Work In Progress Newsletter
Edition 13 | August 15, 2022

WRITE THIS WAY…
Let edition No. 13 of the Work In Progress newsletter commence! So nice to see you today. I’m your positivity purveyor Ryan McCrary. One of those milestone moments looms this Saturday. It’s reunion season for my Kalama High School class. I have alerted my therapist and she is on call. 

One of my favorite movies is Grosse Pointe Blank and John Cusack – who will play me in the movie about my life story – focuses on a conflicted hitman going back to his hometown to complete a “job” and attend his 10-year class reunion while reconnecting with the love of his life. A truly outstanding performance by Alan Arkin as the therapist. Watch and enjoy. And now it’s time for the good stuff!

THREE DOTS… GOOD NEWS ONLY
Yet another reason I love sports… Back in 2017 at a US Open press conference Roger Federer, winner of 20 grand slam singles titles, promised Izyan “Zizou” Ahmad that he would play the youngster if he turned pro… flash forward to last week and Federer flew Ahmad and his coach to Zurich to play…  Another goosebump moment from the world of sports… Kelsey Plum of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces helped Ashleigh Ahrens, a fan fighting stage four cancer cross one big item off her bucket list… The item? Meeting Plum. They met Saturday in Las Vegas… Confession time: I hate the movie Ghost, but love the song Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers… an 81-year old nursing home guest, Dave Williams performed the song and nailed it… OMG?… No, PGE… An alert PGE utilities worker in Portland heard a newborn crying, saw a car matching a description released on the news and helped rescue a baby taken from an area hospital… Meet Tom Gorzycki, an 87-year old barber who retired 23 years ago, but has recently started cutting hair for donations only with all proceeds going to Arm in Arm Africa… The retired barber cuts hair one day a week from the basement of his senior living home in Minnetonka, Minn. and has raised over $10,000.

BEST THING I SAW ON THE ‘GRAM LAST WEEK
Blues legend B.B. King performing his iconic classic Downhearted all the while replacing a guitar string on Lucille. → WATCH

BEST THING I LINKEDIN LEARNED
Another great episode of “Coffee With Kim” hosted by Kim Kaupe hosting a conversation on building effective virtual presentations with Lorraine Lee. → HERE

OTD – AUGUST 15
Big, big day from an historical perspective which appeals to my inner history geek lurking just below the surface…

Notable Historical Moments… The Wizard of Oz premiered in 1939 at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre… The Woodstock Festival opened in Bethel, New York today in 1969, also known as the peak hygiene day of the event…  India was granted independence from Great Britain in 1947 and the Boxer Rebellion began in China in 1900.

Famous Deaths… Legendary Shakespearean hero and Scottish king Macbeth in 1057 no consensus on when he was born. Timeless.

Famous Birthdays… Diminutive French General and namesake of a short complex Napoleon Bonaparte (b. 1769)… Swedish author who penned the Millennium Trilogy, featuring the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson (b. 1954)… Two-time Academy Award winner Ben Affleck (b. 1972)

Bonus Napoleon Bonaparte Quote: “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”

Bonus Napoleon Bonaparte Television Ad: WATCH.

WHAT I’M READING NOW
For Improvement: Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam

**One sentence review: The Pulitzer Prize winner details the chaos behind the scenes of a truly awful season for the Bill Walton-led Portland Trail Blazers.  

BONUS: Bill Walton discusses “Breaks of the Game” on this podcast on The Ringer

For an Escape: Indigo Slam: An Elvis Cole Novel by Robert Crais

**One sentence review: Being the self-proclaimed “World’s Greatest Detective” was much tougher before reliable cell phones and the internet, but fortunately for this family in trouble and on the run, Elvis Cole is almost as good as he thinks he is.

Embracing my inner history nerd: A History of Warfare by John Keegan

**One sentence review: A brilliant account of the history of war from antiquity to the early 1990s before the War on Terror entered the lexicon. 

WHAT I WATCHED
I rewatched the thriller Ronin on Prime Video. Fantastic Robert DeNiro performance and the car chase scenes throughout are exceptional. My biggest takeaway in this one though was the unhinged scene with Sean Bean coming off the high of surviving a chaotic shootout with gangsters.  

ESCAPE POD
Still revisiting one of my favorite podcasts from the global shutdown: The Ron Burgundy Podcast with legendary jazz flutist Ron Burgundy. In this episode, Ron chats with Jack Black, who apologizes for the whole Baxter tossed off the bridge thing.

CLIP OF THE WEEK
In honor of Ben Affleck’s birthday, one of my all-time favorite scenes. Find a friend who will go to bat for you like this… Retainer!!!

MY GIF TO YOU

Solid advice and wisdom dispensed by noted pugilist coach Mickey Goldmill

QUOTABLE
“Life is easy when you’re hot. But what happens when the ball bounces the other way? You just keep getting back up and climbing up.”
– Bill Walton

THIS WAY OUT
Thanks for reading the latest edition of my Work In Progress newsletter. My goal is to spread inspiration and hope in a world that needs both more than ever. My goal is to release these newsletters each Monday – because who doesn’t need a shot of good news to start the work week? Look for a new article on my timeline later this week. Special thanks to Kim Kaupe and Terry Rice for encouraging me to launch this into the universe. As always, feedback is welcomed!