Please do let me know if you end up buying anything off these recommendations, by the way. They're all things I personally use and love, and I'm genuinely curious to know what hits.
Jun 8, 2022·edited Jun 8, 2022Liked by Scott Hines
As a whole I love your book recommendations. You do a great job of selling the book without giving too much away. The ACB stamp of approval is 2nd only to someone physically putting the book in my hand of likelihood I will read it.
So much of my homegoods Items are either recommendations from here or HITD spreadsheet at this point. Number of times I answer with oh I found this because of a newsletter is at minimum weekly occurrence.
The Javelin thermometer has been a game changer. Really has improved the meats off the grill especially steak and chicken. I still do the thumb pad measurement, but the thermometer is on point.
The coffee grinder as a spice grinder is perfect. I got one a couple years ago for Christmas and my in-laws were thrilled because they prefer fresh ground coffee (and a whole host of other things with their coffee which could be a newsletter). When they last visited they were somewhat surprised by the taste of their coffee, needless to say my wife didn't mention that I use it primarily as a spice grinder and had just made Magic Dust in it. I cleaned it out, but you can't get everything out. If they want their own they can get one and I'll store it for them.
This is why I like walking along the C&O canal path closer to DC where it’s still got water in it - I can contemplate the still water with small fish & sunbathing turtles and heron and whatnot, and then take a detour and look at the Potomac- perfect.
"You know, the Falls of the Ohio are directly responsible for the development of Louisville as a city. Before the McAlpine Locks were built in the 1830s, overland portage around the falls was a necessity, and--"
Jun 8, 2022·edited Jun 8, 2022Liked by Scott Hines
The whole album, really. It is a double-album, and look at the songs on that list - The Ties That Bind, Independence Day, Hungry Heart, The River, Cadillac Ranch, Wreck on the Highway...
This isn’t so much a gift for the Dad, it’s a gift for whoever would typically have to drive him to the urgent care because he decided to use the mandoline slicer again."
I'm in this issue of the ACBN, and I don't like it.
This dad wants to see all Dads to be held in higher regard by Big Corps on Father's Day. I am tired of looking at cards, gifts, promotions that only think of Dads as lazy, beer/alcohol focused, flatulent, out of touch individuals.
This list is perfect because it encapsulates the spirit of being a Dad without subjugating fatherhood into a cliché.
Not to self-congratulate or anything (at least not too much...), but this is something I really strive for in my writing--I don't feel like I see enough written from the perspective of involved Dads who are committed to parenting (and sentimental about it), when there's a huge number of people who fit that bill and not the sitcom stereotype.
Not to soapbox this, but I think that the "dad stereotype" gives others the excuse to either act the stereotype, believe the stereotype, or shame others who don't fit the stereotype to be the stereotype.
And I'm tired of hearing about "well if there was a father..." when media/politicians/corporations have made fatherhood to be a joke and something that can be ignored and half assed, what do you expect to happen.
This is why I love your writing and newsletter because it speaks truth both the good and bad and it is a refreshing thing to see someone write about it.
"This dad likes, sleeping, cold beer, forgetting his anniversary and being emotionally distant to his kids. This Father's Day why not get him a neon sign for his man cave where he likes to scurry away to avoid his family??"
One of the fun things I've gotten to witness the last few years is my own dad's transition to granddad* status (again, not a thing that requires actual grandchildren to attain). It's like he got his bachelors in Dad Studies in his 30s and 40s, took his 50s off, then went back for his masters in certain dad specialties in his 60s. His are cooking, advanced jazz guitar, English soccer, leftist politics, Westerns, and not doing much else. He had primary elder care duties for his parents from 2016-21, and now that he's free of that burden, he is going full IDGAF old-dude. Something for folks to look forward to...
Jun 8, 2022·edited Jun 8, 2022Liked by Scott Hines
Chuck Knoblauch standing at first base and pointing at Travis Fryman is still my lasting memory of the 1998 postseason.
[Knoblauch was absolutely correct, by the way, but not the best time to be arguing your position....]
Also, in the true "Dad" fashion - when talking with my dad about Knoblauch's throwing problems, he got to go into the full explanation of "Steve Blass Disease" - so he mixed in some more Remembering Some Guys
Remembering "Fundamentally Sound Chuck Knoblauch" then triggers a Dad response of recalling SportsCenter anchors and catchphrases from 1993-1999 (edit to match one's teen years when multiple viewings of both morning AND evening SportsCenter was a must).
It's difficult to explain to younger people just how culturally important SC was back in the pre-internet days, at least to me as a teen boy, and my friends. The newspaper delivery (local DAILY dead tree edition) didn't come until 3-4 PM, and sometimes it still wouldn't have the late games in it.
And heaven forbid you had to run to the bathroom or go to your room and get your backpack and miss that one score you needed that wouldn't rotate back for another half hour. And THERE WAS NO SCORE CRAWL ON THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN!
As a Twins fan, I was very upset that he was traded...until I very much wasn't. (The return on that trade--Eric Milton and Cristian Guzman--are also Some great Guys to Remember, at least for Twins fans.)
That's a great "trade that seems very different a few years later".
Similarly, I was heartbroken when Cleveland sent Bartolo Colon to Montreal, but they ended up with Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore and (though he didn't become a star until he was in Cincinnati) Brandon Phillips in return.
- Several of some historical connection. Some prefer the War Dad path, I like the Mob movie direction, there’s many ways to scratch the itch.
- Comedies, including several “that they just don’t make them like that anymore” and at least one that’s objectively bad but was rated R when the Dad in question was like 14.
- A movie with an actress that was attractive when the Dad in question was like 14 (it may be one of the comedies above)
- At least one movie that has aged terribly that the Dad will tie themselves in knots explaining why *this* one is okay, actually.
- An ensemble cast movie, for Remembering Some Guys reasons.
There’s a really good chance I saw it for the first time at age 14 (since it was a rental) it’s absolutely a Remember Some Guys/Gals, and They Really Don’t Make Teen Comedies Like That Anymore.
(I haven’t watched it in a while. I hope it didn’t age as badly as [gestures broadly at everything from American Pie to Waiting...])
- Judge Dredd, Rocky IV and Demolition Man, Stallone’s three best films (this also covers why I have a strong appreciation for Diane Lane and Sandra Bullock)
- They Live
- Real Genius, WarGames or Weird Science
- At least one of the Tom Cruise action movie pillars: Top Gun, Days of Thunder or Mission: Impossible
- that one high school or college era comedy you quote constantly (Anchorman, Knocked Up, Clerks II)
I’d argue that Rocky IV falls under the historical banner, since Rocky ended the Cold War at the end. Top Gun falls in a subset of War Dad. They Live, Real Genius and Weird Science straddle Don’t Make Them Like This Anymore with a bit of Remembering Some Guys.
I debated having a category for heist movies, and the M:I movies are absolutely heists. I just didn’t know if heists were a universal dad thing or just my own personal thing.
On the way home from work I stopped at a little roadside park on a little river, swollen to its high banks with floodwater from days of heavy rain. I chatted with a local dad who stopped to look at the same river.
This is fantastic. I'm going to start ominously whispering the names of obscure college baseball players in our home and blame it on whoever "Gary" is that my toddler keeps talking about. 10/10 for dad excitement while also reinforcing the fear that our house is haunted.
I'm glad to know this is not exclusive to us. My children have spoken for years of a man named "John Davintson" (we have clarified, it is *not* Davidson) and I can only assume that's the name of someone who died in our house.
I know he was on the Bulls first, but did James Dolan scrub the internet of all pictures of Oak in a Knicks jersey? I wouldn't put it past Basketball Dan Snyder.
Any Dad who will receive or currently has Bravetart and has not made the Lacy Brown Butter and Ricotta Cookies is doing a disservice to themselves and everyone in their life.
And here’s a fun tidbit from that day’s game story: “Milwaukee’s Mike Matheny was suspended for five games as well.” That was for his role in a brawl that, strangely enough, *didn’t* start when Belle truck-sticked Viña, and *still didn’t* start an inning later when Belle got plunked, but finally boiled over in the bottom of the frame (the ninth) when reliever Julian Tavarez (the third yet-to-be-a-St. Louis Cardinal in this tale) threw behind Matheny’s head in retaliation for Belle’s HBP.
But wait! It gets better! Tavarez also got suspended, not for throwing at Matheny but because, in the ensuing chaos, an umpire bear-hugged him from behind and, thinking it was another player, Tavarez flipped the ump OVER HIS HEAD and the ump landed flat on his back.
Man, you’re so right, dads do enjoy remembering guys.
This dad wants a day where everyone else has away-from-the-home plans and no other distractions so he can get some chores done.
I've been trying to finish the trim work on our house for months. Seems every Saturday either I have an appointment, or the kids have a birthday party, or it's raining, or hey we should all go for a bike ride since everyone is free and well, I guess I can just paint when everyone else goes to bed. Wait, scratch that.
When I vacuum, I move or remove as much of the things on the floor as possible. Sorry kiddo, you're not gonna be able to play games online with your friends in the middle of the living room. Hon, I realize you haven't watched 4 straight hours of HGTV, but these carpets are filthy and I am obsessive personality disorder with a bad hairline.
Please do let me know if you end up buying anything off these recommendations, by the way. They're all things I personally use and love, and I'm genuinely curious to know what hits.
As a whole I love your book recommendations. You do a great job of selling the book without giving too much away. The ACB stamp of approval is 2nd only to someone physically putting the book in my hand of likelihood I will read it.
So much of my homegoods Items are either recommendations from here or HITD spreadsheet at this point. Number of times I answer with oh I found this because of a newsletter is at minimum weekly occurrence.
I love to hear this, thank you!
The Javelin thermometer has been a game changer. Really has improved the meats off the grill especially steak and chicken. I still do the thumb pad measurement, but the thermometer is on point.
The coffee grinder as a spice grinder is perfect. I got one a couple years ago for Christmas and my in-laws were thrilled because they prefer fresh ground coffee (and a whole host of other things with their coffee which could be a newsletter). When they last visited they were somewhat surprised by the taste of their coffee, needless to say my wife didn't mention that I use it primarily as a spice grinder and had just made Magic Dust in it. I cleaned it out, but you can't get everything out. If they want their own they can get one and I'll store it for them.
Magic Dust is legit.
This dad just wants to stare at a river so badly this morning. Nailed it
Lunch breaks down at the riverside park are great for the mental health.
This is why I like walking along the C&O canal path closer to DC where it’s still got water in it - I can contemplate the still water with small fish & sunbathing turtles and heron and whatnot, and then take a detour and look at the Potomac- perfect.
Think I might go run the faucet for a bit and ponder what could be.
I was a big fan of the FDR monument at night when I lived in DC. Quiet but not sketchy, low lights, good for sitting and staring.
My DC spot for that was east Potomac park
Working near the Ohio River is great. Nice wide river, ample opportunities for contemplating. Maybe you'll even see a barge!
That's cool. That gives you an opportunity to tell people about the importance of logistics if they're lucky enough to be in earshot
"You know, the Falls of the Ohio are directly responsible for the development of Louisville as a city. Before the McAlpine Locks were built in the 1830s, overland portage around the falls was a necessity, and--"
Bridge to Theodore Roosevelt Island here.
Now I just want to go look at a river.
I'm just now realizing that Bruce Springsteen's "The River" might be one of the Most Dad songs of all time.
The whole album, really. It is a double-album, and look at the songs on that list - The Ties That Bind, Independence Day, Hungry Heart, The River, Cadillac Ranch, Wreck on the Highway...
(Yes, I did go to the 2016 version of The River tour, where they played the whole thing PLUS others - look at this setlist! https://brucespringsteen.net/shows/columbus-oh-041216)
"Cut Resistant Gloves
This isn’t so much a gift for the Dad, it’s a gift for whoever would typically have to drive him to the urgent care because he decided to use the mandoline slicer again."
I'm in this issue of the ACBN, and I don't like it.
Yeah, I just gave up working with sharps, they are my kryptonite.
This dad wants to see all Dads to be held in higher regard by Big Corps on Father's Day. I am tired of looking at cards, gifts, promotions that only think of Dads as lazy, beer/alcohol focused, flatulent, out of touch individuals.
This list is perfect because it encapsulates the spirit of being a Dad without subjugating fatherhood into a cliché.
Thank you!
Not to self-congratulate or anything (at least not too much...), but this is something I really strive for in my writing--I don't feel like I see enough written from the perspective of involved Dads who are committed to parenting (and sentimental about it), when there's a huge number of people who fit that bill and not the sitcom stereotype.
Not to soapbox this, but I think that the "dad stereotype" gives others the excuse to either act the stereotype, believe the stereotype, or shame others who don't fit the stereotype to be the stereotype.
And I'm tired of hearing about "well if there was a father..." when media/politicians/corporations have made fatherhood to be a joke and something that can be ignored and half assed, what do you expect to happen.
This is why I love your writing and newsletter because it speaks truth both the good and bad and it is a refreshing thing to see someone write about it.
I really appreciate you saying this, seriously, thank you.
"This dad likes, sleeping, cold beer, forgetting his anniversary and being emotionally distant to his kids. This Father's Day why not get him a neon sign for his man cave where he likes to scurry away to avoid his family??"
One of the fun things I've gotten to witness the last few years is my own dad's transition to granddad* status (again, not a thing that requires actual grandchildren to attain). It's like he got his bachelors in Dad Studies in his 30s and 40s, took his 50s off, then went back for his masters in certain dad specialties in his 60s. His are cooking, advanced jazz guitar, English soccer, leftist politics, Westerns, and not doing much else. He had primary elder care duties for his parents from 2016-21, and now that he's free of that burden, he is going full IDGAF old-dude. Something for folks to look forward to...
Dads also want to just sit in a lawn chair and poke at a fire.
"Oh yeah, look at her go - those embers are gonna keep this sucker lit for quite a while."
I feel like "detailed discussion of the best sources of kindling in the area" is a very dad conversation. Also, "best part of the stack of firewood."
Stacking firewood: Barkside up or barkside down.
Fire, water, knives, and sleep. The four elements of Dad.
As a dad who doesn’t really enjoy cooking, I would like everyone to get out of the kitchen so I can clean up after we’ve eaten en famille.
Then I will sit in the one (1) genuinely comfortable chair that we have in the house.
Knoblauch getting the yips was one of the best things to watch as a non-Yankees fan. It made every slow roller to second base must watch television.
Oh yeah. I loved him in Minnesota—middle infielders who can rake are my favorite—but once he was a Yankee, forget it.
Sigh. The Yankees are my team - and I mean since early childhood, the 80s, the bad old days - and Knoblauch's yips made me so sad.
As a Red Sox fan, before 2004, all we had was Yankee Schadenfreude. We took what we could get.
Chuck Knoblauch standing at first base and pointing at Travis Fryman is still my lasting memory of the 1998 postseason.
[Knoblauch was absolutely correct, by the way, but not the best time to be arguing your position....]
Also, in the true "Dad" fashion - when talking with my dad about Knoblauch's throwing problems, he got to go into the full explanation of "Steve Blass Disease" - so he mixed in some more Remembering Some Guys
Walt Weiss
Remembering "Fundamentally Sound Chuck Knoblauch" then triggers a Dad response of recalling SportsCenter anchors and catchphrases from 1993-1999 (edit to match one's teen years when multiple viewings of both morning AND evening SportsCenter was a must).
Dan Patrick/Keith Olbermann SportsCenter was the best back in the day
It's deep, and I don't think it's playable.
"That's his twelfth home run.
Of the season, not the game. That would be a record."
It's difficult to explain to younger people just how culturally important SC was back in the pre-internet days, at least to me as a teen boy, and my friends. The newspaper delivery (local DAILY dead tree edition) didn't come until 3-4 PM, and sometimes it still wouldn't have the late games in it.
And heaven forbid you had to run to the bathroom or go to your room and get your backpack and miss that one score you needed that wouldn't rotate back for another half hour. And THERE WAS NO SCORE CRAWL ON THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN!
Summer mornings from 5th grade on were spent watching SportsCenter from 8 to 10 am just to be sure I didn’t miss anything
As a Twins fan, I was very upset that he was traded...until I very much wasn't. (The return on that trade--Eric Milton and Cristian Guzman--are also Some great Guys to Remember, at least for Twins fans.)
That's a great "trade that seems very different a few years later".
Similarly, I was heartbroken when Cleveland sent Bartolo Colon to Montreal, but they ended up with Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore and (though he didn't become a star until he was in Cincinnati) Brandon Phillips in return.
/whispers I think we're going to see similar from the Lindor/Carrasco -> Mets deal
I am very glad that this is a pro-"anyone can be a Dad" blog. The vibes matter.
Oh, absolutely. It’s a state of mind more than anything.
As Holly Anderson once so wisely said, ladies is dads too.
Dads also want to watch movies. Specifically:
- Several of some historical connection. Some prefer the War Dad path, I like the Mob movie direction, there’s many ways to scratch the itch.
- Comedies, including several “that they just don’t make them like that anymore” and at least one that’s objectively bad but was rated R when the Dad in question was like 14.
- A movie with an actress that was attractive when the Dad in question was like 14 (it may be one of the comedies above)
- At least one movie that has aged terribly that the Dad will tie themselves in knots explaining why *this* one is okay, actually.
- An ensemble cast movie, for Remembering Some Guys reasons.
- Shawshank
- Green Mile
"Can't Hardly Wait" checks off 1-3 of these boxes, arguably.
There’s a really good chance I saw it for the first time at age 14 (since it was a rental) it’s absolutely a Remember Some Guys/Gals, and They Really Don’t Make Teen Comedies Like That Anymore.
(I haven’t watched it in a while. I hope it didn’t age as badly as [gestures broadly at everything from American Pie to Waiting...])
I forgot the all important Old Guy Has Still Got It genre (anything with latter day Liam Neeson, The Equalizer, Red, John Wick). We regret the error.
My list of Dad Movies:
- Judge Dredd, Rocky IV and Demolition Man, Stallone’s three best films (this also covers why I have a strong appreciation for Diane Lane and Sandra Bullock)
- They Live
- Real Genius, WarGames or Weird Science
- At least one of the Tom Cruise action movie pillars: Top Gun, Days of Thunder or Mission: Impossible
- that one high school or college era comedy you quote constantly (Anchorman, Knocked Up, Clerks II)
Blues Brothers must be on the list somewhere, regardless of dad age, or dad-age
Man, I have it close to memorized.
are...are we...the same person?
I’d argue that Rocky IV falls under the historical banner, since Rocky ended the Cold War at the end. Top Gun falls in a subset of War Dad. They Live, Real Genius and Weird Science straddle Don’t Make Them Like This Anymore with a bit of Remembering Some Guys.
I debated having a category for heist movies, and the M:I movies are absolutely heists. I just didn’t know if heists were a universal dad thing or just my own personal thing.
One Father's Day I just requested some time to watch Edge of Tomorrow. I had already seen it before, but it's really good.
it's a perfect dad movie.
this reminds me of a prompt i love to reconsider from time to time: what's the best movie to fall asleep to?
subsequent prompts are: what's that movie you cannot scroll past and must watch every time you see it's on (TNT invariably)?
and what sport is best for napping?
NASCAR is the definitive napping sport, I will not be taking questions.
You know, I’ve never watched NASCAR, but this is the most compelling case I’ve ever seen made for it.
I mean it’s basically a white noise machine
In order:
- Anything starring Kevin Costner
- The Hunt for Red October
- Golf or a NASCAR race on a 1.5-miler, Dover or Pocono
The nap movie is tough bc it's gotta be boring enough to not grab your attention.
Solid listing.
On the way home from work I stopped at a little roadside park on a little river, swollen to its high banks with floodwater from days of heavy rain. I chatted with a local dad who stopped to look at the same river.
"River's high today."
"Yup all that pavement runoff from up north."
"Yup."
Never saw him again.
Happy Father's Day.
Living the dream. It’s beautiful to see. Thank you.
Oh as a bonus I had one or two hard hats in the car.
This is fantastic. I'm going to start ominously whispering the names of obscure college baseball players in our home and blame it on whoever "Gary" is that my toddler keeps talking about. 10/10 for dad excitement while also reinforcing the fear that our house is haunted.
I'm glad to know this is not exclusive to us. My children have spoken for years of a man named "John Davintson" (we have clarified, it is *not* Davidson) and I can only assume that's the name of someone who died in our house.
I know he was on the Bulls first, but did James Dolan scrub the internet of all pictures of Oak in a Knicks jersey? I wouldn't put it past Basketball Dan Snyder.
Any Dad who will receive or currently has Bravetart and has not made the Lacy Brown Butter and Ricotta Cookies is doing a disservice to themselves and everyone in their life.
Her snickerdoodle recipe is a thing of beauty as well.
Hey, you guys remember Fernando Viña?
Albert Belle DESTROYED him.
Boy did he ever!
And here’s a fun tidbit from that day’s game story: “Milwaukee’s Mike Matheny was suspended for five games as well.” That was for his role in a brawl that, strangely enough, *didn’t* start when Belle truck-sticked Viña, and *still didn’t* start an inning later when Belle got plunked, but finally boiled over in the bottom of the frame (the ninth) when reliever Julian Tavarez (the third yet-to-be-a-St. Louis Cardinal in this tale) threw behind Matheny’s head in retaliation for Belle’s HBP.
But wait! It gets better! Tavarez also got suspended, not for throwing at Matheny but because, in the ensuing chaos, an umpire bear-hugged him from behind and, thinking it was another player, Tavarez flipped the ump OVER HIS HEAD and the ump landed flat on his back.
Man, you’re so right, dads do enjoy remembering guys.
I watched that game live on TV, and it was one of the greatest sporting events I’d ever witnessed to that point.
I am ashamed that I don't. He looks like the Card's version of Marcus Giles
This dad wants a day where everyone else has away-from-the-home plans and no other distractions so he can get some chores done.
I've been trying to finish the trim work on our house for months. Seems every Saturday either I have an appointment, or the kids have a birthday party, or it's raining, or hey we should all go for a bike ride since everyone is free and well, I guess I can just paint when everyone else goes to bed. Wait, scratch that.
When I vacuum, I move or remove as much of the things on the floor as possible. Sorry kiddo, you're not gonna be able to play games online with your friends in the middle of the living room. Hon, I realize you haven't watched 4 straight hours of HGTV, but these carpets are filthy and I am obsessive personality disorder with a bad hairline.
* reads footnote *
* walks away *