3 - Bye Week

This weekend was UGA's bye week for football, which means I could relax a little more on Saturday. In my opinion, nobody in college football looks that dominant, with the exception of Alabama.  And even they haven't played anybody that good yet because the SEC is so bad this year.  The next few weeks will hopefully let us know who is actually a good team.  As a Georgia fan, I am always nervous.

The past few weeks have been busy and it took me longer to send this out, so there are a few more goodies than usual.

As always, if you know anyone that would like to subscribe, please send them to YeeHaw.io to do so.

Taylor

[The Good Stuff]

BOOK - I finally got around to reading Ready Player One, which I managed to read in one day.  I am a slow reader and have never read a book in one day before.  I could not put this one down.  If you are unfamiliar with Ready Player One, it was released in 2011 and is Ernest Cline's first book.  I won't go deep into the plot, but one review called it a cross between Willy Wonka and the Matrix, which I think is pretty accurate.  Another review called the book "an adult's Harry Potter." It reminded me of a mix between Stranger Things, The Matrix, Ender's Game, and The DaVinci Code.  There is so much 80's pop-culture referenced in this book that anyone that grew up in the 80's should thoroughly enjoy the read simply for that aspect.  Also, Steven Spielberg is directing the movie, Ready Player One, which is to be released in March 2018 (trailer - I would recommend not watching the trailer until you have read the book, but the trailer is pretty awesome).  So check it out the book before the movie arrives. ($8)

BRAND - Since I have to wear business casual to work every day, I have searched for comfortable and low maintenance clothes that also have the style I want.  A few years ago a discovered Ministry of Supply.  They make men's and women's dress clothing but from performance materials.  So not only does this stuff stretch and move comfortably but you don't have to take it to the dry cleaners, like most professional dress articles.  I have had their pants and undershirts for years but recently purchased a button-down dress shirt for my honeymoon.  I needed something that would tolerate the intense humidity, wouldn't get wrinkled in my suitcase, and would allow a couple of wears without washing.  We went to Thailand and were wearing casual clothes the entire time except for a few nice restaurants, and I needed something that I could keep packed up in my suitcase between wears, would not show sweat, and wouldn't smell after wearing.  The shirt was perfect.  It looked and smelled fresh the whole trip even though I wasn't able to wash it.  Their stuff isn't cheap, but getting a few staple items from these guys is well worth it. 

ARTICLE - Besides the typo in the title, this article gives great insight into the 5 swimming challenges that Navy SEAL candidates must pass.  The article also has animated gifs (pronounced "jifs" if there is any uncertainty or people that think otherwise) of each exercise.  It is too bad that pool weather is winding down, but this is good inspiration for a fun group challenge.  Anyone interested? If so, just respond to this email and I'll set up a group. (3-minute read)

PODCAST EPISODE - I am currently catching up on my podcasts after being busy the past month.  Recently I listened to RadioLab's Breaking News episode and found it particularly captivating.  I mean, RadioLab is a gold standard for radio shows, but this episode stood out to me because they cover a couple new breakthrough technologies and their implications. These technologies allow anyone to create a soundbite or video of, say Barack Obama, naturally stating anything you could type, like "YeeHaw is the greatest newsletter of all time," for example.  They include a few examples that would be impossible to identify as a fake to the laymen. (49-minutes)

MOVIE TRAILER - Japan, dogs, A-list cast, stop-motion, a boy trying to find his pet...what more could you ask for from Wes Anderson's upcoming Isle of Dogs. (Youtube link - 2.5 minutes)

VIDEO - I remember going on a trip to Colorado in high school and we were thoroughly warned of the moose we might see, and how to avoid them.  This video shows a pretty careless person that was not as concerned but luckily walked away from an attack. (2-minutes)

PLAYLIST - Some have requested my wedding playlist.  You can find it here on Spotify.  It is meant to be listened to on shuffle...so more of a collection of songs rather than a playlist. It is a combination of songs Laura and I like plus a few crowd pleasers. (68 songs)

MUSIC - One of my favorite bands, Cut Copy, recently released their fifth album, Haiku from Zero, which is great.  Cut Copy is an electropop indie band from Australia.  They are also going on tour and you should get yourself some tickets if you enjoy a nice dance party and fun music and they are coming to your city. They will be at Variety Playhouse in Atlanta on Dec 1 ($29).  A few of my favorite songs from their new album include:

• Counting Down (3:50)
• Black Rainbows (4:08)
• Airborne (5:18)

MEME - I love cat memes.

2 - Got Hitched, Went Off Without a Hitch

As many of you know, I just got married.  So far, so good.

A little housekeeping - a few people have told me they did not receive the first newsletter, although they should have. I have also had people signup that were already on the email list. After checking the list and the analytics, these people did receive the original email.  My only conclusion is that this must be a Gmail filter/folder issue. 

If you know anyone that would like to subscribe, please send them to YeeHaw.io to do so.

Taylor

[The good stuff]

ARTICLE - My alcohol of choice has long been bourbon, only because I think it tastes better than beer, wine, or other spirits.  And though I have tried many kinds of bourbons, I don't really know anything about the stuff.  I understand that it comes from corn and there are strict guidelines on what can be sold as "bourbon," but otherwise don't know what age does to the taste or what "straight" bourbon really is, amongst other things.  This article explains these things and generally how to read bourbon labels.  It also explains what bottled-in-bond bourbons are, which I had never heard of, and will try with my next trip to the liquor store. (7-minute read)

SANDALS - Growing up in Athens and going to UGA, I was overexposed to Chacos.  It seemed that Chacos were standard issue for anyone that happened to drive an SUV. Eventually, I gave in and got my own and hated them.  I got blisters, they were really heavy, so super inconvenient to pack for a big trip.  Once my feet weren't getting blisters they were still uncomfortable.  I recently picked up some Bedrock Sandals for my honeymoon.  These are similar to Chaco's but way better.  They are lighter, more comfortable, and their strap adjustment system makes it much easier to get them to fit snug but comfortably.  I went with the Cairn Adventure Sandals ($98).

DNA TEST - I have always wanted to do a DNA / Ancestry Test and recently did so through 23andMe. For $200, they analyze a saliva sample that you mail in.  They provide a ton of information including, where your ancestors are from, likely physical characteristics you have or may develop, diseases/conditions you may be predisposed to, amongst other things.  Unfortunately, 23andMe tracks a relatively narrow set of conditions (although still a lot).  Fortunately, there are other resources that provide more thorough analysis for free or very cheap online.

• For $5 Promethease will analyze your 23andMe dataset and will let you know if you are likely to have specific vitamin deficiencies, for example.  But it can be a bit overwhelming. The online report tool is very detailed but not very user-friendly
• FoundMyFitness is run by Dr. Rohnda Patrick and looks at specific genes that she thinks most directly influence lifespan from your data set.  Her report is free, though she does ask for a donation

The Promethease report is everything and the kitchen sink while FoundMyFitness is much more focused and easier to navigate the report for actionable info. I have learned plenty including that I have a genetic risk of vitamin D deficiency, 60% of my ancestors come from Britain and Ireland, and that I am a carrier of a Cystic Fibrosis variant, which could be passed on to my kids and may be an issue if Laura is also a carrier.  Now I take a vitamin D supplement since my desk job isn't helping me out any.

MUSIC - My unaturally handsome friend Blake recently introduced me to (Sandy) Alex G.  I classify Alex G. as a folk-pop singer-songwriter.  He is from Philidelphia and his most recent album, Rocket, was released in May and covers multiple genres.  Below I have included videos of my favorite songs on the album.  They are super-solid so check 'em out!

MEME - Been a crazy month. 

1 - Guess Who's Back

Sup Y'all?

Some of you may remember YeeHaw Music, which was an email blast with music recommendations that I sent out to my friends.  Unfortunately this came to a halt when I went back to grad school.  Well, YeeHaw Music is back! Except now it is not just music.  YeeHaw will now include a range of stuff I think is interesting such as articles, purchases, and yes, music...basically anything I think y'all might enjoy.

And instead of a simple email like before, YeeHaw is now a blog/newsletter. I am hoping to send these out at least once a month.  If you don't want to receive the newsletter, sorry but you are getting it anyway.  If you know anyone that would like to start receiving it, send them to YeeHaw.io where they can enter their email address and join the newsletter.  You can also see previous content there...and pictures of mountains!

Thanks and enjoy!

Taylor

[AND SO IT BEGINS [or regins]]

1. FOOD - Earlier this year I was experimenting with my diet (yes, jokes), which included not eating any sugar.  In my search to find a sugarless snack, I came across People's Choice beef jerky. This is the best beef jerky ever.  It has no additives and only basic ingredients.  It is inexpensive, especially in larger packages.  And it tastes crazy good.  They have an assortment of flavors but I recommend Old Fashioned - Original. You can also order through Amazon.  I have recommended this stuff to a number of folks who now always have some on hand.  Get the 1 pound bag for $22, which is a lot of jerky.
2. ARTICLE - Artificial intelligence has been all over the news and it is difficult for me to wrap my mind around what actually is happening and what it all means. Last year I discovered the blog Wait But Why? The blogger does a deep-dive into interesting topics and creates long-form blog entries that explain complicated topics in a colorful (literally and figuratively) way.  His AI article is a couple of years old, but still is totally relevant in explaining the state of AI and why it is exciting and scary.  It is a great primer on the topic if you want to get an understanding of the landscape.  Warning - the article is pretty long.
3. INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT - I have a deep-seeded fear of sharks and snakes.  To try and face one of these fears, I recently started following the DiscoverSharks account.  Their pics and videos are pretty crazy and occasionally scare the crap out of me (like this post).  I hope to one day be able to swim in the ocean again.
4. MUSIC - Last year, The Avalanches released an album called Wildflower, which seemed to be on every "top ten albums of 2016" list.  I checked it out earlier this year and it has been on regular rotation since.  They sound like a hip-hop version of Neutral Milk Hotel. A lot of their songs feature rapper Danny Brown. Check the videos out below!  I also included my favorite Danny Brown song.
5. MEME - Please click the video below for my favorite meme of the week.  This was shared with me by Laura (my fiancé) as being representative of her in the mornings.