There are the Sunday scaries and the Monday spookies.
The Sunday scaries are like the day before the big game, except it’s not really a game, it’s life. That pit in your stomach, cold sweat, trying to run backwards on the time treadmill only to realize it’s going to come one way or another, so you might as well watch some white lotus and try to get some shut eye.
The Monday spookies is gameday. Sometimes it feels like an out of body experience. You’re signing into your laptop to start the day thinking about if you even had a weekend to begin with, and the cycle restarts.
But its 70 and sunny in Chicago people. I couldn’t have a bad Monday even if I wanted to.
I first heard this song right around this time a year ago on a walk on a Monday walk. Joey Bada$$ is such a talented artist, man. He made arguably one of the best mixtapes of all time at the ripe age of 17 YEARS OLD. Dude was rapping about lighting bongs and ripping thongs while I was keeping my hands at 10-2 taking my DMV test.
The jazzy beat and the synthesizer in the intro make me feel like I can take on anything that comes my way on a Monday. It’s a beautiful song amongst some great ones on the album.
Also, speaking of synthesizers, they remind me of one of my favorite shows, the Regular Show, when Gary and David have the synth battle up in synthos. I’ll never forget showing my friend a clip of the famous battle during our senior year of college before we had a silly Saturday.
Only the Bada$$ himself could make a song that would bring me back to a show I’m fond of and a memory of a simpler time. Enjoy the Monday, people. Get outside or pop on your favorite cartoon to get through the Monday spookies.
I was fortunate enough to have an academic advisor during my college days that eventually turned into my lifelong mentor, Dr. Bryan (he’s going to hate that I don’t call him Mark – I haven’t been able to make the switch just yet).
At my college, if you go in with a major undecided they randomly pair you with your advisor. I got partnered with Dr. Bryan in the theatre department. I knew I wasn’t going to be Leonardo DiCaprio anytime soon, so I figured I would meet him and then switch once the meeting was over.
I walked into his office and was instantly drawn to a Jordan 3 shoe on his shelf. He explained how his favorite Jordan design back in the day was the 3, but has moved over to SB’s in recent times and showed off his customs.
As a sneaker head myself, I felt like I was in a fever dream.
We spent a majority of our meeting discussing his Cubs hat. He grew up in Indiana but spent a fair amount of time in his 20’s right off Addison Ave. We reminisced about where we were during the 2016 game 7 world series – I went into great length about how one of my buddies proceeded to punch a wall in his own house out of excitement when Rizzo caught the final out.
From that meeting on, I never looked back about getting another advisor. I’m happy to share that we became great friends, and someone who I still reach out to to this day. He’s someone who has lived a thousand lives, taken a few trips around the sun, yet will make time even for the happy-go-lucky me’s of the world to share his two cents. A wise man beyond his years to say the least and still makes time to hit his 4:30 am runs.
Just a great mentor and friend – I’ll always be appreciative of you, Mark (there I said it).
ANYWAYS, he recommended a beam of light book during a time of despair in COVID of 2020 by Hanif Abdurraqib, who is now my favorite author, called They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us.
The first chapter centers around Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book Era. To me, this album sounds like he’s standing from his balcony on a Sunday afternoon looking out at Navy Pier. He sees the tabs of ACID in his peripherals, or whatever he’d use in his previous life to fill the void, and instead let the moment in itself fill the gap being his new source of inspiration. A truly authentic, rich album.
Hanif focus’s on his song Blessings. He goes on to explain how blessings are essentially a blip in time that lifts you above from what holds you underneath.
I couldn’t think of a better song for a better day. As we start to turn the page on the week, I think about all the blessings I’ve had just today. I was able to eat a bacon egg and cheese with one of my best friends at the park, find a new walk path, go to the produce section at the grocery store, and currently making dinner with the lads.
Whether it was adding another hour of sunlight to the day (shoutout CST) or taking a moment for yourself, I hope you all enjoy some blips of time that lift you above on this fine Sunday.
My sister loves to facetime me before 9:00 am on the weekend with her kid when I’m…tired.
However I wasn’t tired this morning, so I decided that this would be a tribute to her (hi maggie).
I grew up with four siblings, three brothers and one sister.
Maggie is by far the best sister I have.
We are ten years apart, but you wouldn’t know that given how close we are. We shared a room when I was in 7th grade and she was her first year out of college. A match made in heaven.
It got to the point where I didn’t even set an alarm because I knew I would wake up to either her 10 snoozes or her Maroon 5 playing from the shower down the hall. My sports center sessions were often abruptly ended for The Real Housewives of Orange County. I unwillingly sacrificed Scott Van Pelt for Tamra and Gretchen often.
We shared another living stint my senior year of college when I got sent home for a semester during COVID (long story – I’ll explain another time).
It was right around this time where I got pretty big into Monopoly. Even though my brothers were involved, it always came down to Maggie and I fighting for Park Place and Broadway. If you want to test a true friendship or brotherhood, I suggest a game of Monopoly – if you can survive that without killing each other I think that’s a good bench mark.
ANYWAYS – The Frey! It was my senior year of high school, I had just stepped out of graduation (picture below) and was heading to dinner with my family and friends. Majority of my siblings were at the age where they could drive, but I elected to hop in the car with Maggie to take me to dinner. On the way over we rolled the windows down and let this song flood the car, singing word for word together the whole way without a care in the world.
And so whenever I hear this song, I think of my roommate, monopoly nemesis, sister. It reminds me of everything I appreciate about her. She has a unique way of saying the right thing at the right time. She never wants to miss a moment yet knows her boundaries. She has been there for me in my highest of highs and lowest of lows. I’ll always be grateful for Mags.
sidebar: i think this song encapsulates the mid 2000’s aesthetic perfectly – an era I know my sister just absolutely thrived in. It makes me think of all the great 2000’s shows, House being my favorite. Shoutout Greg House.
Have a fantastic Saturday people. Tell your sister you love her.
**also I know this isn’t a song, it’s a podcast — bite me**
Happy Friday, family. Another Friday means another episode of PMT.
I had mentioned earlier there were songs I would cling onto and hold on for dear life during my transition to Eastern Europe my junior year of college. I had a 40 minute commute to class (if you want to call classes abroad “class”).
PMT was one of those.
I had never listened to a podcast before. Everyone says that you become a different person when study abroad. If I was going to be anything, I guess at that time I was going to come back a podcast guy.
I decided PMT would be the first.
I vividly remember it was right around this time 5 years ago today. Max might have still been the cornerman over at first for Hofstra. Dudes grit score is through the roof.
I think Sam Darnold got mono right around this time as well. Probably from Memes.
I don’t know what Hank was doing. He always reminds me of the guy from Good Will Hunting when Matt Damon gets done flaming that pony tail prince charming and his boy shouts “my boys wicked smaht!” Just to add fuel to the fire.
If you’re lucky enough to be in an elite circle of friends, as I am with mine and I’m sure they are with theirs, you know that the world needs more Hanks. We need more glue guys.
COVID was all the buzz right before the NCAA tournament. I was passing a church and KFC when I heard Big Cat say if the tournament was cancelled, that he would volunteer himself to get COVID.
I just laughed as I wrote that looking back on it.
I also think Mark Cuban was the guest on that episode as well. PFT pitched him on the idea of brotein – a drink that includes alcohol, caffeine, and protein for college dudes who want to sneak a quick pregame before they do a mediocre core workout to wrap up the session.
He shot it down pretty quick – I still think that might be on the table though. The Cubes just didn’t see the vision.
Flash forward to now – I had just moved into my first apartment here in Chicago about a year ago. PMT has still been in the rotation to this day.
After ripping some cold calls, I went on a post work walk down Wrightwood to head over to the lake. I saw Big Cat from a distance and turned into a middle school girl seeing his crush down the hall (in a starstruck way ofc – stadium pulse was through the roof).
I decided to just keep walking. He was with his son – I didn’t want to be that guy.
However, as I walked by, he stopped me in my tracks, gave me a fist bump and said “Love the hat dude. Appreciate the support.” He was a GAG for doing that (good ass guy).
I completely forgot I was wearing a Stella Blue Coffee hat. I fucking panicked.
I responded and said “Thanks man. Love the coffee.”
…
“Fuck” I immediately said in my head. I felt like Ralphie from a Christmas Story asking for a football before getting stomped down the slide.
Him and his kid went on their way. I actually pulled a Ralphie, crawled back up the slide and managed to say “how’s everything you doin alright?”
“Yep. Just droppin my kid off at T-Ball.”
“Great day for it.” and we went our separate ways.
In hindsight, I wish I told BC to make sure his son bats lefty because there’s a short porch out in right field where his son was playing. I’m sure he has lil cat watching some 2016 Rizzo hacks already.
Have a fantastic Friday and weekend everyone. I’ll leave y’all with the famous PFT sendoff.
I texted my friend who also does some content yesterday and I said I have no idea what the f*** I’m doing. He responded saying “welcome to #art and #creation brother no one knows what they are doing and it’s hard. Just gotta fake it.”
So, with that said in the spirit of action over prep, the first song and story I wanted to write about is inspired by a time and place I was in right around this time of year.
*full disclosure – there will be a lot of Mac miller in this blog. He’s my favorite artist…I wish he was still here to make beautiful music*
I studied abroad my junior year of college. I went to Prague with one of my best friends to this day. Everyone tells you how great the experience is, but no one tells you how hard the transition is.
I just wrapped up my favorite semester of college. Just when I felt like I had everything figured out, I packed my bags and headed for Eastern Europe. I left behind some great friends and relationships. I worried a lot that they would change while I was gone, even if it was for just a semester.
There were a few songs I would cling onto and hold for dear life just to get me through those first couple of days. Cinderella by Mac Miller was one of them.
I actually had never listened to the song all the way through until I was on a double decker bus in Dublin on the way back to the airport. I sat up top cause, I mean lets face it, life’s always better on the top.
When I listen to the song, it sounds like Mac is a super cool senior in high school writing a love letter to his girlfriend. As he’s writing it it’s almost as if his boys are looking over his shoulder to make sure he’s not writing anything too feminine.
When the beat switches and it cuts to his piano solo, it sounds as if while his boys weren’t looking he was able to sneak a little somethin’ and cover it with his hand, making sure it was just for her.
Mac had a fantastic way of walking that fine line between swagger and intimacy. He somehow found a way to sound cool enough for his boys to approve while making his girlfriend crack a smile.
Have a fantastic day y’all. The sun is out for the first time in Chicago this week. That’s enough to conquer the day.
Lent is the season of “re” – recharge, recenter, refocus, realign. It’s also the season of filet-o-fish on Fridays.
I enjoy writing. I enjoy music.
A friend once told me music is magic. I’ve always been fascinated by the fact that a song can have a “That’s so Raven” effect bringing you back to a point in time.
There are songs in my life that I have vivid memories associated with. That said, this lent season, for 40 days I will pick a song a day, write a memory I have with it, and share it with you all.
There will be some good memories, some not so good ones, and everything in between. There will be music that will make your foot tap, and music that will make you want to call your mom to pick you up.
My goal is to not only say what I will do and be consistent on this journey, but bring to light the power music has in our everyday lives and the memories we carry alongside our walks of life.
Thank you for reading. And if you don’t read, that’s totally chill too. As I share my songs and stories, I’d love to hear yours too. I hope you enjoy 🙂
A song a Fay 