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There’s no shortage of advice for getting through difficult times. Unfortunately, most of that advice is either painfully unrealistic or reeks of toxic positivity. Solid advice that is both helpful and comforting is hard to come by, which is why this advice is going viral for all the right reasons.

The advice comes from Elena Mikhalkova—or rather her Mikhalkova’s grandmother—and it goes like this:

My grandmother once gave me a tip:

In difficult times, you move forward in small steps.

Do what you have to do, but little by little.

Don’t think about the future, or what may happen tomorrow.

Wash the dishes.

Remove the dust.

Write a letter.

Make a soup.

You see?

You are advancing step by step.

Take a step and stop.

Rest a little.

Praise yourself.

Take another step.

Then another.

You won’t notice, but your steps will grow more and more.

And the time will come when you can think about the future without crying.

Can we all just pause for a minute to take a deep breath and maybe wipe the tears from our eyes? Because I don’t know about you, but this advice is just what I’ve needed to read almost every day lately.

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I suspect I’m not alone in this either because Mikhalkova’s advice is being shared all over the internet.

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With COVID-19 raging again and many of us (dare I say, all of us?) struggling with one thing or another, this quote hits. Unlike the clichéd “one foot in front of another” advice that can seem both demeaning and overwhelming, this advice offers concrete steps to take.

Wash the dishes. Make soup. Rest, and praise yourself.

These are things I can do. Well, maybe not soup, per se. But cookies. I can make cookies. And maybe you can make soup. Or knit a scarf. Or sweep the kitchen floor. This is enough.

What this advice taps into that other tidbits lose sight of is that when we’re in the midst of a calamity, even the most simple and everyday tasks are more difficult. Making lunch can seem monumental and the mere thought of doing virtual school for another few weeks can make us take to our beds, sobbing in the fetal position. Advice to “look on the bright side” can be patronizing and counterproductive. This advice does none of those things but, instead, acknowledges that even a small step matters. It doesn’t dismiss the pain, but recognizes that even thinking about the future can be painful and that progress sometimes looks like making it through the day without crying

This advice also goes beyond the “sun will come out tomorrow” reminders and acknowledges that things might not be better tomorrow or the day after that. It will take time for wounds to heal and difficult times to pass, but we need not passively wait for this time to come. We can make soup, rest and be kind to ourselves.

In the early days of the pandemic, I remember feeling like there was so much more I should be doing with all this extra “at home” time. Yet I found even the most basic tasks to be more difficult. In turn, I felt guilty for not being more productive. But what I’ve learned—or rather am learning—is that allostatic load and decision fatigue are very real. Productivity looks different on different days, and sometimes being patient with ourselves is the most productive thing we can do.

Mikhalkova’s advice taps into a mantra that I often recite when I’m struggling: Just do one good thing. Unload the dishwasher. Return an email. Fold the laundry. Hug my kids. Then do the next good thing. Eventually these things add up. Time passes and small steps turn into something bigger.

What I love most about Mikhalkova’s advice—and what is easy to forget in difficult times—is the reminder to praise ourselves along the way. Because sometimes that pat on the back we need the most is our own.

This article originally appeared on 02.07.22

Christine Organ is a writer who lives in the Chicago area with her husband, two sons, and rescue dog. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram.

Brian Cox sure is opinionated. If he doesn’t like you — or if he doesn’t like the acting approach you use — he’ll say it publicly. Even if he profoundly admires you, he might say the opposite. Just ask Meryl Streep.

As caught by Entertainment Weekly, the erstwhile Logan Roy did one of Variety’s “Actors on Actors” sit-downs with Emily Blunt. Fun fact: The two have worked together once, on the 2005 BBC biopic The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes & Arthur Conan Doyle. Cox, meanwhile, has never acted with Queen Meryl. Blunt has, thrice. Cox was clearly jealous and shared an anecdote that is very him.

“I met her once, and I said, ‘I never liked you.’ And she went, ‘What?’” Cox told Blunt. “I said, ‘I never liked you because I was jealous.’ How can anybody be that good?”

They then discussed one of the films in which Blunt acted alongside Streep: The Devil Wears Prada. (They also appear in Into the Woods and Mary Poppins Returns.) Is Cox too cool for Prada, in which Blunt plays the more seasoned assistant to Streep’s Anna Wintour stand-in? Nope.

“I loved it,” Cox confessed. “And to work with one of the greatest screen actresses of all time, I so envy you. One of my ambitions, before I snuff it, is to work with Meryl.”

Blunt assured Cox that he will, describing her as “amazing” but also “slightly terrifying on that film.” Blunt also recalled that Streep it was “one of the first times she’s tried Method acting. But it made her so miserable, playing Miranda.”

Of course, Cox once again weighed in on his fellow Succession alum Jeremy Strong’s acting approach (which is technically not Method, for what it’s worth).

“I’m all for whatever gets you through the day. But the great thing is how you transmit energy,” Cox explained.”If you hit it right, it just works. That’s the most important thing that we have as actors, that ability to go into something very quickly and come out of it. Not to dwell.”

That led Cox to once again both praise Strong and tell him to chill. “Strong is talented. He’s f*cking gifted,” he said. “When you’ve got the gift, celebrate the gift. Go back to your trailer and have a hit of marijuana, you know?”

Meanwhile, Cox didn’t say whether or not he’d finally watched that bombshell Succession capper.

(Via Variety and EW)

I love boba milk tea. Like, to an unhealthy, perhaps-obsessive degree. Not only do I try and make a point of having a drink loaded up with boba at minimum once a week (at one point even going as far as having boba every day — don’t do this!) but I’m intimately familiar with most boba tea shops in the greater Los Angeles area. Name a neighborhood in LA (hell, throw in the OC too) and I’ll point you in the direction of the best boba shop to spend your money at.

We can even go granular here — do you like powder-based milk tea or the real brewed stuff? Do you have a preference re: boba size? Do you want to add aloe or lychee to your drink? I’m telling you, I’m obsessed.

So when I found out that Jack in the Box was adding boba to the menu I was intrigued. Notice, I didn’t say “excited,” because adding boba to a menu as an afterthought rarely goes well. Boba tea shops do it well, but restaurants, smoothie shops, and fast food joints jumping onto a trend tend to disappoint. Even between boba shops, the quality can vary widely — so I wouldn’t say my expectations for Jack in the Box’s boba drinks were high, exactly.

Still, I was certainly going to try the stuff and report back to you. I sampled Jack’s iced coffee, vanilla shake, and milk teas — each loaded up with brown sugar boba. Check mt review of each below.

Jack in the Box Boba Review

Price: $6.24 (Vanilla Boba Shake), $4.74 (Iced Coffee Boba), $4.74 (Milk Tea Boba)

Tasting Notes:

In terms of what boba drinks Jack in the Box offers, all three are in line with what you might find at a typical boba tea shop. The Vanilla shake is a bit of an outlier — usually tea shops have more interesting blended drinks, like matcha, red bean, taro, or something fruit based — but the iced coffee and milk tea are tried and true standards. So good on Jack in the Box for not doing some weird sh*it like giving us boba-infused Red Bull fountain drinks.

Since the boba is the same in all three drinks, I’m going to talk about the flavors of the drink themselves and then talk about the boba at the very end. Let’s start with the shake! The Vanilla shake is JiB’s stock vanilla shake base with a layer of brown sugar boba at the bottom of the cup, topped with whipped topping. Presumably, JiB can also make an Oreo Shake with Boba — why they don’t seem to think that’s an obvious winner is beyond me!

The shake is delicious, it’s thick and creamy, like a drinkable version of vanilla soft serve. Jack in the Box makes great shakes, this is the foundation that all of those shakes are built on, so unsurprisingly it’s good. The brown sugar syrup the boba lives in also adds a nice earthy molasses character to the shake when it works its way up the straw. I’d suggest stabbing the shake a few times with the straw to distribute some of that syrup throughout the shake.

Let’s talk about the coffee. JiB’s coffee isn’t great — it’s a bit watery. There are hints of roasted coffee flavor, but overall it mostly comes across as dull and characterless. Most of the flavor comes from the sweet cream and vanilla syrup that is added to the drink.

Overall, it’s way too sweet, and the brown sugar from the boba makes it even sweeter. Hard pass on this one for me!

JiB’s milk tea features a mix of freshly brewed black tea, sweetened cream, and vanilla. That’s in keeping with most of the milk tea you’ll find at specialty boba shops, the drinks tend to be sweetened with some sort of non-dairy creamer rather than actual milk. Actual milk tea exists, and it tastes luxurious and rich, albeit a bit less sweet. Having said that, I’m not going to hold it against JiB for not using actual milk here.

Flavorwise, I’m surprised by the quality of the tea. It really does taste freshly brewed, it has a soft non-bitter flavor with some caramelized, nutty, and roasted qualities. It tastes more like Oolong tea than straight black. The sweet cream and vanilla are a bit much though, all of that natural tea flavor is drowned out here by the intense vanilla-focused sweetness. I’ve certainly had worse milk tea, but considering JiB’s tea is so flavorful, I think a less heavy hand pouring the cream and vanilla would serve the drink better.

Now we have to talk about the boba, which JiB totally fumbled. As you may have noticed in the above photos, none of the drinks were served with a wide boba straw. That wasn’t for lack of trying, I asked the drive-thru employee if they had boba straws available, and they told me regular straws were all they had. Now, judging from JiB’s promotional photos which show a different straw, that seems to be a location-specific issue, so I won’t hold it against them, but be warned that you may not always have access to a boba straw.

Oddly enough, that’s a blessing in disguise. Once I fished out a few boba with a spoon I instantly regretted it. This is hands down the worst boba I’ve ever had. I’ve had my fair share of bad boba, and a lot can go wrong with boba. It can be stale, over or under-boiled, under-sweetened — I’d take any of those over what I experience at JiB. The boba here was hard and almost crunchy. Great boba is soft and squishy. Chewy, but not laboriously so, the best stuff almost melts in your mouth. This boba had the texture of a refrigerated gummy bear.

The boba is also suspended in way too much brown sugar syrup, leaving a puddle of mushy sweetness at the bottom of your drink. That works in the shake’s favor, but for every other drink, it ruins the experience.

The Bottom Line:

The worst part of JiB’s new boba drinks is the boba itself and that’s a major problem. You may find yourself tempted to add a milk tea or a boba shake to your usual order just because of the convenience and novelty but resist that urge. Especially if you’ve never tried actual boba from a proper boba tea shop. Because if this is your first experience with boba you’ll never understand what the hype is all about.

Find your nearest Jack in the Box here.

Vinyl Me, Please have a lot in store this year. Earlier this month, the label shared the new VMP Rock selections, featuring The Strokes, Sublime, and more. Now, they’ve announced the 18th edition of VMP Anthology: The Story of Waylon Jennings.

The collection will feature eight albums: Lonesome, On’ry and Mean (1973), This Time (1974), The Ramblin’ Man (1974), Dreaming My Dreams (1975), Are You Ready for the Country (1976), Ol’ Waylon (1977), I’ve Always Been Crazy (1978), and Leather and Lace (with Jessi Colter, 1981). It’ll be limited to 1,000 copies. It’s available now and shipping this fall.

“After we did our VMP Anthology devoted to Willie Nelson (The Story of Willie Nelson), I knew immediately that our next country-focused box needed to be focused on Waylon,” said Andrew Winistorfer, Story of Waylon Jennings executive producer and liner notes writer, and VMP Senior Director of Music and Editorial. “So many of his albums haven’t been reissued in forever, and the copies you can find in record stores are among the most beloved, played, and ultimately beat up records you can find. I wanted to present arguably the best run of studio albums in country music history in this audiophile, high-quality way, and it’s been an honor to work on this project with Waylon’s estate to try to capture Waylon’s essence and wild mercurial sound in just eight albums in a box set. I think we’ve done it.”

Find more information here.

Donald Trump may have celebrated his second arraignment — and his first over a federal indictment — by hobnobbing at a local Miami eatery, but he’s not taking things lightly. The former president knows he faces serious jail time. Indeed, were he found guilty on all 71 (!!) currently charges against him — with more likely en route — he would receive a staggering 400-year sentence. Trump is so worried about his gloomy future that he’s even morbidly fundraising off it.

As per Mediaite, the Trump team sent out a fundraising email around the time he and his Diet Coke guy, Walt Nauta, were scheduled to be arraigned in Miami.

“Friend, Reports state that I could receive a maximum sentence of 400 YEARS IN PRISON despite being a totally and completely innocent man,” the email began.

It continued, in a vein at once grim and overwrought:

I honestly cannot believe I just typed those words to you.

It sounds like something Stalin or Mao did to eliminate their opposition.

But instead, it’s happening here in America. Communism has finally come to our shores.

We are no longer living in the country of Washington and Lincoln.

For the first time in American history, the federal government has used its prosecutorial powers to charge the leading opponent of the current regime.

While today is certainly grim and dark, do NOT lose faith!

As I said once before…

“With a dark cloud over our beloved country, I have no doubt, nevertheless, that we will Make America Great Again.”

It ended with Trump begging for money: “Please make a contribution to peacefully stand with me and SAVE the greatest country in history – for 1,500% impact.”

The language in the email hinted at one of the angles Trump and company are using to defend him, namely that the government was coming after him because he’s Joe Biden’s likely opponent in the 2024 election — not that he may have committed some truly bizarre crimes.

(Via Mediaite)

On Tuesday, Donald Trump underwent his second-ever arraignment. He’s starting to put together a playbook on how to handle them, which is good for him because he probably has more indictments on the docket. After pleading guilty, he did what he sometimes does after a daytime rally: He went to a local eatery and hobnobbed with the common folk. It’s not because he wants to hang with everyday people; it’s all a stunt. And CNN’s Jake Tapper wasn’t having it.

Like many news outlets, the struggling 24-hour network showed a post-arraignment Trump visiting Versailles, an iconic restaurant in Miami’s Little Havana. It was the day before the former president’s birthday, and patrons were there to ring in the big day, as well as treat him not like an indicted crook but as a hero who could always run for office from jail.

CNN showed the visit for a bit, but once they cut away, Tapper was adamant that they not return.

“To the folks in the control room, I don’t need to see any more of that,” Tapper instructed the staff. “He’s trying to turn it into a spectacle and into a campaign ad. That is enough of that. We’ve seen it already.”

Tapper wasn’t the only one who wasn’t into abetting Trump’s “spectacle.” Over at MSNBC, Niccole Wallace said much the same thing: “We don’t need to see that anymore, we know where he is.”

Though Trump is starting to figure out how to handle being arraigned, it’s still not going well for him. He’s struggling to find a criminal attorney to represent him, thanks in part to his history of burning lawyers, but he did find a solid Plan B: He sent a real estate attorney to go on TV and mount a defense.

(Via The Daily Beast)

Whether you’re navigating and traversing the country in pursuit of the perfect burger, sipping on some award-winning bourbon, or planning your next National Park adventure, all roads lead to one sign: Summer is here. And what better way to kick off the beach and poolside season than with a festival? More specifically, how about Splash House? From June 9-11, festival-goers got to experience an action-packed all-out Summer Vibe in the SoCal desert.

For over a decade, Splash House has been at the forefront of innovation, delivering a boutique vibe, cutting-edge music, and an unwavering community, and this year was no different. The festival delivered some funk-driven nostalgia with DJ sets by Chromeo and The Knocks, along with the iconic house anthems of Armand Van Helden. Rising stars Cloonee and DJ Susan were back in the mix, and Green Velvet set the dance floor ablaze — not to mention mind-blowing debuts from Chelina Manuhutu, Nic Fanciulli, Gordo, Matt Sassari, Dennis Ferrer, and Riva Starr.

Splash House has evolved into one of North America’s most sought-after dance music festivals while staying true to the allure of Palm Springs (imagine vast desert landscapes merging with fashion-forward crowds and a stellar music lineup). When the sun set, the party only continued at the Palm Springs Air Museum, with party people dancing under the stars, piloted by Grammy-winning German producer Purple Disco Machine and GORDO.

But it didn’t stop there. Included with festival passes were additional package perks like a three-night stay at one of the three host resorts. With poolside access, these lucky ravers got to catch artists from their balconies and dive into the dance floor. In short, this was essentially a sensory wonderland where music, style, and community collided for an unparalleled summer experience that left everyone buzzing.

Check all the photos down below:

I’m often asked, “What whiskey do you recommend?” Hey, it comes with the job. My answer is almost always the same. “Go to the best liquor store or whiskey bar in town and grab a barrel pick from your favorite brand or brands.” Barrel picks have become the gold standard of relatively easy-to-find, affordable, and delicious limited-edition whiskies. A good bourbon or rye barrel pick (or scotch for that matter) will be the prime cut from a fan-favorite or brand-new brand. It’s always special and almost always slaps. You can’t lose.

But what is a barrel pick and who’s actually doing them? I asked a good friend from Blue Run Spirits — the brand behind some of the most elite and alluring bourbons and ryes of the past couple of years — to help me answer just that.

Trey Wade is a long-standing veteran of the famed Black Bourbon Society. More recently, this whiskey thought leader accepted a full-time role at Blue Run as their Chief Experience Curator for the brand’s Private Barrel Program. That means that Wade is the man behind the barrel picks for one of the most sought-after barrel pick programs in the game right now.

Before we dive into Wade’s interview, let’s get a little foundation here. A “barrel pick” is a single barrel release that companies/brands allocate for their most devoted accounts and charities related to those accounts. Also, most brands — big, small, heritage, and new — will have a consumer-facing barrel pick program wherein the average whiskey fan can buy a barrel pick for a hefty price tag (think $10k and up, folks). These usually come with on-site distillery experience along with a tasting session with the distiller or blender.

For this conversation, we’re mostly talking about the former since that’s where Blue Run is right now (it’s a very new and growing company). Wade and I are talking about how that special barrel pick lands on the shelf at your local liquor store or whiskey bar. If you spy a Blue Run barrel pick out in the wild, Wade was certainly the person who curated that juice to get into that exact bottle — so he’s the perfect guy to break down exactly how that all happens.

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Let’s talk about how you got into whiskey.

So, pretty similar to how I feel like a lot of people, you know, truthfully started getting into whiskey or any spirit — I started as a curious consumer, right? There are really only two paths. Either you’re in a lineage of a family brand and you work for that brand or you take a passion and you turn it into a profession. I’m on the latter side. It wasn’t until these past few years that you could really like go to school or get a degree to have a profession like this.

And so, I’m very fortunate to be well-traveled and also very fortunate to have experienced some really patient bartenders over my travels. Those bartenders have been so important and kind by helping to explain not only what a cocktail is but what’s going on behind every element of it. Patient bartenders are a rare breed and a virtuous one.

So, I’ve been pretty consistently involved in being a curious consumer.

That’s crucial. I always tell people to be curious and just ask questions — obviously when it’s appropriate to do so.

My tip is that you can always catch somebody on, like, a Tuesday when they’re not exactly looking at the weekend again and they’re not still hung over from the past weekend again. A good bartender is gonna give you the actual little extra love and just lay into kind of the experience, which is huge to me right now. The experience you have around eating or drinking is huge, right?

Absolutely.

So let’s talk a little bit about Blue Run’s Barrel Pick program because I feel like Blue Run has always been an outlier from the branding to the ethos that Mike [Montgomery, Blue Run Founder] puts down. What attracted you to a barrel pick program over a brand ambassador or cocktail-focused role?

You know, I’m super duper fortunate. This is not a role that Blue Run was necessarily doing an open call for. I’ve been attached to the brand since 2020 in a consultant position behind the scenes. So for this, I wrote my job description because I like helping with sensory and helping with understanding how our product was doing in the market. I’ve played that role since the first release of the brand. At the same time, I was involved in a number of different whiskey groups — 11 prominent groups to be specific. So it all just coalesced into this awesome gig driving Blue Run’s single barrel pick program.

With a barrel pick, there’s a common denominator no matter what the brand/style. What is the bottom line for you when thinking about barrel picks?

Long before I ever started working for Blue Run or it even existed, I was really, really focused on sensory and understanding the nuances. There are so many inputs that can change the outcome when it comes to whiskey. So I like going back and working my way into a barrel with how that barrel is seasoned and all the way back to the agricultural aspect and how and where those grains are grown and harvested. So it all started by just understanding all of those processes and then making that understandable on the consumer level.

Then when Blue Run came along, I had this opportunity to interact with the team and founders and they were on the same wavelength as me. Then, fortunately, we’ve gotten into a position where I was able to leave my day job and come and do this full-time.

It wasn’t an overnight thing. But for me to have the opportunity to bring what I think is the ideal program to the market for a brand that has already leaned into some of the things that I believe in just makes it all the better.

When I look at a barrel pick, I’m looking at: Who’s my audience? What’s the brand? Where do I find the bridge between those two things in this pick? You’re now doing that for people who’ve already bought in with Blue Run, so how do you guide people on their picks?

It’s very, very tailored. I don’t wanna overuse this word, but it’s a very “curated” experience in my opinion. I want this barrel pick to be their best experience. So the whole barrel pick experience is very targeted towards the folks who are selecting the barrel because, ultimately, they’re going to know that next layer in terms of the consumers they’re trying to attract or cater to with the barrel that they select.

How does that play out?

I start crafting the experience by looking at who’s picking the barrel and what are they accustomed to seeing in a barrel selection. You know, you can see which barrels they’ve been picking and from which brands pretty easily by just looking at what’s on their shelf. So I look at that and then figure out how can I shake that up. How can I blow their minds or help them reimagine what a barrel selection experience could look or feel like?

And look, because of COVID, which we all went through together, a lot of brands have gotten stuck in sending out samples and doing Zoom tastings. And that’s not a knock on anybody, right? We don’t have to do that anymore but now a lot of brands are stuck in that routine. We want to be as far away from that as possible.

We’re not just trying to be innovative. We’re all innovative people who come from innovative backgrounds across this whole industry. So when I look at our program, I try to make sure that the barrel selection experience is very curated and catered to the folks who are sitting at the table with me when they’re selecting their barrel.

Once you’ve figured out who is sitting next to you to do a pick, what’s really happening in the background to make that experience pop?

We’re working hard is really the easiest answer.

Going deeper, it’s really a tip-of-the-iceberg-type game, right? You’re seeing that 10% of the whole thing I’m doing. My job is to make sure our barrels are heading in the right direction while also making sure I have the right barrels for our barrel pick program. That means knowing exactly what is in each of those barrels and sensing what might be right for one customer over another. You really need a good sense of organization skills with a deep understanding of palate and profile for yourself and also what people are bringing with them.

Moreover, I’m super fortunate that we don’t have a weak link in the organization at all. Plus, we’ve partnered with Bardstown Bourbon Company and they’re all really good people too. We’re really blessed to say that we hire really well and we’ve built a really solid team. And that’s the sort of thing you’re not going to see when you pick a barrel but you’re going to taste it.

How do you balance the barrels between what you want to make available for barrel picks and the barrels you need for core expressions and new releases?

We’re working like hell to make sure that we have a healthy balance of product available for both the private barrel program and our main focuses, which is our core expressions and limited releases.

I have to always be on my toes because of how consistent we are with our LTOs [limited-time offerings]. Like we’re not a brand that plans to let off the gas. We’re going to keep putting out new inviting exciting whiskey. And that’s not just a new package, but it’s also a new flavor profile. It’s a new expression. It’s a new experience in your glass.

That then means that we’ve got to be really diligent in understanding what we have on hand, understanding what’s out in the market, and how it’s available. And then not only understanding that but understanding who else is buying barrels and gonna try to do something similar to what we’re doing.

What are you focusing on when sourcing barrels out there?

The sources are kind of limited. When they do pop up, a lot of people are going after the same barrels and there really are a lot of people out there looking to get all of them. I will say that we’re one of the few brands who are pretty bullish about being Kentucky straight whiskey only. So that eliminates a lot of barrels for us.

The beauty of it is that there’s a lot of great whiskey made in Kentucky. So we have a variety in our program that are kind of slated specifically for single barrels.

The simplistic answer is that we’re just working hard and working together to make sure that no stone goes unturned and that we stay very detail-oriented, very communication-centric, and aligned to kind of what’s going on, not just in our house but in the market.

You mentioned Bardstown Bourbon Company — which has a great team. What’s your relationship like with them and how are you working with them?

It’s a fantastic team, there’s no shying away from it. The releases we’ve built just wouldn’t have been possible without that team of people at BBC. I don’t wanna step over that before I say what I say next. The reality at the end of the day is Bardstown is not our home. It’s not our kitchen. They’re doing their own thing out there for their brand and several others. And it’s all pretty amazing.

So that begs the question, where do people go to find you and pick their barrel?

So this year I’ve built out a tour schedule where I’m going from market to market to market and scheduling with the folks who are allocated a barrel this year, and we’re selecting their barrel face-to-face on their turf. Then there are other larger-scale events where I’m doing multiple barrel selections day-by-day or over a weekend.

That’s a ton of travel.

I just rolled into Augusta literally 30 minutes ago! I have a number of barrel selections that will happen during The Masters at one of the executive clubs that we’re working with here. Basically, we’re combining our barrel picks for our clients with a huge event to create this cool extra layer to the pick with some Masters exclusive merchandise and the whole experience of being here for a Super Bowl-level event in golf.

This all sort of brings me to the last question about the destination — your own “kitchen” if you will. There’s a huge distillery in the works in Georgetown, Kentucky. I’m guessing you must be gearing toward running barrel picks there in the near future. How’s it going so far?

As much as that announcement has created a lot of buzz, man, there’s still a good bit to be figured out. The footprint that you saw in that rendering is probably 85 to 90% exactly what’s gonna happen.

Plus, Georgetown is a great space. We’re gonna be right across from a little brewery called Country Boy Brewing. We’re not too far from the large Toyota plant there. And, you know, it’s just a prime opportunity for us to bring people into a space that’s kind of right between Louisville and Lexington. You can make a stop on your way to Lexington or way back into Louisville and you’re gonna find really great things to do at our distillery.

I imagine it’ll bring in a lot of local business in the local area as well.

I’m excited about the partnerships that we’re forging. You know, that space hands down is gonna be a Blue Run space, but it’s not gonna be just about us. We’re absolutely working in partnerships where you get there and you see other things and business that just butterflies out and gives us the opportunity to put a stake in the ground and there to say like here’s what we look like and here’s what home is for us.

The Rocky franchise continued earlier this year without its former leading man, Sylvester Stallone, as (of course) Rocky Balboa. Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut, Creed III, came out swinging and recently hit streaming, so you might be jonesing for more knockouts. From there, you can count your boxer blessings because the gloves are back on for a similarly themed movie about a real-life legend in the ring.

Big George Foreman charts its subject’s humble beginnings to Olympic glory and onto being one of the heaviest hitters of all time. Not only that, but he returned to the ring (later in life) around the time that he launched his famous line of grills that your brother probably used at some point during college. The film stars Khris Davis as the bullied younger George, who defends himself from attacks with surprising heft. In doing so, he attracts the attention of coach Doc Broadus (Forest Whitaker), and together, they made magic happen.

Currently, the film is available for purchase on Amazon Prime and VOD platforms. The rental phase will begin on June 27. From the film’s synopsis:

From Olympic Gold medalist to World Heavyweight champion, boxer George Foreman leads a remarkable life. He finds his faith, retires and becomes a preacher. When financial hardship hits his family and church, George steps back in the ring and regains the championship at age 45, becoming the oldest heavyweight champion in boxing history.

Big George Foreman will be rentable on June 27.

Arjun Mahadevan gave the world a gift when he crowdsourced the best “life pro tips” from nearly 22 million people. He shared the top 20 in a Twitter thread that’s got over 619,000 views. Mahadevan sourced the tips from the Life Pro Tips subforum on Reddit, which has been running since 2010.

Mahadevan is the CEO of doolaHQ which he calls the “business-in-a-box” for LLCs.

Mahadevan labeled his advice “20 life tips you wish you knew when you were 20,” but they are helpful for everyone regardless of age. They’re useful for anyone who is in a relationship, has a job or wants to stay sane in an aggravating world.

Many ideas involve reframing how we judge others to see them with more compassion. Mahadevan also has some advice for professionals to prevent them from making embarrassing mistakes or wasting other people’s time.

Sometimes the simplest change in behavior or perspective can drastically affect our lives. Here are Arjun Mahadevan’s 20 life tips you wish you knew when you were 20:

u201cMost life hacks suck. n nSo I crowdsourced the best from 21.9 million people on Reddit.nnHere are 20 life tips you wish you knew when you were 20:u201d

— Arjun Mahadevan (Mr. LLC ud83cuddfaud83cuddf8) (@Arjun Mahadevan (Mr. LLC ud83cuddfaud83cuddf8))
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1. “If you’re stuck on an annoying call, put your phone on airplane mode instead of just hanging up. The other person will see ‘call failed’ instead of ‘call ended.'”

2. “When you sign up for anything online, put the website’s name as your middle name. That way when you receive spam/advert emails, you will know who sold your info.”

3. “Always tell a child who is wearing a helmet how cool you think their helmet is. It will encourage them to always wear it in the future.”

4. “When you don’t have all the facts, try to give people the most generous reason you can for their behavior. Annoyingly slow driver? Maybe it’s a mom with a birthday cake in the back. This mindset will gradually make you less reactive and more compassionate.”

5. “Do not try to be the man your father would want you to be. Be the man you would like your son to be. It more clearly defines your own convictions, desires, goals and motivates you to be your best.”

6. “When a friend is upset, ask them one simple question before saying anything else: ‘Do you want to talk about it or do you want to be distracted from it?'”

7. “After a bad breakup, do 10 things that your ex would never do with you. You’ll feel better and realize how much of yourself was being held back.”

8. “Before you give your child a unique name, try it out first. Use it on food orders, reservations, appointments where applicable, etc. It’ll give you a glimpse of what they’ll deal with when they’re older and could prevent future issues.”

9. “If you need to cancel a hotel reservation but are unable to because of a 24-hour policy, call the company and move your reservation to a later date. Call back within a few days and cancel for no charge.”

10. “If you tell someone you need to talk to them, for the love of God give some indication of what you need to talk about, or at least that it’s not bad news.”

11. “Never send a work email when you’re emotionally compromised. Type it up, save it as a draft, and walk away. Ideally, sleep on it. You’ll make a smarter choice when you’re not heated.”

12. “Don’t just let kids win at games. You can slow it down, you can teach them strategy, but keep it real. Someday, they will beat you fair and square, and it will be a moment they always remember with pride.”

13. “When cooking things on aluminum foil, first scrunch the foil up, then lay it loosely flat again out on your baking tray. The juices will stay put—and the food will not stick to the foil half as much, if at all.”

14. “If you think of a good idea, write it down. Your brain will try to trick you into thinking you will remember it later, but it’s a liar! Therefore: Write it down!”

15. “It takes 4 minutes a day and almost no cost to maintain dental hygiene. It takes a lifetime and a lot of money to correct it. 2-minute brush and mouthwash in the AM, 2-minute brush and floss in the PM.”

16. “Don’t wait until you have ‘time’ to start a fitness program. Because then when you get busy again, you’ll stop. The best time to start is actually when you’re busy. Learning how to fit it in when time’s are tough means you’ll stick with it over the long haul.”

17. “When using text messages or IMs for business, say everything you need to say in the first message. Don’t just say ‘hi’ or ‘hey’ or ‘are you there’ or ‘are you busy.'”

18. “Instead of feeling that you’ve blown the day and thinking, ‘I’ll get back on track tomorrow, think of each day as a set of four quarters:

• Morning• Midday• Afternoon• Evening

If you blow one quarter, you get back on track for the next quarter.”

19. “Many problems in marriage are really just problems with being a bad roommate. Learn how to be a good roommate, and it will solve many of the main issues that plague marriages. This includes communicating about something bothering you before you get too angry.”

20. “Ask yourself ‘what does it matter to me’ the next time you find yourself judging someone for their clothing or hobbies. The more you train yourself to not care about the personal preferences of other people, the more relaxed and nicer you become as a person.”

This article originally on appeared 3.31.23