Work In Progress Newsletter
Edition 14 | August 22, 2022

WRITE THIS WAY…
So excited for the opening bell of edition No. 14 of the Work In Progress newsletter! So nice to see you today. I’m your positivity pundit Ryan McCrary. As mentioned in this space last week, the Kalama High School Class of 1992 reunited once again to test the theory behind the no shirt, no shoes, no problem policies throughout city limits.

Can proudly report no property damage, no outstanding warrants issued and only minor liver damage was sustained. The event reminded me of two songs penned and performed by noted philosopher Toby Keith… As Good As I Once Was… and I Love This Bar. 

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. Now… it’s time for the good stuff!

THREE DOTS… GOOD NEWS ONLY
Not sure about you, dear readers, but I have yet to circumnavigate the globe like 17-year old Mack Rutherford is about to… The British teenager, whose sister, Zara was the youngest woman to accomplish the feat at 19 has spent the last five months on his round the world quest… Anyone who has ever had a round of golf go south will appreciate this… PGA Tour pro Cam Smith was watching his chances for winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship evaporate with a two-shot penalty and then it got worse… he hit a fan in the gallery breaking a cell phone in the process… Smith found the man struck by the ball and got him a signed golf glove and sent him a brand new iPhone… I can barely draw stick figures, but a Rotterdam artist is making waves by creating masterpieces with her hands… and feet… at the same time… Meet Rajacenna a Dutch-born artist who started using all four limbs to combat boredom. Same. Same… Reading Popular Mechanics growing up, I was basically promised flying cars 15-20 years ago. Finally Slovakian engineers have got FAA certification on a car that converts to flight. The Samson Switchblade is here!… And finally the Detroit Lions won a preseason game 27-26 against Indianapolis on Saturday night… If you’re a fan of this tortured franchise, you celebrate the wins… always. 

BEST THING I SAW ON THE ‘GRAM LAST WEEK
Dock Talk is one of the best things I see in my feed every day. If you’re not following, correct this immediately by following @loganlisle now. → WATCH

BEST THING I LEARNED
Apparently faking a hamstring injury after scoring and then launching into a celebration is the next big thing… and I am here for it! Watch this from the Savannah Bananas and this from the NWSL’s KC Current. Story → HERE

OTD – AUGUST 22
Slow day historically speaking. We will strive to do better next week.

Notable Historical Moments… Madonna’s “Who’s That Girl” single goes No. 1 in 1987… The BBC began experimental regular TV broadcasts in 1932.

Famous Deaths… Richard III of England died OTD in 1485… Irish revolutionary, the “Big Fellow” Michael Collins was assassinated in 1922.

Famous Birthdays… Gulf War General Stormin’ Norman Scwarzkopf (b. 1934)… Red Sox slugger Carl Yastrzemski (b. 1939)… Notable New York Giants head coach Bill Parcells (b. 1941)… and eight-time Grand Slam Champion Mats Wilander (b. 1964).

Bonus Michael Collins Quote: “To go for a drink is one thing. To be driven to it is another.”

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 watched the hypnotically bad Bodies, Bodies, Bodies in the theater. Currently it has an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but holy moly… this thing was unintelligible. I snuck out before the credits and watched the last 90 minutes of Top Gun Maverick. I have no regrets other than not seeing the opening credits. 

ESCAPE POD
The Rewatchables podcast on The Ringer Podcast Network continues to be one of my favorite weekly listens. One of the latest episodes featured a breakdown of one of my favorite 80s movies: Can’t Buy Me Love. Before he was McDreamy, Patrick Dempsey played the consummate lawnmower-riding nerd Ronald Miller. → LISTEN

All episodes of The Rewatchables are available HERE on Spotify.

CLIP OF THE WEEK
There are few things that better encapsulate what it is to be a Detroit Tigers fan right now… or the Red Wings or the Lions… or…

MY GIF TO YOU
A live look at me fleeing the movie theater after watching most of Bodies, Bodies, Bodies…

QUOTABLE
“When you undervalue what you do, the world will undervalue who you are.”
– Oprah Winfrey

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!