Good morning, fam!

We’re going to a family birthday get together today and it hit me - it’ll be my first (and probably last) time in a pool all summer. In other words, can we just fast forward to fall already? Give me pumpkin-spiced beer or give me death!

While I start dusting off my cardigans, you all can check out this week’s episode.

Slap on those bracelets, bust out those Oreo O’s, and let’s get into it!

Here’s what I have for you this morning:

Remember my friend Mia and her new book She’s Nice Though? Well, I finished it and I honestly haven’t laughed out loud in a coffeeshop…maybe ever? It’s the perfect combination of funny and sincere while diving deeper into what it means to be “agreeable” or “nice.” Do yourself a favor and order it now.
So I finally finished The Sandman Volume One just in time to watch the first five episodes of the Netflix series and I have to say, it makes wayyy more sense once you get into it. As a DC Comics-adjacent series, you might recognize some characters, but it uses mythology, fiction, and historical drama to tell the story of “The King of Dreams.”
As I’m finishing this week’s episode, I’m sipping on a Cherry Bomb Espresso Tonic from Pipers Tea & Coffee thanks to a little birdy named Parker (one of the previously-mentioned “sultans of sammies”). It’s basically like dipping a bomb pop in an iced coffee.
I ran to Jeff Bezos’ pantry (i.e. Whole Foods) to grab something for Abby and happened to find one of those mini cans of Blue Bottle Cold Brew coffee. I tried this dark, velvety goodness for the first time and it was was fire! (Ice?) It was only eight ounces which meant I didn’t immediately overdose on caffeine.
Upon arriving to my friends’ house for movie night, I was greeted with a bag of Lays Flavor Swap Doritos Cool Ranch chips. I couldn’t wrap my head around the disconnect of flavor and mouthfeel.1 Worth a try for the novelty, but that’s about it.
Speaking of movie night, we definitely went with an interesting one. My friend Jess picked The Next 365 Days, a Polish erotic film based on the third book in a trilogy.2 If the three of us weren’t so close, this would’ve been like watching American Pie with your mom. (Maybe this was a bad comparison - my mom did in fact take me and my friends to see American Pie in eighth grade…)
Have a bunch of ideas but not sure what to do next? Finally ready to start that podcast? I stumbled across Jessica Walsh’s steps for creating self-initiated project and plan on “borrowing” a few ideas.
Every so often, I stumble across this video from Ira Glass on the gap between your skill and your taste. It’s a nice reminder for anyone making creative work.
Want to learn about UX writing while you eat your dinner on mute? RSVP for a virtual talk I’m giving next Wednesday.
Everyone has skills that can be translated into working in tech. Here's a short list to get you started.

You made it to the end! As a bonus, I’ll leave you with this.

Cheers,
Billy

1

Yes, I just used the word “mouthfeel” in relation to a chip.

2

Bonus: one of the characters is named Nacho, lol.

Saturday Morning Cartoons #12