Work In Progress Newsletter
Edition 28 | November 28, 2022

WRITE THIS WAY…
Greetings and welcome to the very latest edition of the Work In Progress newsletter! I’m Ryan McCrary, your caffeinated concierge of the amazing. For the last 28 weeks and counting I’ve been scouring the news, interwebs and the occasional bit of microfiche to share stories of hope and joy and triumph.

I have recently emerged from my annual feast week food, football and basketball coma and am fully prepared to dispense the good stuff once again. Right this way…

THREE DOTS… GOOD NEWS ONLY
What a debut… Alphonso Davies scored the first goal for Canada in its FIFA World Cup history, but that is not the full story… Davies was born in a refugee camp in Ghana after his family fled the Liberian Civil War. Davies made the national team in his adopted country at 16 and is donating his earnings this cycle to charity… To boldly go… John McFall, a British paralympian and surgeon, was selected to the European Space Agency’s (Esa) first astronaut class in 13 years. McFall won bronze in the T42 100 meters in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics… “I promise you, it’s never too late”… Angela Alvarez got a late start on her music career, but the Cuban-born musician won a Latin Grammy “Best New Artist” award at 95… Her grandson, Carlos Jose Alvarez produced the winning album… And you get a car… Meet Danielle Gletow a foster mom who over the last 16 years has raised more than $15 million through her “One Simple Wish” nonprofit… The 2013 CNN Hero marked National Adoption Month in style by awarding nine free cars to deserving adults who were impacted by the child welfare system. 

BEST THING I SAW ON THE ‘GRAM LAST WEEK
Cancer sucks. Dancing helps. → WATCH

BEST THING I SAW ON THE TWITTER LAST WEEK
That feeling when you realize this puppy has better hops than you… such a good boy!! → CLICK

So excited.. 😂 pic.twitter.com/fl9MPJuMUL

— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) November 27, 2022

WHAT AM I THANKFUL FOR
I am thankful my Detroit Lions once again taught me that savoring a streak is one of the great lessons in sports… After a three-game (3!!) winning streak, the Motown Mob remembered defense is really not a part of its DNA and fell to Buffalo in a 28-25 shootout on Thanksgiving. At the current rate the Lions will turn in a winning streak of four games or more just before my 70th birthday. 

OTD – NOVEMBER 28
Enjoy another momentous historical snapshot in the latest edition of On This Date… 
Notable Historical Moments… He was not using Google Earth… Ferdinand Magellan, started his Pacific crossing, departing Portugal in 1520…  Leave it to the Kiwis… Women voted in a national election for the first time in New Zealand’s 1893 general election… American-born Lady Nancy Astor became the first woman elected to the British House of Commons in 1919…  The first episode of the Grand Ole Opry premiered on WSM radio in Nashville in 1925.  

Famous Nuptials… The Bard gets hitched… William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway in 1582… Walker Texas Ranger gets roped… Chuck Norris married Gena O’Kelley in 1998.

Famous Deaths… Peach basket pioneer and basketball inventor James Naismith (1861-1939)… One-time Shakespearean actor turned comedic acting genius Leslie Nielsen (1926-2010). 

Famous Birthdays… British poet William Blake (1757-1827)… Mesmerizing character actor and Top Gun Maverick co-star Ed Harris turned 71… Honestly, he had me at “Bacon”… Lincoln Memorial architect Henry Bacon (1866-1924)… Longtime Giants’ pitching coach and former MLB hurler Dave Righetti turned 63.

Bonus Lady Astor vs. Winston Churchill Exchange… Astor: “Sir, if you were my husband, I’d poison your tea.” Churchill: “Madame, if you were my wife, I’d drink it!” 

WHAT I WATCHED
I watched a lot of TV this week as I continued to recover from the flu. Here is a snapshot selection in three categories.

Movies: Original Star Wars trilogy; Once Upon a Time in Hollywood; Ocean’s 11; 

Limited Series: Season One of White Lotus; Six episodes of Andor; Season One of Lincoln Lawyer

Background Noise: Rockford Files; Spin City


WHAT I’M LISTENING TO AS I WRITE
I’m listening to the crooning Christmas musical stylings of noted Gonzaga dropout Bing Crosby. Not sorry. 

Bonus Bing Story: During my campus visit to Gonzaga the summer of my senior year in high school my dad and I made a stop in what was then called the Crosby Building. My history geek credentials were already intact long before I earned my history degree there and I wandered into the “Crosbyana Room”. There we saw Bing’s Oscar from “White Christmas” and two massive display cases which contained – I kid you not – at least a dozen toupees worn by the man himself. Haunting. Simply haunting.

CLIP OF THE WEEK
I think we can safely say we’ve all been there… Getting Rick Rolled at a funeral. Brought to you by the Ted Lasso cast. → WATCH

MY GIF TO YOU
It’s been 12 years since we said farewell to the great Leslie Nielsen, who would like to remind you of the following… → WATCH

QUOTABLE
“Be strong in body, clean in mind, lofty in ideals.”
James Naismith, Coach, Inventor

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!