I was a weird theater kid. I didn’t think I was one when I was one, but looking back, it’s undeniable. I loved the tryouts and the wrap parties and everything in between. There’s only so much time you can spend wearing makeup and ill-fitting costumes before you succumb to the culture.
Writing that out, I feel like I suddenly understand drag queens.
Part of what made theater fun was my high school drama teacher/director Mr. Dawson. He was one of those classically sarcastic teachers—the type of guy who maybe shouldn’t have been molding young minds because one of his primary tools was cynicism which he layered on THICK. But he treated a bunch of moody adolescents like we were real people and encouraged us to be as weird as we wanted and we loved him for it. Mr. Dawson was also the first person to notice something about me that would come to define a lot of my life: he liked to tell me I was a Jack of all trades, but a master of none.
I’ve always been envious of hardcore hobbyists—folks who spend hours painting their toy train sets or in the garage woodworking into the wee hours of the morning or even the hardcore sports nerdiness of someone like the Schwab. That level of single-minded focus seems like a superpower. As a kid who probably had ADD but had parents who wouldn’t admit it, my mind bounced between topics and interests like a ping pong ball. My friends were all in categories—sk8r boys, jocks, gamers—but I never stuck with anything long enough to get really good at it. College didn’t help much (liberal arts degrees are basically predicated on learning a little bit about a lot of stuff) and adding marriage, a career, and kids to the mix didn’t either. But at a certain point, I started thinking: what if this whole “master of none” thing is actually… good?
I might not be GREAT at any one thing, but I AM pretty okay at a lot of stuff. That might not help me get rich, but it does help me as a dad. My son who loves sports? We can watch the NBA playoffs and play soccer together. My comic-book-drawing Star Wars nerd son? I can connect with him, too. It also helps at parties, when meeting new people, and makes me far more attractive to my wife. (Don’t as her about that last part, just trust me). Why focus on the “master of none” when the “Jack of all trades” bit is where all the fun happens? Why be single-minded about a hobby when there’s a whole world of stuff to do?
So that’s what this newsletter is about—bringing you links and tips and resources about a whole bunch of different stuff. I’ll break it down into categories like “Nerd Dad”, “Sport Dad”, “Chef Dad” etc. to keep things organized so you don’t have to read everything to find your niche. I want this to be a curated list so I won’t be pulling things from the front page of ESPN or telling you about the new iPhone. You can get that anywhere. That’s information for plebians. This is a BESPOKE newsletter featuring only the FINEST SNIPPETS from the world wide webs. Reading this newsletter might help you learn something new or connect with your kids or maybe even become the Most Interesting Guy™ at parties. Hopefully, at the very least it will help you connect with something that interests you.
If there are topics I’m not covering, send me an email and I will diversify! If you see something cool you think should be in the next newsletter feel free to send it my way.
ON TO THE LINKS!
Quarantine has been… boring. To pass the time, I put together a retro-gaming machine with a Raspberry Pi computer and loaded it with the best Nintendo, Sega, and old-school arcade games imaginable. The games were fun, but fighting the kids for control of the TV? Not so much. So this week I finally broke down and bought an RG350p—the latest and greatest in handheld retro gaming. I’m having a blast, but I don’t remember Zelda being so hard!
Comics: Tom King is my favorite author right now and his Batman/Catwoman book is releasing in December. Check your library for his Batman run that started in 2016.
I read Deadspin for years until the post-Hulk Hogan Gawker media kerfuffle turned it into a zombie publication. The greatest loss in all of that? Drew Magary’s NFL Jambaroo. That is… until now.
As far as I understand, Defector.com will soon be behind a paywall, but right now it’s wiiiiiide open! And that means you can read the first Jambaroo in all of its profane glory.
This past week was cold and dreary in my neck of the woods and it got me in the mood for a spooky story. My wife just picked up Home Before Dark from the library so I dug right in and here’s the official review: slow start, bonkers ending, 4/5 stars. Maybe more interesting than the book? Finding out the author (Riley Sager) is really Todd Ritter and that men writing under female pseudonyms is, like, a THING.
Speaking of spooky stories, my wife and I had a friendly scary story writing competition last Halloween (here’s the one I wrote). We’ll do it again this year and I’ll share the stories here—so stay tuned!
Over the past year, I’ve gotten really into cast iron cooking. I do bread, fries, chicken, and even cookies. But what I really want to do? Outdoor cooking on an open fire. I’m not talking hotdogs and burgers, I’m talking hearty stews and roasted meats. I want to feel like a MAN. Feel like I’m COMMUNING WITH NATURE. All in the comfort of my suburban backyard, of course.
So you made it to the end—what did I miss? What are you reading/doing/thinking about these days? What’s your hobby-of-the-month right now? I have a friend who talks about going through “heydays” and I’d love to hear about yours!
If you enjoyed this newsletter, how about forwarding it to a friend? You know I hate asking, but the hustle is REAL.
Keep an eye on your inbox for another letter from me at the end of the month!