler weather, vitamin D deficiency, and copious alcohol consumption drives people indoors and emboldens them to indulge in their worst impulses on the internet.
Meredith and I came into this week's podcast episode feeling bullish on the prospect of pivoting from last week's early Festivus miracle by focusing only on uplifting, cheerful topics...only to be confronted with the reality that no matter what time of year it is, trolls are gonna troll. Maybe the gods of cheerfulness will smile upon us next week? Let's hope so.
This week we share a customer review before introducing what will undoubtedly be a new regular segment on the podcast: the Troll of the Week. We relate an exchange we had on one of our Facebook ads, discuss the anatomy of an Internet troll, and describe how we try to cope with troll behavior. Listen below!
I also had time to do a couple new designs! First there's the punny homage to one our favorite current TV shows, The Good Place. This Bullshirt bull shirt is funny enough for adults, but G-rated enough to avoid The Bad Place. Your behavior here on Earth while wearing it is another matter.
Next we have one for those of you who are sick of being dragged to football viewing get-togethers against your will. My fantasy team has hit a bit of a skid over the last few weeks, but hopefully it'll bounce back this weekend. And if I lost you at "my fantasy team", this is probably the shirt for you:
We'll be back next week with a new podcast episode for your listening pleasure, as well as some more new designs for your hot bod! Until then...
Peace, love, and tacos,
Matt
Happy Thanksgiving! Celebrate with some helpful holiday shopping gift guides, freebies, discounts, AND a fresh podcast episode!
Happy Thanksgiving, you guys! We hope that no matter how you're spending your day that it contains at least some element of fun. And if not, we have a TON of stuff to distract you, whether you're forced to slog through a slow day at work or an interminably long family gathering dodging backhanded insults from relatives whose opinions you'd really rather do without.
*NOTE: If you want to skip the entertainment and get right to the savings, scroll to the bottom! There's a freebie there, too!
First up: gift guides! We've compiled a bunch of helpful themed gift guides to help you with your holiday shopping this year:
• Ugly Holiday Sweaters You'll Want to Wear Year-Round
• Fun White Elephant & Stocking Stuffer Gifts Under $15
Next we have some classic Boredwalk blog posts that are pretty evergreen (see what I did there?), from awesome holiday playlists to our holiday movie recommendations and cocktail recipes galore!
• Boredwalk's Holiday Playlist (That Doesn't Suck!)
• Five Fall Cocktails To Help Make Family Visits More Tolerable
• Five Winter Cocktails To Warm The Cockles Of Even The Grinchiest Heart
• Must-Watch (or Re-Watch) Holiday Movies
Finally, we have a new Thanksgiving episode of the podcast up! We share a customer review and then quickly pivot to a lot of complaining (as is our wont). Think of it as an early Festivus present for your earballs!
We hope you're all having a fantastic holiday, and we'll be back next week with a new episode and other fun stuff!
Oh, and lest I forget — use the code HOLIDAY15 at checkout for 15% off orders of $50 or more! And if your order is $75+ we'll include a free gift!
And you'll need some way to help identify all the recipients of those treats — download and print some free gift tags here!
Peace, love, and thanks for the best customers a couple of curmudgeons could ask for,
Matt