things i think about while powerwashing 176

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WELCOME BACK TO THE NBA FINALS. I haven't been this excited about an NBA finals since the 2022 Warriors win - this is a legit battle between two teams and it's crazy to see San Antonio almost piece together a victory before absolutely blundering it into oblivion. Honestly, the last time I reacted to a play like Wemby putting the ball into the back of Stephon Castle, I think it was JR Smith in the 2018 NBA finals.

If you're confused as to what I'm talking about: the championship series of the NBA (American professional men's basketball league) is currently taking place. Over the course of a seven-game series where one team must win four games (this one is for my international homies), the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs will duel it out for the NBA championship.

The last time these two teams were competing for the championship? 1999. I wasn't even born yet. The dot com crash hadn't happened yet. There were two World Trade Centers -- there was no TSA!! Something is in the air here. People are going crazy, there's watch parties on the sidewalks. Every bar in the area is showing each finals game.

Personally this might be one of the best finals since the 2022 Warriors championship (for obvious reasons). Watching this Knicks team is beautiful. The way they pass the ball, the way Jalen Brunson is an absolute DAWG bouncing off defenders and the way the big man KAT is locking down the alleged superhuman and demigod of San Antonio Victor Wembanyama. This Knicks team is playing with both heart and psychotic obsession with finishing the job and are honestly becoming more and more of an inspiration every day for me to finish the job, to accomplish the things I set out to do.

Also I think Mike Brown is a really good coach and I'm always down to root for a Warriors alum.

Anyway that's probably enough gushing about basketball for now! Have fun everyone and be safe. KNICKS IN FOUR!!!!

museum of the week

The Thursday I was set to fly back to New York from Salt Lake City, I set out to do a little museum roundup. I hit the Land Cruiser Heritage Museum from a few editions ago, and after that took a short Uber ride to the entrance of the Pioneer Memorial Museum.

The inside of the building is made of gorgeous white marble or something like that. It felt like I was walking into an otherworldly courthouse with light streaming down from the skylight onto the hodgepodge of historical artifacts. Letters from Brigham Young, pins from the Jubilee, some of the first state flags in Utah history.

In a somewhat hilarious racist moment (which seems to happen a lot to me when I travel), when I walked into the museum the nice elderly receptionist saw me and said "ah, you must be here for the railroads." For some reason my first thought was "woah do I look like I like trains that much?" I took the map and wandered through the labyrinth, happened upon some daguerreotype cameras, saw some historic fire engines, even the exact wagon that carried Brigham Young into Salt Lake City.

It was when I finally made my way to the railroad section when it him me: she was talking about the Transcontinental Railroad. The one that was famously half-built by Chinese workers (other half from the East were Irish). Honestly kind of funny and somewhat helpful? So did not take much offense there. And to be really honest besides a replica of the golden spike that was hammered into the final railroad laid down it was kind of an underwhelming exhibit for something that has brought so much to the state.

I think I would generally not recommend this museum to anyone unless this is your first brush with pioneer culture – growing up in California I've seen my fair share of pioneer artifacts growing up. It is free though! So feel free to drop by if you're by the state capital.

anonymous subscriber news

CONGRATS ANONYMOUS SUBSCRIBER!!! I do not know which P.h. D. student you are but you have done a great job :). I hope you took some time to rest and recover!

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• anon celebrates: I just finished writing my PhD thesis!

animal of the week

Esteemed subscriber reaches into the depths of Yosemite National Park to bring us a long-tailed squirrel doing some recon. Cute little guy! Way to get a close up shot.

long ass ground squirrel seen investigating in Yosemite

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