The Breads Roundup No. 112
Letting Grudges Go, Musician Difficulties and the New Globalization
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Hello Hardwood Heroes,
I write this to you hungover and licking the fresh wounds of a bowling league finals defeat. But do not feel sorry for me, I will persevere.
The league is at The Gutter in Williamsburg. I’ve been part of this league for close to a decade now which is crazy to think about. The team has become a bit of a Thesean Ship as players have come and gone over that time period (including me when I lived in Mexico for close to a year pre-covid). I was a new member once upon a time and now we have a new name and entirely new members from when I started. But it is still the same team.
However, what I really want to talk about is The Gutter and the efficacy of third places. This is really dumb, but there is a line in the film Step Brothers where Richard Jenkins, fed up with the idiocy of his manchildren and the subsequent futility of trying to have a functioning relationship, goes to The Cheesecake Factory alone on Christmas Eve to drink. He comes home and tells Mary Steenburgen “You know, tonight at the Cheesecake Factory was the happiest that I have been in months.” I often jokingly say that line but replace The Cheesecake Factory with The Gutter. Not because I’m unhappy with the other elements of my life but because the weekly ritual of the having somewhere to go with people I care about doing something I enjoy is something that matters.
It makes a difference, especially in the modern world with prevalent remote work where many of us don’t even have the second place (an office) to split the time with the first place (home). The Gutter is probably the third space I have been to the most in my time in New York. Maybe a few specific soccer fields can give it a run for it’s money, but I don’t think so. It has become a stronghold in my weekly plans.
Every Tuesday I can see dozens of other people out there who feel the same way I do. And other than that one dude who threw the ball so hard and erratically it felt like he was trying to conquer some sort deeply rooted trauma or the guy who definitely took way to much acid one time and spent half the game rolling around the floor, everyone is there to find their own version of joy. The power of the third space is that it allows everyone to manufacture their own story of what such a place means to them. Everyone is not there for the same reasons but everyone is there because The Gutter provides them something they need. And the same is true for every third space. So I encourage you to figure out what yours is.
Anyways time for the linkies.
Leave The Hurt Behind! How To Let Go Of A Grudge.
Just Give Me A Synopsis:
How many of y'all hold grudges? I bet it is a lot. This piece breaks down everything you could ever want to know about a grudge including how to let go of one and go on living your life in a more sustainable and fruitful way.
And A Quote From The Article Please:
Grudges, it is fairly well established, are bad for us. People who hold grudges are more likely to have lower levels of mental wellbeing, and even experience depression. Forgiveness is associated with lower stress levels, lower risk of heart disease and mental illness, and may lead to a longer life. You only need look at the worst people in public life, and the way they wield grudges, to want to distance yourself from them.
And Tell Me Why I Should Care:
Grudges aren't all bad. They are evolutionary tools that "often stem from a deep sense of injustice. When we feel wronged, our brains hold on to that memory as a way of protecting us from similar harm in the future," which makes perfect sense. For a totally hypothetical example let's imagine a restaurant, say Le Dive in Dimes Square, only brings you and your friend out one cheeseburger when you ordered two, and then tries to gaslight you into the idea that you never ordered a second and then when you do "officially" order a second and it still hasn't come out after 30 minutes and your server hasn't stopped by your table that entire time so you have to go inside to find her and tell her that the food still hasn't showed up so she goes to check on it and then she comes out and tells you that the kitchen ticket machine broke only for this particular order and that it should be out soon and then it finally shows up 25 minutes later and she drops it on the table and doesn't even make eye contact with you or apologize and someone drops off the bill without even offering to take anything off the bill, including the hour-late cheeseburger, the grudge you hold for that restaurant could be your body's way of evolutionarily telling you never to go back so that you don't get hurt again. But that’s just, of course, totally hypothetical.
Musicians Join OnlyFans Because Being A Musician Is Getting Really Hard
Just Give Me A Synopsis:
Being famous, or widely followed or critically acclaimed does not, in fact, make you rich. That appears to be especially true in the music industry where some artists are turning to OnlyFans to earn some money. It's not all boobs and butts and wieners though, as plenty of artists are using the platform to share exclusive content that fans are willing to pay for.
And A Quote From The Article Please:
Although she's still selling out the same venues she was seven years ago, Nash says the fee she's getting paid now is close to what it was back then, but the cost of everything else it takes to tour has gone up.
And Tell Me Why I Should Care:
This article does a lot of work illuminating the fact that most musicians, even pretty successful ones, don't make much money at all. That's due mostly to a few factors:
1) Streaming doesn't pay shit
2) The Live Nation monopoly allows them to play hardball with artists as it comes to paying for live events
3) Most smaller to midsize (and plenty of large) artists have really unfavorable record deals
4) Every other aspect of the music business is more expensive than it used to be and the powerbrokers are keeping a higher percentage than ever before.
Globalization Is Over — At Least The Version We Knew
Just Give Me A Synopsis:
Free trade is no more. Or at the very least has hit a big time speedbump on a global scale. This article shows, using a handful of charts and explainers, how the idea of globalization is changing significantly in the immediate.
And A Quote From The Article Please:
Early estimates on the announced tariffs would suggest, with economists expecting the effective US tariff rate to rise from 2.4% in 2024 to ~22% — the highest level since 1909, according to Goldman Sachs and Yale University’s Budget Lab.
And Tell Me Why I Should Care:
Disclosure: I am not an economist or all that knowledgable about global trade patterns and effects. What I do know is that we would all be better served if we understand the mechanisms by which our goods (and to some extent services) are impacted by a few policy makers (not saying names or anything). As the stock market struggles I sit and ponder "What ever happened to the barter system?"
A Photo Of Mine For Your Viewing Pleasure
I’m a film photographer in addition to an internet link excavator. I wanted to start sharing some of my favorite photos from recent times. I also make prints if you’re ever interested.
Sports! Yes!
“Who Do You Think You Are? I Am!” The Oral History of the Greatest Outburst in Sports History.
Do we really need a 5k word oral history of Pete Weber saying that constantly-quoted, viralized phrase? No. Did I read the hell out of it? I did it, goddamnit I did it.NBA Owners To Review Proposed European League
Interesting developments in the NBA world. There are already plenty of basketball leagues in Europe. Practically every country has their own. But the NBA wants to start their own league there as well, spread across multiple nations and cities and allow ownership buy-in — possibly a way to allow sovereign wealth funds into the NBA ecosystem without bringing them on domestically.What Is A Torpedo Bat? Inside MLB's Next Big Thing.
New baseball bats are driving people crazy, but if there is one thing the MLB wants it is more homeruns because nobody likes to see pitchers win.
Travel! Also Yes!
Six Strategies For Scoring Bargains On Hotel Rooms
I like this list because some of these feel like new, creative ways to save rather than just incredibly obvious things like "book during the offseason" or "be nice"Magic Mushrooms In The Minibar
Of course you can find psychedelics on the street pretty much wherever you go (although there are certainly some countries where it probably isn’t worth it to go out looking for them), but now there are hotels and resorts that are making tripping services part of the trip as if they were a spa treatment or cocktail program.The Best New Hotels Of 2025
A case of wanderlust envy anyone? A non-exhaustive list of places you'll want to go even if some of them aren’t all that affordable!
Other Interesting Things You May Or May Not Care About
What Is The Meaning Of Life? 15 Possible Answers – From A Palliative Care Doctor, A Holocaust Survivor, A Jail Inmate And More.
A retread of the classic 1930s experiment where a philosopher wrote to luminaries and asked what they thought the meaning of life was. This guy did it in modern times. It's all about perspective.He Built An Empire Of Men Addicted To Watching Him Lose Enormous Sums Of Money
The streamer goes by the name Vegas Matt. I've never heard of him but I'm willing to bet a lot of you have. He offsets his casino losings by making a lot of money from his social media ad revenue. He makes far more from advertising than he loses from gambling because we as a society just love to watch other people lose so we feel less bad about ourselves.The Cult Of Leica
They have a cult following for a reason, they are some of the best cameras on the planet. So good that they have become a meme in and of themselves.Inside The High-Stakes World Of Celebrity Beauty Brand Ambassadors
Business is a boomin' for celebs with big time beauty contracts. Given that it is a multibillion dollar industry it is no surprise that some of these contracts can be more lucrative than some of the work the celebs are known for. And somehow Johnny Depp and Dior are still slanging Sauvage.What Are Microplastics Doing To Our Bodies? This Lab Is Racing To Find Out.
Want to feel horrified? These scientists estimate we have about a plastic spoon's worth of microplastics in our brains alone. No wonder I can't focus on anything!A Cure For America’s Loneliness Epidemic May Be Intergenerational Workplace Friendships
Catch me at my vocation looking like Russell off of UP the way I'm befriending elderly people.This Guy Walked 100k Steps Through New York In A Day
That's equal to 50 miles which is pretty incredible. And he did it just for kicks.
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