ISSUE #55 - February 15th, 2019

A GLORIOUS MOMENT IN MEATHEAD HISTORY

 When I think of my first steps into my first gym in the 90s, I think of one thing: rows and rows of hulking, sweat-covered, staircases grinding away to nowhere... Of course, what I'm talking about is the iconic, iron giant itself, the StairMaster. Loved by everyone from NFL great Bruce Smith (who allegedly wore out the motor in a StairMaster every year) to Oprah, there was a time when I'd warm-up before every workout with 100 flights on one of these bad boys. My friend Joe shared this excellent oral history on the goofy, entertaining and improbable rise of the legendary machine and it was awesome.

MUSIC + FOCUS

Stephen King listens to Anthrax and Metallica to jack up his creative juices while cranking out bestsellers. I've tried but every time I hear Enter Sandman I think of Mariano Rivera and the Yankees and I get distracted. This makes sense because according to a data driven sound designer (a real job), we all have our own brain entrainment (a real thing) whereby we focus the best. I found this short 6-minute video fascinating and it explains why I choose to write to something way softer than Heavy Metal, like Explosions in the Sky (not because King's tougher than me).

A USEFUL FOLLOW

Tommy John surgeries on kids are unnecessary and insane and preventable. You know who says so? Tommy John...and his son, Dr. Tommy John Junior. I first met Tommy when he was a guest on our Life of Dad podcast to talk about his new book, Minimize Injury, Maximize Performance: A Sports Parent's Survival Guide. Since then I've coached my son and daughter's tee ball and soccer and softball teams and I've been to coaches meetings for kids who aren't even 6-years-old and the way some (definitely not all) parents behave borders on lunacy. Unreal expectations. Stupid specialization. Year-round travel. Tommy not only rails against these habits, but also offers all kinds of workouts, preventative exercises and tips to keep kids away from operating rooms. Follow him on Instagram here.

#1 POST OF THE WEEK - HOLLYWOOD & COSTCO

Back in the day I was a Production Assistant for Comedy Central's The Man Show and among the perks was my near weekly trips to Costco with nothing but a sweet tooth, a meat tooth, unlimited amounts of the network's money, two store assistants, three pallets and a production van to fill. By the end of my 3-hour shopping run I was like a roving 7-11… a caravan of candy and crackers and crap winding down the aisles with a giant smile on my face and a half-eaten warm chicken bake in my right hand. Tons of comments from Costco lovers on this one who have never experienced Luxury Costco. Read my top blog post of the week here.

A TREMENDOUS SENTENCE I WISH I'D WRITTEN

"On party nights - Thursday, Friday, and Saturday - when half the country appears to take it as a professional obligation to drink themselves into oblivion and wander the streets until what should be sunrise, the problem is especially acute." - Michael Lewis from his book, Boomerang, on men in Iceland who plow into him on the streets as he walks just for fun...all the time.

Thank you for reading and I hope you like the new design... With the hundreds of people joining every week, I thought it was time for a sleeker, cooler and more modern Fast Five. Let me know what you think! And as always, e-mail me (reply to this e-mail) or hit me on Twitter HERE with any questions.  PS: We're having an NBA ALL-STAR GAME SALE for PRE-ORDERS of our LIFE OF DAD BOOK!!! CLICK AND ORDER BELOW! Really appreciate the support!