The Mossletter 26
Hey Friends,
Who's ready for Fall? 🙋♂️ I don't know about you, but I'm craving cooler weather, hot tea, and ridiculous Halloween stores. I know, I know, — “Slow yer roll, Micah! It's not even October”. True true, and at least in Los Angeles — it’s still plenty hot (although to be fair, I can remember some uncomfortably-hot L.A. Halloweens in years past where I was legit-sweating in some elaborate costume). The things we do for tradition! 😅
Come to think of it, we may not have the whole "trick or treating" thing again this year, which is definitely a buzzkill — especially for our little dude who is wild about everything "slightly spooky" (but not too spooky, alright?) ☠️
Do you have any end-of-summer plans, or last-minute staycations you're trying to squeak in? Stay safe! 😎
🧠 Muse From Around The Way
Big Data
Ah, the 90’s … Simpler times … 📹
Sheer Joy
So there’s this drummer prodigy girl & — eh, just watch the video. 🥁
For The Exhibitionists
I know sometimes it feels like we take one step forward and two steps back, but hey — new art museums! 🎨
🎧 On Repeat
I recently came across Suboi, and if you’re also uninitiated — not to worry, she introduces herself on her latest album with:
I’m a young Vietnamese lady, who’s this?
Suboi drops shimmering rap / hip hop / pop, seamlessly weaving between Vietnamese and English with the greatest of ease (& it works). The synth slices a modern edge, but there’s some subtle strings & wooden pops that paint a timeless feel — a texture Western audiences will find refreshing.
The Killers are slinging some earnest diner food here. There’s definitely a darker (& imho, welcome) undercurrent to this album, a country-kinetic-pulse giving a voice to the secret things Americans do behind closed doors … Opiods, Bad Behavior, you name it — i.e. vices that are harder to kick than a stubborn mule. If you dig The Boss or Counting Crows, take this little pony for a trot around the track, just don’t go into it thinking you’re gonna get some arena-anthems out of it.
🥧 Stick It In Your Pie Hole
My Fuzzy Texas Math = 60 / 40
When I visit Texas (I used to for work, but not really anymore) my excitement pretty much has a 60 / 40 split: I'm 60% excited to travel to Austin to see my awesome friends & colleagues — and I'm 40% excited to EAT BREAKFAST TACOS.
Look, I live in L.A., and we do Mexican food (and man, do we do it well). Rarely, however, do we get to experience solid Tex-Mex, and it’s even rarer still that we get to experience good Tex-Mex of the "breakfast taco" variety. Good news, my friends — our southern-Californian nightmare is now over!
Homestate in Pasadena brings the Austin to me, and lucky for us — it does not disappoint. I tried the "Trinity", "Guadalupe" & the "Neches" tacos — and they all rocked the savory party with delicious flour tortillas handmade onsite. The rojo & verde sauces turn it up a notch, and the queso is straight-up divine.
While I have had corn-tortilla breakfast tacos in Austin, these little flour tortilla pillows of joy suit me just fine. And then there's that California obsession with artisanal ingredients: organic this, locally-grown that ... it all adds up — and it’s totally worth it.
Drop in on their chill / covered patio or grab it to go for a stellar picnic. The choice is yours, but take it from me — if you've never visited Texas, or if it's been awhile since you've enjoyed the (deceptively) simple pleasure of breakfast tacos (aka “foil-wrapped manna from heaven”) — put this one on your Los Angeles bucket list.
🍿 Popcorn Break
A little taste of magic. (:11)
🖋 Parting Words
Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.
— Corrie Ten Boom