3 Articles Worth Reading #34
Climbing, Coachella, and Mattresses
Good morning! I hope you all had an excellent weekend - I know I did. Spring has sprung in Boston, and the long-awaited outdoor activities have arrived, along with lots of good food!
On Friday, I made Nadia and myself a sort of chicken marsala. While I don’t know if you could call it a true marsala, I did sauté some chicken breasts in a reduction of sherry, chicken stock, onions, and garlic. Add some mashed potatoes and asparagus, and it’s like we’re dining in the North End!1 Highly recommend; it was good enough that it’s been added to the rotation.
Then, on Saturday, it was somehow 80 degrees. I wore shorts out for what must’ve been the first time since October, and we trekked across Brighton to get lunch at a pub with outdoor seating. Adventuring outside was so nice that we didn’t really mind the huge hills, although we were exhausted by the time we made it back to the apartment, and I definitely got a little sunburnt.
We even got to enjoy what will hopefully be the first of several grill sessions this year. Everything was delicious (big props to Nate for making his restaurant-quality macaroni and cheese), but I think the star of the show was the discount steak I picked up for the group to split. Maybe it was cause I let it rest for so long, or maybe it’s because i grilled it with a bit of butter spread on one side, but it was absolutely one of the best steaks I’ve ever made.
With that, onto the articles:
'I found your dad': The mystery of a missing climber - Ryan Hockensmith, ESPN
I mostly visit ESPN for basketball scores and NBA updates, but, every so often, they remind me that they are capable of some truly fascinating long-form work. In this case, an American climber happens upon the corpse of another man, Bill Stampfi, while descending a Peruvian mountain. Stampfi’s body was perfectly preserved in the freezing climate, including his clothing and his wallet. The article examines Stampfi’s life and the impact of his discovery on the family that had been waiting for closure for decades. It’s a bittersweet tale, but one that I’m very glad I read.
The Buy Now, Pay Later Boom At Coachella, Signs Of Stretched Wallets - Jack Kelly, Forbes
Apparently, more than 60% of Coachella attendees purchased their ticket using Buy Now, Pay Later. For the uninitiated, this is a sort of short-term loan where you pay off a purchase in installments. In this case, Coachella attendees paid $44 upfront and a $40 fee to spread the rest of the $600 payment over several months. Forbes is suggesting that this is a sign of a “YOLO Economy”, where young people are willing to pay more than they can afford for experiences. My take is that this is a sign of a “TikTok Economy”, where social media clips create the sense that these huge designer events are can’t-miss and worth the overpay. In reality, who knows if the influencers would even think Coachella was worth attending if their expenses weren’t covered by sponsors. Would love to hear from anyone who’s actually attended Coachella or something similar to get their take!
WOULD YOU LIKE TO BUY A MATTRESS? | PRETTY GOOD, EPISODE 19 - Jon Bois, Secret Base
Bois is back with videos that have less and less to do with sports, while somehow managing to be funnier and funnier. If you have 30 minutes to sit down and try to understand the scale of marketing ridiculousness achieved by at least one poorly managed company, this video is for you. You could interpret the content as a commentary on junk mail, on marketing automation, or even on gentrification and rising housing prices, but I think it’s an exercise in scale. Jon simply wanted us to comprehend the true, vast magnitude of mattress sales emails he was receiving from one company, and the message was delivered. This is the most bizarre thing you’ll watch this week, but you’ll enjoy it!
Have a great week, everyone!
Boston’s Italian district.