Work In Progress Newsletter
Edition 19 | September 26, 2022

WRITE THIS WAY…
So excited to share edition No. 19 of the Work In Progress newsletter! I’m Ryan McCrary, your special master for supreme mojo. I’ve been scouring the news to share stories of hope and joy and triumph. I’ve used my mind and keyboard to declassify all contents of this newsletter. Mostly my keyboard, though. Away we go!

BEST THING I SAW ON THE ‘GRAM LAST WEEK
There are boat horns and then there’s this… Such a good boy! → WATCH

BEST THING I SAW ON THE TWITTER LAST WEEK
This gave me goosebumps… an Australian football team won the league championship and their captain went into the stands to bring their waterboy onto the field to celebrate…. → WATCH

THREE DOTS… GOOD NEWS ONLY
These two former debt collectors passed a huge milestone in medical bill forgiveness… Meet Jerry Ashton and Craig Antico who, since 2011, have paid off medical debt for 3.6 million Americans in a program nicknamed “RIP Medical Debt”… The duo has paid off more than $6.7 billion… Finishing with a flourish… St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols continues to make history during his final season, mashing home runs Nos. 699 and 700 Saturday vs. the Dodgers… Pujols is one of just four to reach the milestone (Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron & Barry Bonds)…  Speaking of long balls, Judge delivered more awe-inspiring verdicts… Yankees slugger Aaron Judge launched his 60th home run of the season and needs just two more in his final 11 regular season games to set the American League record… The Rocketman was flabbergasted… Sir Elton John was surprised with the National Humanities Medal over the weekend after a performance on the South Lawn at the White House… No ruff waves ahead… Del Mar hosted its annual Dog Surf-A-Thon and 70 canine competitors rode the waves – with assists from their humans… the event raised funds for the Helen Woodward Animal Center… I’m Lovin’ It… Three McDonald’s locations have reopened in Ukraine after all 100 franchises were forced to close due to the unprovoked Russian invasion back in February.

OTD – SEPTEMBER 26
A lively day historically speaking. We will strive for even more excitement next week.

Notable Historical Moments… He was no Magellan… Sir Francis Drake completed circumnavigating the world in 1580 sailing into Plymouth aboard the Golden Hind… The Beatles 11th studio album “Abbey Road” was released by Apple Records in 1969 – the final recordings by the group… Not exactly Mr. Smith Goes to Washington… doubt Fidel Castro was quoting from the Bible during his 4 hour, 29 minutes-long speech at the United Nations in 1960. 

Famous Breakups… Bad day for TMZ and divorces.

Famous Deaths… Denim icon Levi Strauss (1829-1902)… Five-time golf majors winner Byron Nelson (1912-2006)… Sundance sidekick and film icon Paul Newman (1925-2008)… 

Famous Birthdays… One of the all-time tennis greats, Serena Williams turns 40… Grease star and noted Aussie songstress Olivia Newton John (1948-2022)… Terminator actress Linda Hamilton turns 65.

Bonus Paul Newman → CLICK

Bonus Paul Newman Quote: “The best gift you can give yourself is the gift of possibility.”

WHAT I’M READING NOW

For Improvement: The Last Days of Roger Federer by Geoff Dyer

**One sentence review: An intimate behind the scenes view of the last stand of Roger Federer’s breathtaking career.  

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. 

For an Escape: The Prehistory of the Far Side by Gary Larson

**One sentence review: I found myself really needing to laugh and this highbrow think piece delivered over and over again.

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 rewatch of one of the pivotal movies of my early college life, “Singles”. Just a tour de force of a time and place (Seattle) captured perfectly as grunge and angst and flannel – lots of flannel – was emerging in the Pacific Northwest. Check it out → HERE

All episodes of The Rewatchables are available HERE on Spotify.

WHAT I WATCHED
One of my most vivid childhood memories was watching Westerns with my Grandpa Dyer. One of my early favorites was True Grit, which I fully believe qualifies as a ‘buddy cop’ movie. I watched the Jeff Bridges remake and was once again captured from the opening credits. Just a phenomenal story of triumph over tragedy with an exceptional supporting role performance by Matt Damon. True Grit is streaming now on Showtime.

CLIP OF THE WEEK
Proof that dating, especially online dating has always been awkward, check out this “Expect The Best” video dating masterpiece from Singles. As my niece would say, “Cringe!” → WATCH

MY GIF TO YOU
Celebrating another edition of the WIP Newsletter… Today’s reminder that the Dude abides… Always!

QUOTABLE
“I think in life you should work on yourself until the day you die.”
– Serena Williams

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!