🤔 Sister, Sister
On the Apatow siblings, 'Love Island' BTS, European soccer stadiums at the center of your neighborhood, and lawn mower traction cables. (Jams by Maisie Peters)
Hi, gang! How’s it going? —
They really ought to give out Scout badges to homeowners. But then I’d need a vest.
This week, I replaced my lawn mower’s traction cable, the cord that propels it forward; thus, the number of random fixes I’ve learned by being a homeowner grew by one. Now, I know how to do a little work to make the lawn mower do all the work.
The most important thing to know about a broken traction cable is that you can replace it from home. I first started by unscrewing the wrong stuff. (Actually, that’s not true: I first first started by trying to Gorilla tape the cable to the lever that controls it. When that didn’t work, I had to finish mowing anyway, and only later did I unscrew some random stuff.) Then, I looked online. This YouTube user’s tutorial was my first click, helpful because it identified the target area.
The fix is easy, but I think the video skips over a couple key notes.
You’ll need to buy a new cable, but not all are the same. You’ll want to find your machine’s model number before shopping.
You’ll need a socket wrench, and specifically you’ll need an extension piece. To get to the cable, first you need to unscrew the cover (usually located by the front-left wheel). The cover is secured by four hex bolts, trickily located underneath behind the wheel and blade.
And now, the meat of this newsletter…
[🤔 THINKING] Sister, Sister
There’s an episode in ‘iCarly’ Season 2, “iReunite with Missy,” in which Carly Shay’s long-lost best friend Missy shows up on her doorstep and reveals that she’s transferred to Carly’s school. Sam, Carly’s present and accounted for best friend, fears that Missy is trying to replace her as Carly’s BFF. (She’s exactly right.)
This is the exact plot I believed was playing out in real life between two of young Hollywood’s elites, Sydney Sweeney and Olivia Rodrigo, and their “Carly” Maude Apatow, each having postured that Apatow was their best friend.
Sweeney, Maude’s ‘Euphoria’ co-star, captioned this post “my ride or die ❤️” and described their relationship to PEOPLE as “the sister I always wished I had.”
"Everyone knows that if I'm not in my trailer, I'm in Maude's or if Maude's not in hers, she's in mine.”
Read a certain way, those are fightin’ words! But do they carry more weight than Olivia Rodrigo shouting her best friend out in a GRAMMYs acceptance speech?
… I got here from memory, fully expecting to pronounce a victor.
But googling “how long have maude apatow and olivia rodrigo been friends” did not come back with the results I expected.
Because Olivia did not shout out Maude.
She shouted out Iris, Maude’s younger sister.
🤦
Here’s what happened: I knew of Maude from ‘This is 40’ and ‘GIRLS’ fame and as I watched Olivia’s speech live and heard “Iris,” Maude’s picture was the one that popped into memory. So, as I subconsciously linked Olivia to Maude, I was impressed by the idea of such a significant young Hollywood friendship. I stored that away. Then, Sydney started talking and posting and I was taken aback by Maude’s apparent prowess as a best friend. Hell, she must be the best friend of all best friends!
She showed up on tour with Olivia in Philadelphia, then in an issue of PEOPLE with Sydney, and then on Sydney’s Instagram. (Girl is so supportive!)
Turns out, the Maude in Olivia’s life was Iris. I guess I couldn’t tell them apart. (Can you?) The data tracks: Olivia and Iris are 19; Sydney and Maude are 24. These are key players in the inner circle of trending young celebs, and that’s pretty awesome.
(Side note: Maude and Iris in ‘This is 40’ are still unforgettable.)
[🎧 JAMMING] Maisie Peters
This song gives me a real spirited pep in my step, and the video is 👌.
[🤯 MIND BLOWING] Love Island, Voice of God
A new season of ‘Love Island’ (UK) is weeks away, and just recently Liberty Poole, a popular contestant last season, spilled to The Sun a few behind-the-scenes secrets about production.
Let’s rank them, from least mind-blowing to most:
When you are in the beach hut, they [the producers] ask you questions. This is standard operating procedure during reality show ITMs, so not very surprising. Generally, Poole says producers are present in the villa; in some cases, direct conversations with islanders may be caught on film but edited out.
You’ll never see us singing because you can’t have music in the show for copyright reasons. But, somehow, the show’s soundtrack is 🔥.
There is a ‘Voice of God’ that is projected on speakers, giving us instructions like ‘Islanders, go the the firepit,’ ‘Islanders, it is bed time!’ or ‘Islanders, it is time to wake up!' Just incredible.
[😍 LOVING] Location, Location, Location
This is Estadio de la Cerámica, home stadium of Villareal CF in LaLiga, Spanish soccer’s top division.
And it’s just yet another astonishing example of Europe’s soccer stadiums, unlike anything you’ll see in the U.S. It’s amazing not because it’s filled with a bunch of flashy fan amenities and huge video screens, but because of it’s literal place in history—raised within this neighborhood of the Madrigal district in Castellón, Spain.
It is still located on the same site it was inaugurated in 1923.
How can you not just stare and admire the perspective that aerial photo offers? The size the stadium has grown to, compared to the homes, apartments and businesses that surround it? These places are not moved out into the country for larger parking lots. Their identity is the neighborhood they settled in.
Thank you for reading again this week! If you liked this particular collection of mess, please consider telling someone about it.
Since I started typing, Manchester City clinched the Premier League championship in England and BLACKPINK made the cover of Rolling Stone in South Korea. In the U.S., far more horrifying and sad events.
Sometimes this country really sucks.
Take care.