Archiving Australia with Efficient Space for Ace Reader¹

“He grew up on homegrown music himself, living in a suburb five minutes from what was then the country’s only vinyl factory, Corduroy Records and Detective Agency (‘like Willy Wonka’), hanging out while bands like Detroit’s The Dirtbombs cut live sets that were promptly pressed (‘a bugged out experience’) and being the best unofficial employee around (‘a pretty debaucherous time — it’s no surprise the business went bust in the end’).”¹

Esty Lives Out Her Kaleidoscopic Dreams for Ace Reader²

“Plushies. Handfuls of plushies shaped like stars, frogs, small bears, even smaller bears and other little doe-eyed animals are hot-glued to Esty’s bedroom wall. It was a project she took on during the pandemic to bring the unadulterated happiness of dozens of tiny toy smiles into her space. “In my room, I make sure there’s bright colors,” Esty says. The outlook has carried over to her wardrobe too, a decision to sport the rainbow that struck last year. “Colorful things make me happy so I’m going to wear the most color I can get away with,” she says. While her references run all over, Esty’s currently taking sartorial cues from the early aughts cartoon, Totally Spies!, which she describes as the whole groovy aesthetic plus futuristic undertones. And honestly, there may not be a better way to explain Esty as a whole.”²

How to Sculpt a Life-Size Cow From Butter, and Other Lessons From a Professional Butter Artist for Bon Appétit³

“The request to sculpt a stranger’s head out of butter was one Sarah Pratt would have usually turned down. But it was for a surprise birthday party. Thrown for an aspiring Minnesotan dairy princess! A dream the woman had since childhood! And she had curly hair!”³

The Shirley Temple Never Grows Up, and That’s Good for Imbibe Magazine⁴

“As Franklin D. Roosevelt famously declared to a Depression-embattled United States in 1935, “As long as our country has Shirley Temple, we will be all right.” And maybe the message still stands: The drink’s resistance to growing up is precisely why it’s endured. Especially during times like these, it offers hope for maraschino cherry-cheer and optimism worth holding on to.”⁴

Honey Mama's Cacao-Nectar Bars Have Replaced All the Other Chocolate in My Life for Bon Appétit⁵

“Perforated like a Kit-Kat but with three uneven segments, the bar within was a harmonious six-way marriage between Dutch-processed cocoa, raw honey, unrefined coconut oil, coconut meat, Himalayan pink salt, and Oregon-grown peppermint. 100 percent nutrient-rich and 1000 percent sublime, my first bite made clear that Honey Mama’s and I would be monogamous for a long time. Goodbye forever, other lesser chocolate bars.”⁵

How 'Sex and the City' Ruined the Cosmo for VICE⁶

“Vodka-based drinks once ruled the cocktail kingdom. The spirit was always down to party and perfectly complemented the Technicolor cocktails that dominated the 20th century’s close. Nowhere is this bygone era of drinking better memorialized than in Sex and the City’s co-opting of the Cosmopolitan: “I’d like a cheeseburger, please, large fries, and a Cosmopolitan,” per Carrie Bradshaw’s McDonald's order.”⁶

Eat Cowboy Steaks at this 19th-Century Desert Shack for VICE⁷

“You have to try to get here,” Angel says, “In a day and age where everything is so readily available, I think people like the idea of an adventure coming out here.” Adventure is no understatement. Driving out to the three-room restaurant, I steeled myself behind the wheel as I swerved first past a coyote, then a wolf, and then an entire field of wide-eyed antelope ambling worrisomely close to the road.”⁷

On Disenchantment, Simpsons’ Creator Matt Groening Goes Medieval for Portland Monthly⁸

“If you’re walking past Lincoln High School and happen to look down, chances are you’ll see someone you know. On a cement slab roughly the dimensions of an oversize skateboard stands one Bart Simpson: his spiky hair halfway to heaven, arms outstretched, mouth open, as if delivering a hearty “Eat my shorts!”
Proof is hard to come by, but this sidewalk sketch is rumored to be the handiwork of Simpsons creator and Lincoln ’72 grad Matt Groening, rendered in tribute to his alma mater…”⁸