News

COLOR US UNIMPRESSED

Well, we are now almost a full month into 2024, and I have to say that so far I am in agreement with our striped friend up top — thoroughly unimpressed.

So far this year:

• Our office has been broken into and burglarized (twice! In the same night!)

• Two adult men in their 50s decided to pause their high-speed chase through my suburban neighborhood over a minor fender bender and beat each other to a pulp in my (now blood-stained) driveway while I was attempting to park my car and get the foster kitten I was bringing home from spay surgery inside to recuperate.

• Boredwalk's sales have been in the toilet except for the (admittedly very excellent and hilarious) activity books for adults that we have struggled to advertise effectively for almost two years until a few weeks ago thanks to an ad that doesn't even feature pictures of said books, because why not?

• One of the aforementioned adult pugilists showed up yesterday morning and blocked our driveway (again) as Boredwalk co-founder Meredith and I were leaving for work in an effort to intimidate me into giving him nonexistent video footage of his earlier crimes that he was convinced would exonerate him in his upcoming assault and battery trial, forcing us to call 911 for the second time in 10 days.

So yeah. 2024: off to an inauspicious start!

I wish I could, Liz Lemon, but I have 11 more months of this nonsense to look forward to!

Who knows what fresh Hell February will bring!?!

Moving on to other topics...Happy National Green Juice Day, I guess? Woof, January 26th — you are not helping at all

The only "green juice" I am remotely interested in drinking is a glass of melted mint chocolate chip ice cream, and even then I'd have to think long and hard about what I'm about to swallow.*

* I know a lot of creeps reading this just giggled like a middle schooler, hit "reply," and started typing "that's what she..." Stop. Please don't. You're better than that. Get your mind out of the gutter!

Today is also National Peanut Brittle Day, which on the surface may sound marginally better than Green Juice Day, but honestly, this low-key seems like a scheme Big Dentistry cooked up to sell more crowns and fillings during a slow month. Don't fall for their tricks!

Finally, today is also National Fun At Work Day, but I think we've established that is not happening here at Boredwalk this year, so let's just move on...

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While you're waiting for your new Boredwalk gear to arrive you can also treat your earholes to the latest episode of the Boredwalk Podcast! Click here to listen on your favorite podcasting platform!

This week Meredith and Tess discuss unhinged people who steal other artists' work only to claim THEY are the aggrieved party. It happens way more often than you might think!

Next up is a dispatch from the land of trolls, which is never a dull moment! A special twist this week is their professed concern for our souls, which seems both well-meaning but also invasive and judgmental.

This week's Question of the Day was "which song immediately transports you back to a happy time of your life?" Lots of fun answers from Boredwalk's Instagram & Facebook followers that run the gamut!

They wrap up the episode by trading answers to the questions "what are you too hard on yourself about?" from the Delve Deck: Venting Edition, and "what are you most thankful you learned as a kid?" from the Delve Deck: Joy Edition. Listen to hear their answers!

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 Alright! Let's send you off into the weekend with some notable events and famous birthdays from January 26ths of yore! If that includes yours, happy birthday to you!

• In 1837 Michigan was admitted into the union as the 26th U.S. state

• In 1870 my home state of Virginia was RE-admitted into the union following its regrettable choices in 1861

• In 1915 lovely Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado was established by the U.S. Congress. Nice lay-up there, Congress!

• Birthday peanut brittle all around for: Austrian-American singer, unsolvable problem, and inspiration for the musical The Sound of Music Maria von Trapp (1905), activist, filmmaker, salad dressing enthusiast, and damn handsome actor Paul Newman (1925), mediocre baseball player, humorous TV dad, great sportscaster, and legendary beer pitch man Bob Uecker (1934), Marvel Comics illustrator Sal Buscema (1936), activist, author, and academic Angela Davis (1944), film critic and thumb aficionado Gene Siskel (1946), bassist & singer-songwriter Andy Hummel of influential power-poppers Big Star (1951), singer-songwriter & guitarist Lucinda Williams (1953), Dutch-American songwriter and guitar god Eddie Van Halen (1955), "Quiet Storm" singer-songwriter Anita Baker (1958), Canadian hockey icon Wayne "The Great One" Gretzky (1961), and English singer-songwriter & guitarist Andrew Ridgeley of Wham! fame (1963)

• Definitely pour out ALL the green juice (because it is gross) for: Chewing gum industrialist William Wrigley, Jr. (d. 1932), hardboiled Romanian-American actor Edward G. Robinson (d. 1973), country music singer-songwriter & guitarist Charlie Louvin (d. 2011), actor Abe Vigoda of The Godfather, Barney Miller, and Joe Versus The Volcano fame (d. 2016), and Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant (d. 2020)

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OK, that's it for this week! I promise that Meredith and I are extremely eager to get back to working on new art and other products for you, but as you can imagine from the listicle of misery up top, design time has been hard to come by this month.

We'll be back here in your inbox on Monday with another email and maybe a fresh customer Q&A! If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming email reply to this and let us know!

Peace, love, and crossed fingers that things settle down,

Matt 

THANKS, BUT NO THANKS

Happy National Compliment Day! Compliments?! Ew, gross. Keep that anxiety fuel to yourself.

All is not lost, though! Today is also National Peanut Butter Day — huzzah! One of my favorite ways to stuff down the anxiety and discomfort I reflexively feel when complimented is to pile as many peanut butter cups on top of it as possible, so I guess we'll call January 24th a win-win for ol' Matty boy?

Before we get to today's sweet link roundup, let's acknowledge some notable events and birthdays from January 24ths of yore! If today happens to be YOUR birthday, I hope it is a happy one full of peanut buttery delights! (Unless you are allergic, in which case I hope it is full of some OTHER, secret delight of your choosing.)

• In 1908 the first Boy Scout troop was organized in England by Robert Baden-Powell

• In 1933 the 20th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified, changing the beginning and end of terms for elected federal offices

• In 1935 the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company began selling the first canned beer, and 89 years later sent me on a wild goose chase to find a humorous GIF featuring (presumable) co-founders Gilbert and Freddy toasting to their brewing acumen. (Oddly specific, yes, but also this seems like something that definitely could have happened in the 80s or 90s and been caught on film — two entertainment icons at their cultural peak relaxing with some cold ones?)

Well, yeah, but...have you tried his canned beer?

GIF courtesy of A Nightmare on Elm Street / New Line Cinema

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Birthday compliments (if you must) and peanut butter cups all around for:

• Prussian king Frederick the Great (1712), who must not have been that awesome since his country no longer exists

• Novelist Edith Wharton of The Age of Innocence, Ethan Frome, and The House of Mirth fame (1862)

• Actor Ernest Borgnine of McHale's Navy, The Black Hole, Escape from New York, The Dirty Dozen, The Wild Bunch, The Poseidon Adventure, and The Devil's Rain fame (1917)

• Singer-songwriter & guitarist Neil Diamond of "Sweet Caroline", "Forever In Blue Jeans", Midnight Mass, and Saving Silverman fame (1941)

• Soul singer Aaron Neville of "Tell It Like It Is" and "Everybody Plays the Fool" fame (1941)

• Singer-songwriter Warren Zevon of "Werewolves of London" fame (1947)

• Actor, screenwriter, and comedy legend John Belushi of Saturday Night Live, Animal House, and The Blues Brothers fame (1949)

• Ukrainian-American comedian & actor Yakov Smirnoff (1951). Fun fact about Yakov: when he first moved to Los Angeles to pursue comedy he lived with two roommates who were also struggling aspiring entertainers — Andrew Dice Clay and Thomas F. Wilson (Biff of Back to the Future trilogy fame). Why no producers have made a show about this living arrangement has baffled me ever since I learned about it over a decade ago.

• English singer-songwriter, pianist, and TV presenter Jools Holland (1958)

• Actor, comedian, screenwriter, and voice actor Phil LaMarr of MadTV, Futurama, and DC animated universe fame (1967)

• Olympic gold medal winning gymnast Mary Lou Retton (1968)

• Actor Matthew Lillard of Serial Mom, Scream, and Scooby Doo film franchise fame (1970)

• Actor, producer, and screenwriter Ed Helms of The Daily Show w/ Jon Stewart, The Hangover film series, and The Office fame (1974)

• Actress, comedian, and writer Kristen Schaal of Flight of the Conchords, The Last Man on Earth, 30 Rock, and Bob's Burgers fame (1978)

• Actress & singer Tatyana Ali of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air fame (1979)

• Actress Mischa Barton of The OC fame (1986)

Pour out some canned beer for:

• Roman emperor and noted party boi Caligula (d. 41)

• English soldier, politician, and cupcake frosting enthusiast Winston Churchill (d. 1965)

• Comedian and Stooge Larry Fine (d. 1975)

• Lawyer, jurist, and Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall (d. 1993)

• British singer-songwriter Mark E. Smith of The Fall (d. 2018)

Now on to the amusing links!

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1. 😇 😈 Heaven? Hell? Tell me there's a secret third option...

Good news: there is! Hope you like Skyline Chili!

For more LOLs from our team be sure to follow us on our OG social accounts such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and/or Facebook.

2. 🎨 Don't be gelly — it's just art!

Seattle-based mixed media and paper collage artist Nadya Borisevich does some very cool stuff with old magazines and layered ink/paint!

3. 🐈 Big Chungus is all about that van life

#VanLifers Kayli & Logan may be documenting their existence in close motorized quarters, but I am only here for the van cat content. More Chungus, please! 

4. 🤑 There's no such thing as a cool billionaire

Comedian (and occasional Boredwalk sketch writer) Robert Schultz would beg to differ!

5. 🦹🏽 Finally, a glimpse into the inner workings of The Illuminati!

Comedian Nate Meeker and friends set the record straight. Shady puppet masters: they're just like us, putting in a hard day's work!

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We'll be back here in your inbox on Friday with more nonsense holidays to dissect, more notable birthdays (and maybe even some notable deathdays!) to celebrate, and more witty content in general. Until then...

Peace, love, and peanut buttery delight (or not),

Matt

FINE, THANKS 😾

Happy Answer Your Cat's Questions Day! If only this foster kitten we've been caring for, Grover, would ask us some. We'd be delighted to answer them all to the best of our ability, but she remains steadfast in her choice to only emit intermittent chirps & grumbles.

"How are you, Grover?" - Me

"Fine, thanks!" - this kitten, probably

It's also National Hot Sauce Day, which will come in handy as something Buffalonians can drown their tears in today! Tough break, Bills fans. There's always next year.

Today is also National Polka Dot Day! I was surprised to learn that Minnie Mouse is credited with popularizing the iconic print two years after it first appeared publicly in a Miss America swimsuit pageant. Disney's got those little white 4-fingered gloves in everything, don't they?

Finally, let's end today's random observance run-down on a sweet note: Happy National Blondie Day! I was also surprised to learn that the original recipe for brownies did not call for chocolate, making blondies the original form of the chewy treat! However, this news does make me wonder what its final form will be in the event blondies are some sort of edible Pokémon...

Maybe strawberry, for some sort of Neapolitan baked treat trifecta?

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Alright! Let's kick off the week with a few famous January 22nd historical events and notable birthdays and deathdays:

• In 1890 the United Mine Workers of America was founded in Columbus, Ohio

• In 1973 the Supreme Court of the United States delivered its decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, legalizing elective abortion nationwide until it was overturned on June 24th, 2022

• In 1984 the first home computer to popularize the computer mouse and graphical user interface, the Apple Macintosh, was introduced during a Super Bowl XVIII television commercial

• Birthday blondies all around (hot sauce optional) for: English soldier, explorer, and alleged "stupid git" Sir Walter Raleigh (1552), English poet John Donne (1573), Scottish privateer Captain William Kidd (1645), English poet & playwright Lord Byron (1788), chemist & pharmacist Wilbur Scoville of hot sauce heat scale fame (1865), singer-songwriter and soul music icon Sam Cooke (1931), actress Piper Laurie of Carrie (1932), actor Bill Bixby of My Favorite Martian and The Incredible Hulk fame (1934), English actor John Hurt of The Elephant Man, V for Vendetta, and the Harry Potter film franchise fame (1940), English singer-songwriter, music manager, and punk style influencer Malcolm McLaren (1946), singer-songwriter and erstwhile Journey frontman Steve Perry of "Don't Stop Believin'" fame (1949), indie filmmaking legend Jim Jarmusch (1953), actress Linda Blair of The Exorcist fame (1959), Australian singer-songwriter and 80s heartthrob Michael Hutchence of INXS fame (1960), DJ & producer DJ Jazzy Jeff of "Parents Just Don't Understand" and "Summertime" fame (1965), actress Diane Lane (1965), celebrity chef Guy Fieri (1968), actor Gabriel Macht of Suits fame (1972), and singer-songwriter & jazz singer Lizz Wright (1980)

• Pour out some hot sauce in memory of: Australian actor & director Heath Ledger (d. 2008), Canadian author & illustrator Margaret Bloy Graham of Harry the Dirty Dog fame (d. 2015), sci-fi & fantasy novelist Ursula K. Le Guin of Earthsea series fame (d. 2018), baseball icon and MLB Hall of Famer Hank Aaron (d. 2021), and Buddhist monk and peace activist Thích Nhất Hạnh

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OK, no new customer Q&A this week, unfortunately! If you're feeling even moderately outgoing and would like to be featured in an upcoming Monday email (and are a customer with some Boredwalk tees, tanks, hoodies, towels, bags, books, or Delve Decks to show off), just reply to this and let us know and we'll send you some fun questions!

We'll be back here in your inbox on Wednesday with some more random holidays to observe, historical tidbits to acknowledge, and fun links to entertaining content! Until next time.

Peace, love, and spicy blondies,

Matt

POTIONS AND POPCORN? SIGN ME UP!

As is our tradition, I am here to let you know it is both National Brew a Potion Day and National Popcorn Day. I am all for it, as a fan of both tasty snacks and all things spooky.

January 19th is actually a cornucopia of factual delights. Did you know Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is birthday twins with Full House middle daughter actress Jodie Sweetin (both born on this day in 1982)? Or that it's Scrabble's birthday? I don't know how all of this helps you, but if you're a regular Boredwalk email reader I bet you're awesome at trivia night because we bring the random trivia!

It's also this dude's birthday...

If you're in the market for some shockingly soft hoodies* or other Boredwalk goodies, be sure to use code SAVE15 at checkout for 15% off orders of $95+, not to mention free U.S. shipping on orders of $75+ — no code needed!

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While you're waiting for your new Boredwalk gear to arrive you can also treat your earholes to the latest episode of the Boredwalk Podcast! Click here to listen on your favorite podcasting platform!

This week I chatted with Tess from our content team about the latest in crimes-that-always-seem-to-be-happening-around-me (this week you can hear about the fistfight that broke out in my driveway, which did NOT involve me or any one else in my household), the return of social obligations following the holidays, and This Week In Trolls, wherein two chaotic and inconsiderate sociopaths try to justify their awful impulses in reaction to some comedy sketches our content team published recently. They are unsuccessful in this endeavor.

Next up we react to fan responses to the Question of the Day "what food do you hate that everyone seems to love?"

The episode wraps up with the two of us trading questions from the Venting and Joy editions of the Delve Deck!

First up from the Venting edition: "what seems like it should make you happy but doesn't?"

Not satisfied with one venting question, we also discuss "what problem can you not believe technology hasn't solved yet?"

As a palate cleanser we attempted to indulge in some joyful rumination, answering "if you could create a magic pill, what would it do?" Give a listen to hear our answers!

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Alright! Let's send you off into the weekend with some notable events and famous birthdays from January 19ths of yore! If that includes yours, happy birthday to you!

• The American Civil Liberties Union was founded on this day in 1920

• Scrabble made its debut on the board game market on this day in 1955

• Indira Gandhi became India's first female prime minister on this day in 1966

• Cult film Donnie Darko premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on this day 2001

• Birthday cake all around for: author Edgar Allan Poe (1809), artist Paul Cézanne (1893), model/actress Tippi Hedren (1930), singer-guitarist Phil Everly of The Everly Brothers (1939), singer-songwriter Janis Joplin (1943), singer-songwriter Dolly Parton (1946), actress Katey Sagal (1954), US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (1982), and actress Jodie Sweetin of Full House fame (1982)

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OK, that's it for this week! We'll be back here in your inbox on Monday with another email and a fresh customer Q&A! If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming email reply to this and let us know!

Peace, love, popcorn, and potions,

Meredith

LOL, JUST KIDDING. YOU'LL HAVE TO DISTILL IT YOURSELF!

Happy National Bootlegger's Day! Weird to celebrate a criminal activity, but since January 17th is both Al Capone's birthday AND the anniversary of the enactment of the Volstead Act, which prohibited the sale of alcohol in the U.S. beginning in 1920, I suppose it's fitting.

All I know about Al Capone I learned from The Untouchables. Mostly that he was an avid baseball fan.

GIF courtesy of The Untouchables / Paramount Pictures

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Alright, before we get to those links let's acknowledge some notable events and famous birthdays from January 17ths of yore. Maybe yours! If it is, happy birthday!

• As mentioned, in 1920 the prohibition of the sale of alcohol began in the United States as a result of the Volstead Act taking effect

• Birthday cake all around for: English author & poet Anne Brontë (1820), film producer & Universal Studios co-founder Carl Laemmle (1867), mob boss & baseball fan Al Capone (1899), actress & national treasure Betty White (1922), actress, singer, and presumable cat enthusiast Eartha Kitt (1927), actor James Earl Jones (1931), boxer & activist Muhammad Ali (1942), actor & comedian Andy Kaufman (1949), English singer-songwriter & guitarist Mick Taylor of Rolling Stones fame (1949), singer-songwriter Steve Earle (1955), actor & comedian Steve Harvey (1957), singer-songwriter & guitarist Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles (1959), Canadian-American actor & comedian Jim Carrey (1962), former First Lady Michelle Obama (1964), English singer-songwriter & guitarist Richard Hawley (1967), Russian-American animator Genndy Tartakovsky of The Powerpuff Girls and Samurai Jack fame (1970), rapper & producer Lil Jon (1971), actor Freddy Rodriguez of Six Feet Under and Ugly Betty fame (1975), actress & singer-songwriter Zooey Deschanel (1980), and boxer & YouTuber Jake Paul (1997)

• Pour one out for: 19th President of the United States and lemonade enthusiast Rutherford B. Hayes (d. 1893), stained glass artist Louis Tiffany of fancy lamp fame (d. 1933), author & playwright Betty Smith of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn fame (d. 1972), and problematic chess icon Bobby Fischer (d. 2008)

Now on to the amusing links!

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1. 🛠️ No need to bring any tools...

..this furniture comes with its own!

The Alpha Female Podcast is back with more incontrovertible facts about the shortcomings of men, like their refusal to build IKEA furniture on the first date. IT'S THE SOCIAL CONTRACT, GENTS.

For more LOLs from our team be sure to follow us on our OG social accounts such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and/or Facebook.

2. 🤡 Make your firing festive in one easy step!

Just add clown!

3. 😬 This gives all new meaning to the term "Blood Moon"

Actress & comedian Anna Akana breaks down why no women have been on the Moon yet. 

4. 😤 Men only want one thing

And content creators Eva & Javier Gabriel know exactly what that one thing is: to win an argument with their partner.

5. 🤨 Work spouses: Like regular spouses, but creepier

The secret (family) is out!

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We'll be back here in your inbox on Friday with more nonsense holidays to dissect, more notable birthdays (and maybe even some notable deathdays!) to celebrate, and more witty content in general. Until then...

Peace, love, and unauthorized libations,

Matt

IF YOU'RE NOT A BLUBBERING MESS BECAUSE OF A CAR COMMERCIAL, IS IT EVEN THE HOLIDAY SEASON?!

Happy National Gazpacho Day!

I suppose early December is a fairly fitting time to celebrate a chilled soup, but since modern gazpacho relies heavily on a distinctly summery produce — tomatoes, cucumbers, and avocados are fixtures in mine — it feels like maybe this isn't the ideal juncture at which to put it on a pedestal.

But who am I kidding; if someone offers me a bowl of gazpacho today, there's no way I'm passing that up.

Hot, cold, lukewarm — if it has tomatoes in it, I'm in, Lisa.

GIF courtesy of The Simpsons / FOX

Alright, before we get to those links, let's take note of some famous events and birthdays from December 6ths of yore. Maybe yours! If it is, happy birthday!

• In 1865, Georgia ratified the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, legally freeing American slaves

• In 1884 the Washington Monument was completed

• Birthday gazpacho all around for: Songwriter Ira Gershwin (1896), actress Agnes Moorehead of Bewitched fame (1900), Canadian-American businessman Irv Robbins of Baskin-Robbins ice cream fame (1917), jazz pianist & composer Dave Brubeck of "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo à la Turk" fame (1920), computer programmer and entrepreneur Craig Newmark of CraigsList fame (1952), singer-songwriter Chris Stamey of 80s power-pop luminaries the dBs (1954), English drummer & songwriter Rick Buckler of mod punk legends The Jam (1955), actor & comedian Steven Wright (1955), guitarist, songwriter, and producer Peter Buck of R.E.M. fame (1956), guitarist & songwriter Randy Rhoads of Quiet Riot and Ozzy Osbourne band fame (1956), drummer David Lovering of Pixies fame (1961), English singer-songwriter and DJ Ben Watt of Everything But The Girl (1962), filmmaker Judd Apatow (1967), and HIV/AIDS activist Ryan White (1971)

• Pour one out for: Singer-songwriter & guitarist Roy Orbison of "Only the Lonely" and "Oh, Pretty Woman" fame (d. 1988) and singer-songwriter Dobie Gray of "Drift Away" fame (d. 2011)

Now on to the amusing links!

1. 💍 If it's the holidays, it's time for a lot of "he went to Jareth's!" commercials

Screw Jared — people who want to REALLY express romantic emotion via fancy rocks get their baubles from Jareth!

For more LOLs from our team be sure to follow us on our OG social accounts such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and/or Facebook.

2. 💉 Worried about pox and/or plague? Get thee to the apothecary!

Renaissance person Colleen McCandless (briefly) takes modern medicine back to the actual Renaissance.

3. 😭 What is this salty discharge?!

Yeah, this Chevy commercial is emotionally manipulative AF, but even my cynical @$$ started bawling 30 seconds in and didn't stop for the next five minutes.

4. 🤨 Ew, literacy? Sounds like witchcraft.

Comedian Missy Chanpaibool reimagines pilgrim women as pick-me girls. Jedediah doesn't know what he's getting himself into!

5. 🎙️ Sounds like somebody shoulda gone to Jareth's!

Boredwalk's alpha female podcast is back, and they have a bone to pick with men who don't put out on the first date!*

*And by "put out" we mean "complete minor home repairs."

She bought you dinner, pal, so stop playing coy and get on your knees — that shower drain isn't going to unclog itself!

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OK! We'll be back here in your inbox on Friday with more nonsense holidays to dissect, more notable birthdays (and maybe even some notable deathdays!) to celebrate, and more witty content in general. Until then...

Peace, love, and gazpacho,

Matt

...BUT AT LEAST THERE ARE COOKIES AT THE BOTTOM

Happy National Cookie Day! The cooler temperatures may be bumming me out, but there are few things that warm the cockles of ones heart like freshly-baked cookies. Scrumdiddlyumptious! Bonus points if you can enjoy them with someone covered in warm & cozy fur.

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For you gaming enthusiasts, today is also National Dice Day! I prefer games that don't require die rolls, but to each their own.

And if your extremities are particularly chilly today, it would be a capital idea to celebrate National Sock Day!

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Let's kick off the week with a few famous December 4th birthdays and historical facts:

• In 1865 North Carolina ratified the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The state of Georgia would follow soon thereafter, and within two weeks U.S. slaves were legally freed.

• In 1909 the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey team was founded as a charter member of the National Hockey Association. It is the oldest surviving professional ice hockey franchise in the world.

• In 1956 the "Million Dollar Quartet" of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash record together at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee for the first and last time.

• Birthday cookies all around for: Austrian-Swiss poet & author Rainer Maria Rilke (1875), singer-songwriter, guitarist, and bassist Chris Hillman of The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers (1944), singer-songwriter & drummer Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys (1944), actor Jeff Bridges of Tron, Starman, and The Big Lebowski fame (1949), actor Tony Todd of Candyman film franchise fame (1954), jazz singer-songwriter Cassandra Wilson (1955), actress Marisa Tomei of My Cousin Vinny and Slums of Beverly Hills fame (1964), actor & musician Fred Armisen of Saturday Night Live and Portlandia fame (1966), rap icon Jay-Z of "being Beyoncé's lesser half" fame (1969), and model & actress Tyra Banks (1973)

• Pour one out for: German-American philosopher Hannah Arendt (d. 1975), singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Frank Zappa (d. 1993), and singer & actor Bob McGrath of Sesame Street fame (d. 2022)

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OK, scroll on down to learn a bit about fellow Boredwalk fan Jay! If you're feeling even moderately outgoing and would like to be featured in an upcoming Monday email (and are a customer with some Boredwalk tees, tanks, hoodies, towels, bags, or books to show off), just reply to this and let us know and we'll send you some fun questions!

We'll be back here in your inbox on Wednesday with some more random holidays to observe, historical tidbits to acknowledge, and fun links to entertaining content! Until next time...

Peace, love, and cookies,

Matt

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Jay looking cozy in her Brooklyn 718 scoop-neck sweatshirt while adding to her Grievance Journal!

• What's your biggest pet peeve?

People who chew with their mouth open and men who cannot share a sidewalk!

• What's a book you think the Boredwalk community should read?

The Body is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love by Renee Taylor

• If you could have any super power what would it be and why?

I’d want to fly. I think it would be fun and I’d save on gas.

• You can curse your nemesis with a minor annoyance for eternity; what do you choose?

I don’t have to, as he keeps on getting fired from jobs on his own.

• What experience do you most want to cross off your bucket list?

I would go skydiving without the fear of puking and duking the run-of-green-sturdy fields.

• If you could make a mundane wish (meaning, a wish for something seemingly inconsequential that you still believe would benefit you immensely), what would it be for?

Take care of one of my beloved’s chronic pain

• What experience do you most want to cross off your bucket list?

Own a cat and dog at same time!

• What is something you wish you could go back in time and say to your younger self?

Get the offer in writing!

• Clear up a misconception (about your job, where you are from, some other topic you know a lot about).

Feminists can cook and have a great sense of humor!

• Where can the rest of the Boredwalk community find you?

I love the West Coast!

DELVE DECK EXPANSION PACKS ARE FINALLY HERE! 😍

This hot new release is months in the making, but if you loved our original Delve Deck, we're sure you'll love these two new expansion packs. This time we have a little something for everyone!

For the rays of sunshine: maybe you bought our original deck but wished it had even more upbeat content or you're one of those folks trying to work on your gratitude practice. For you, we present the Joy Edition. This deck features 150 questions about your favorite things, helping you hone in on what you love, what you're grateful for, and what makes you the happiest. It's perfect for bonding with friends about your favorite stuff and can even function as prompts for journaling or solo reflection.

For the rays of pitch black: you know you're my people! Like you, I too am a ray of pitch black and believe complaining should be an Olympic sport. If you enjoyed our Grievance Journal, this new deck is a must-have. With 150 questions, our Venting Edition is perfect for bonding with friends about all the stuff that drives you the craziest.

And before some so-and-so lectures you about how you shouldn't complain*, tell them to stuff their judgment in a sack, because complaining can actually be good for you (and let's be honest, it can be fun, too)! You can also direct them to the Joy Edition—like I said, something for everyone!

*Isn't complaining about someone else's desire to complain also complaining? Gotcha there, rays of sunshine! C'mon, admit it — you wanna complain, too. Come to the dark side, we have cake!

GIF via Blown Away

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Alright! Let's send you off into the weekend with some notable events and famous birthdays from December 1sts of yore!

• Sherlock Holmes first appeared in print on this day in 1887

• The Kingdom of Iceland was established on this day in 1918

• The first issue of Playboy Magazine was published on this day in 1953

• Civil rights activist Rosa Parks was arrested on this day in 1955 for refusing to move to the back of a bus

• Birthday cakes all around for: French-English sculptor and founder of Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum Marie Tussaud (1761), comedian Richard Pryor (1940), actress Bette Midler (1945), comedian Sarah Silverman (1970), actress & musician Janelle Monáe (1985), and actress Zoë Kravitz (1988)

...THEY CAN DO (AND HAVE DONE) BETTER BACKWARDS AND IN HEELS 💃🏽

Happy Choose Women Wednesday!

Joke's on the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Organization, which established Choose Women Wednesday in 2014 to flip the narrative that a woman's place was in the home and not leading thriving businesses — I choose women every day of the week!

No offense to my bros, but women are generally smarter, more collaborative, wittier, smell nicer, and more pleasing to interact with in a variety of modes than their male counterparts.* #sorrynotsorry

*Don't worry, I'll still talk baseball with you guys. See, you ARE good for something!

Today is also National Lemon Cream Pie (aka Lemon Meringue Pie) Day, celebrating one of the greatest pies ever created! Fun fact: you have a woman to thank for those, too! Big ups to 19th century chef/entrepreneur Elizabeth Goodfellow of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for that delightful treat!

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Alright, before we get to those links, let's take note of some famous events and birthdays from November 29ths of yore. Maybe yours! If it is, happy birthday! 

• In 1877 Thomas Edison demonstrated his phonograph for the first time

• For you futbol fans, FC Barcelona was founded on this day in 1899 by a group of Catalan, Spanish, and English players, eventually developing into one of Spanish football's most legendary teams

• The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" was released in the UK in 1963. By February 1st 1964 it became the group's first American #1 hit.

• In 1972 Atari released Pong, considered the first commercially successful video game. Think about that for a moment! How boring life must have been in 1972 for some people that THIS blew their minds:

GIF courtesy of Atari & some poor soul over on Reddit's r/gaming who sincerely believes that Pong "holds up surprisingly well."

• Birthday lemon meringue pies all around for: Philosopher, academic, abolitionist, and women's rights advocate Amos Alcott of "being Louisa May's dad" fame (1799), novelist, poet, abolitionist, and suffragist Louisa May Alcott of Little Women and "being Amos's daughter" fame (1832), educator & politician Nellie Tayloe Ross, who was the first woman to be governor of a U.S. state (1876), famed director and choreographer Busby Berkeley (1895), British novelist, poet, and critic C.S. Lewis of The Chronicles of Narnia fame (1898), pianist & composer Billy Strayhorn of "Take the 'A' Train" and "Lush Life" fame (1915), author & poet Madeleine L'Engle of A Wrinkle In Time fame (1918), legendary Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers sportscaster Vin Scully (1927), English singer-songwriter & guitarist John Mayall (1933), comedy icon Garry Shandling of The Larry Sanders Show fame (1949), filmmaker Joel Coen of "the Coen brothers" fame (1954), Canadian comedian and TV host Howie Mandel of Gremlins, St. Elsewhere, Bobby's World, and Deal or No Deal fame (1955), actor Andrew McCarthy of Pretty In Pink, St. Elmo's Fire, Less Than Zero, and Weekend At Bernie's fame (1962), actor Don Cheadle of Boogie Nights, The Ocean's Trilogy, Hotel Rwanda, and Iron Man 2 fame (1964), actress & comedian Ellen Cleghorne of Saturday Night Live fame (1965), and actor Chadwick Boseman of Black Panther and 42 fame (1976)

• Pour one out for: actress Natalie Wood of Miracle on 34th Street, Rebel Without a Cause, and West Side Story fame (d. 1981), English-American actor Cary Grant of North by Northwest, To Catch a Thief, and Father Goose fame (d. 1986), English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer George Harrison of "being The Quiet One in The Beatles" fame (d. 2001), and comedian Patrice O'Neal (d. 2011)

Now on to the amusing links!

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1. 🐈 Who needs therapy when we have cats?

Josh from Boredwalk's creator team shares his cheat code to improving his mental health, and it's adorable!

For more LOLs from our team be sure to follow us on our OG social accounts such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and/or Facebook.

2. 🌶️ Sure, this fun mash-up of videographic transmogrification is cool...

...but what I REALLY want to know is where creator Nico Sobolewski got his hands on that bottle of sriracha in late 2023?!

3. ☕ WTF happened to Mary-Kate Olsen?!

She just vibrated into a higher plane of existence thanks to drinking ALL the coffee. This short form vid is a little older, but it's new to me, and Elaine Carroll really nailed this impression.

4. 🥹 These miniature dioramas are breathtakingly adorable!

Operating as A House of Wonders, crafter Caroline Dewison creates handmade miniature dioramas and teeny tiny dollhouse kits that are the most whimsical things I've seen all week (and I spent most of the weekend cuddling a sleeping cat)!

5. 🍄 No one, I think, is in Ellard DeVane's tree

As an artist I love a lot of different forms of creative work, but two in particular that — for me, anyway — go together like peanut butter & chocolate (or whichever food pairing makes YOUR taste buds sing) are psychedelia and stop motion animation. 

Visual artist Ellard DeVane successfully weds the two with his clay slicing animations, and I very much look forward to pulling up his YouTube channel next time I want throw on some Slowdive or Wand or Holy Wave tracks and space out on the couch for a spell.

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OK! We'll be back here in your inbox on Friday with more nonsense holidays to dissect, more notable birthdays (and maybe even some notable deathdays!) to celebrate, and more witty content in general. Until then...

Peace, love, and lemony feminism,

Matt

JUST HOURS LEFT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR LAST BIG SALE OF 2023!

Happy Bavarian Cream Pie Day! If you are moved by the spirit, I hope you get to consume one in part or in whole.

It is also National Brand Day. Hey, Boredwalk is a brand! What's more, it's a brand celebrating Cyber Monday!

However, I was too carbohydrate comatose to be bothered to create new discount codes for the same offers as Friday, so they are the same. The only major difference is that now instead of having FOUR days to use those codes, you have less than 24 hours! 

NOW THROUGH 11:59PM TONIGHT GET:

• 10% OFF $50+ orders with code FRIDAY10

• 15% OFF $75+ orders with code FRIDAY15

• 20% OFF $200+ orders AND FREE U.S. shipping AND a free spiral notebook* (while they last!) with code FRIDAY20 

*Notebook will be added to your cart once the $200 threshold is reached

Cyber Monday: Like Regular Monday, but more futuristic!

GIF courtesy Portlandia / IFC

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Alright! Let's start the week off with some notable events and famous birthdays from November 27ths of yore! If you are among the birthday celebrants today, happy birthday!

• In 1895 Swedish inventor, businessman, and philanthropist Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament, setting aside his estate to establish the Nobel Prize after his passing

• In 1924 the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was held in New York City

• In 1978 San Francisco mayor George Moscone and city supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated by former city supervisor Dan White

• Birthday Bavarian cream pies all around for: Drummer, songwriter, and producer Al Jackson, Jr. of Stax Records and Booker T. & The MGs fame (1934), American-Chinese actor, martial artist, and screenwriter Bruce Lee (1940), singer-songwriter & guitarist Jimi Hendrix (1942), actor, singer, and producer Curtis Armstrong of Moonlighting, Risky Business, and Better Off Dead fame (1953), composer Richard Stone of Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, and Pinky and The Brain fame (1953), engineer, educator, and TV host Bill Nye (1955), actor Fisher Stevens of Short Circuit, Hackers, and Early Edition fame (1963), actress Robin Givens of Boomerang, Head of the Class, and Riverdale fame (1964), rapper Jean Grae (1976), and actor Jaleel White of Family Matters fame (1976)

• Pour one out for: English mathematician and computer scientist Ada Lovelace (d. 1852), naval lieutenant, politician, and LGBTQ activist Harvey Milk (d. 1978), acting family patriarch and honorary Monster Club member John Carradine (d. 1988), and actor David White, who played Darrin's annoying and manipulative boss Larry Tate on Bewitched (d. 1990)

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OK, that's it for this email! We'll be back here in your inbox on Wednesday with some more random holidays to observe, more historical tidbits to acknowledge, amusing links to fun content to get you through the week! Until next time...

Peace, love, and cyber-pies,

Matt