Hannah C. Palmer Invades The Bahamas For Spring Break, Ric Flair Celebrates 75th & Mexican Fans Fight At UFC
The trials and tribulations of working at home & kids that have never known an unconnected world
After working at home on the Internet for 13 years, it finally happened this weekend. I was at the golf show Saturday night and started receiving frantic messages – the Internet is out and there's nothing we can do.
I knew what it meant: The router was dead and the kids wouldn't be able to spend their Saturday nights playing Roblox.
What a run it was over the years.
It taught the kids that life can be hard sometimes. There will be moments when you just can't connect to the outside world. My hope is that the kids look back on this weekend and realize just how fortunate they are to have a roof over their heads, a full garage fridge, and WiFi that works 99.9% of the time.
Folks, let's never take for granted that we can fire up the television and watch 10 different apps. Or play MetaQuest with our buddies on a Saturday night in a virtual world connected by wireless signals.
We just survived a big character-building weekend.
11 years ago today, I was able to get this on the local TV scroll because the local TV channel didn't bother vetting the closing page. I miss those days.
It feels like I'm evolving as a golfer after being talked into buying a backup pair of bright white golf shoes that have the dial tightener
It happened Saturday at the golf show. Captain Ron, who is Diesel in SW Michigan's brother-in-law, talked me into buying a pair of golf shoes with the dial that tightens the shoe on your foot. You do not get shoestrings with your purchase.
Did I need golf shoes? No, I just bought new shoes mid-way through the 2023 season after not buying new golf shoes for approximately five years.
But, I was sucked into the vortex of how these real golfers are living with multiple pairs of shoes and all the other bells and whistles involved with the sport like rangefinders as if these guys can hit it to within two-feet of a hole. If so, I've never seen them do it.
The shoes, Captain Ron, explained, are only $50 (cash). Ok, that's in the price range I'm willing to spend.
Then I saw the shoes – they're BRIGHT WHITE. Like a blinding bright white. I asked Captain Ron if guys actually wear blinding white golf shoes these days and he said it's still a trend. I'd had a couple of beers, so I bought the shoes on Ronnie's advice, which isn't always a great idea.
But now I'm feeling the pressure of being a golfer with a backup pair of golf shoes AND one pair IS BRIGHT WHITE like some Hollywood actor who's straight out of a dentist seat after a brightening.
Do I have the golf game for such white shoes? I feel like guys who can really play the game wear bright white golf shoes.
What color slacks do I wear with such white golf shoes? Costco offers just a few shades of black and I don't shop anywhere but Costco for golf shorts or pants.
Do I have the golf game to have a backup pair of golf shoes in the Camry? Entering the 2024 golf season, this is pressure unlike anything I've felt before. Yes, I had a sober full integrity, count every single shot, no foot wedges 84 (net 66) late last season, but it was on an old course built in the 1920s where you hit an easy drive and then wedge in and keep the ball below the hole course.
Now I have to back it all up. The white shoes have changed everything.
Exotic wood drums!
• Garrett in Maryland writes:
I have enjoyed seeing the beautiful wood that you have been posting and I wanted to share some pics of a few exotic wood drums that I have commissioned over the years. These are all handmade in Bucks County, Pennsylvania by a master craftsman. Having visited his shop, it is inspiring to see someone who is so committed to their craft and passionate about creating something with their hands.
Pic 1 Left to right: royal ebony twisted veneer over jatoba, gum veneer over oak, 100% zebra wood, 100% bubinga
Pic 2: full kit in royal ebony over jatoba
Pic 3: 100% macassar ebony
Look at that moonshot!
• Johnny R. has something for Todd Z.!
Happy Monday Joe!! I was burning brush in the pasture this evening [Sunday night] and was fortunate to catch this beauty.
TNML
• Doug from my mom's trailer park in Florida writes:
The TNML needs this guy!
The Best Skip Day You Ever Experienced
• Brett G. writes:
I just finished reading Saturday's edition and when I read Millennial Jeff's email about skipping school, I had to write in.
My dad let me skip school on my 16th birthday to go to the Royals opening day at the K against the Twins. He got the tickets from one of the pharmaceutical sales people that came to his office. There were about 15 or so of us, mostly my dad's work people, and I was definitely the youngest one there by far.
As is if that wasn't awesome enough, we went to Hooter's for lunch before the game. I think we got there right when they opened. We were still hanging out when the lunch crowd started coming in and that's when I got a birthday serenade by all the waitresses in the place! They put me on a bar stool in the middle of the restaurant and sang to me.
The rest of the day was kind of a blur after that. I regularly see one of the guys who was there that day and we almost always talk about it, and it was over 20 years ago.
It was one of the best birthday/skip days ever. Appreciate all you do Joe!
Kinsey:
Love memories like these. The guys all got together, went to Hooters, Opening Day, Hooters Girls singing "Happy Birthday."
BTW, it's great to hear from these Millennials who are the fastest-growing segment of the OutKick and Screencaps audience. I know the Boomers tend to overrun the email inbox because they're retired and have time to write between their golf rounds, but the Millennials ARE HERE and they're starting to show us they're not nearly as soft as some of you think.
Millennial Brett just shared that he wasn't traumatized by the Hooters Girls. Brett is officially Screencaps material.
Is student loan forgiveness legal?
• Mike M. weighs in:
Big P. asked if student loan forgiveness was legal; both Homebrew Bill and Jim M. gave great reasons why the policy is imprudent (both of which were sound responses), but not why it is illegal.
Article I Section 8 of the Constitution outlines the powers of Congress in such matters. I encourage readers to take a look, it's only about a 2 minute read. Nowhere in this section is Congress authorized to take money from you and I, to pay back a loan to a bank taken out by someone else.
Moreover, you'll see that about 90% of what Congress spends our money on is not authorized by the Constitution...including paying Ukraine to fight a war against Russia, or for Israel to fight Hamas.
I used to teach high school Government and Economics; in both I always made sure students knew what the Constitution authorized. Congress can only spend frivolously if we don't know what their limitations are, and trust me, they would prefer that we didn't.
Meat Head Rick is FIRED UP for grilling season
• MHR writes:
I'm sitting here in Memphis where it's sunny and 68 and can see my grill just waiting for me to fire her up. I also see all the food pictures and thought that I might be able to help the younger Screen cap readers who are just starting their grilling journey. A little meat 101 if you will, so here goes.
The two most important things that I always taught new cooks was that,
Fat= Flavor and,
Age= Tenderness
1) Fat or "marbling" is all the intermuscular tiny specs of fat you see inside the lean. This goes for any cut of beef or pork you see. This is where the grade of the cut comes from. The Prime grade has the most marbling with Choice having the next most. The more of this marbling there is the more flavorful and juicier the steak will be. Don't concentrate too much on the grade. I say this because there are 3 tiers of prime and 3 tiers of choice out there so it's quite common for 2 choice steaks to look entirely different. Use your eyes, after a while you can tell if a steak has what you are looking for. Now don't mistake marbling for the large fat layers like you see on a ribeye, I'm only talking about the fat inside the lean muscle. Marbling is a low temp melting fat. The outside fat is a hard and high temp fat.
2) Age is the length of time that between the day you buy the steak and when the animal was harvested. A rule of thumb is 21-28 days but honestly this is very arbitrary. With a tender 14 days is fine but with a top or bottom butt steak I would suggest at least 40 but the jury is out on if there is any real benefit of going out past 35 days. Now how do you know how much age is on the steak you have in your hand? Ask the guy or girl behind the counter who cuts the product. Every packer case has a production date stamped on the label. They can look at that and tell what the age on the product is, so get to be friends with your butcher. Most grocery stores and butcher shops buy what's known as green meat. These are loins that are freshly harvested and have no age on them. Why do they want green meat you ask? Because green meat stays cheery red longer in the case and that's what people erroneously think of when they look for " fresh " meat. Green meat eats like shoe leather! Now if you can only find this product it's okay to buy it and hold it in the bottom back (it's coldest there) of your fridge for 7-10 days to get some more time on it. If it starts to get brown spots that's fine. Thats just the chemical reaction of the hemoglobin expending its energy. A case in point is that if I have to buy product from a grocer, I always go to the managers special section of the meat case even if it's starting to turn brown. It's got more age and its HALF PRICE! This is true for any product but not grinds, Thats another topic for another time,
Sorry for the length of this email but as you can tell I've been passionate about this subject for 20 years. Thanks
Chuck the Goat got loose and now he's a celebrity
• John W. writes:
A buddy of mines new young miniature goat got out of his yard this week-neighborhood Facebook page to the rescue!
- saved by the local Smoke Shop (Pennsylvania thing)
When his girl went to pick up the goat (they put him in the humidor) another guy was trying to convince store owners it was his -she needed photo proof.
Goats name is Chuck - now a local celebrity
Guys, don't snoop on your wives to the point where you're making insider trading deals only to have your wife out you, which then leads to her being fired and then her divorcing you (which is what happened to this guy)
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That's it. I have to run and fix this router issue. Keep sending the emails. You guys are rolling. The content is picking up steam and we're starting to pick up new Millennials which tells me the readers are passing the word to friends.
Keep it up.
Now go attack the final days of February. We're about to enter Spring.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com