Good Morning and Happy Friday Friends:
In the northern hemisphere, today at 10:42pm EST marks the summer solstice and longest day of the year. This morning in New York City is cool and breezy with temperatures expected to reach the mid 80s this afternoon. Yesterday we had our first real summer thunderstorm, the type that hits when you least expect it and sends people running in every direction looking for cover. I hope you have some fun trips and projects planned for the summer months or some R&R.
Here’s Five Bullets capturing my attention this week:
One of my favorite things to do during the hotter months is read novels. I’m about halfway through my first summer read - Cormac McCarthy’s 1985 novel Blood Meridian. Set around 1850 in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War, “the kid” finds himself hunting ‘indians’ with the Glanton gang in the arid deserts of Mexico. McCarthy’s singular voice conjures striking images of a forgotten place and time. Blurbs on the book’s back cover describe the “neo-biblical” writing as a “conflation of the Inferno, the Iliad, and Moby-Dick.”
I picked up a jump rope to add to my morning workouts so I’m just getting started with how to do it correctly. While watching how-to videos I stumbled upon professional jump-roper Tori Boggs. Her tricks are mind-boggling!
“Sun is shining, the weather is sweet…Makes you want to move, your dancing feet.” There’s nothing better than outdoor concerts when your favorite band goes on right around sunset and plays long into the hot summer night. Rock duo Illiterate Light will be cycling 700 miles from their home state of Virginia to the Newport Folk Festival with free shows along the way. Jeff Gorman and Jake Cochran grew their passion for environmentally-friendly alternatives while working on off-the-grid farms and even engineered a pedal-powered sound system.
If you’re in the New York City area, tomorrow June 21st there’s over 1,000 shows planned for Make Music day , a “musical holiday” where musicians hit the streets, sidewalks, parks, and gardens to bring the music to the people. I wrote about the time
and I played at a community garden back in 2016 for Make Music NY.Summer blockbuster movies are a fun escape from the sun into an air-conditioned movie theater. Steven Spielberg’s Jaws was released 50 years ago today. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland are back with 28 Years Later, the third movie in their zombie series. I remember watching 28 Days Later during a high school trip to an isolated, wooded location. Needless to say I didn’t get much sleep that night but it’s become one of my favorite zombie movies. Another zombie favorite that’s perfect for summer movie nights is the one that started it all, George Romero’s 1968 film Night of the Living Dead.
That’s all for this week! Thanks for reading. If you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, please subscribe to get a fresh five bullets in your inbox every Friday.
Have a great weekend.
-Keith
WOw never heard of Music Day, 1000 shows! Somehow I wasn't invited.