Every Friday
The leaves haven't turned yet, but they're itching to change
ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) Relay Edition:
We’re back with a new edition of Every Friday. Somehow it’s that time again. Where the four of us async dump the latest into our shared Notion dashboard and publish on this pinterest-but-for-intellectuals platform. We’re all over the place today.
Jack is in Iowa and facing 12 hours of snacks and suffering for his big ultra-marathon. The rest of us are in: Birmingham for a show (why is this coffee shop lowk cool?), Nashville for a beer tower or two, and New York for R&R after rooftop hibachi & closing down the bar last weekend.
Not that you asked, but we do really love this project. Thanks for reading and let’s get into it.
What is the most important thing you could be working on in the world right now? And if you're not working on that, why aren't you? — Aaron Swartz
While one gets better at things over time, it doesn’t become any easier if one is also progressing to higher levels—the Olympic athlete finds his sport to be every bit as challenging as the novice does. — Ray Dalio
Top of Mind
2025 Airports - Pete Buttigieg | Trap Draw, Ep 359 (No Laying Up)
"For people who think just everything sucks and nothing ever gets better, look at LaGuardia, right?"
On road safety . . . "We lose about 150 people a day... 40,000 is way way too many lives to lose."
We’ve featured No Laying up on Relay before, in relation to their generational golf content. However, the Trap Draw is not a golf podcast. For the uninitiated, they talk candidly about travel, public works, sports, etc. On Episode 359 they had Pete Buttigieg, Former United States Secretary of Transportation, on the show to talk shop.
Prior to listening to this episode, I (Macke) was a certified Mayor Pete hater. A lot of this was straight-ticket voting on my part, plus my frustration with the East Palestine train derailment response and the supply chain problems that hit during the Biden administration's post-COVID period. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation! From their favorite airports and how funding works for projects in underrepresented communities, to high-speed rail in the United States - this episode was great and I came away with a lot.
Just like politics are personal, politicians should be judged on their own beliefs and actions, not their party's. That's my biggest takeaway from the pod.
Two Years After Cormac McCarthy’s Death, Rare Access to His Personal Library Reveals the Man Behind the Myth (Smithsonian Mag)
McCarthy is known for the bleak, violent nihilism in many of his novels, so it was a surprise to see him describing the universe as intelligent and well-
intentioned. He was a lapsed Catholic who went back and forth on the question of God’s existence, sometimes changing his mind from one day to the next.
Turns out, when Cormac McCarthy wasn’t reinventing American fiction, he was quietly hoarding 20,000 books. The topics are all over the place: Wittgenstein, quantum physics, naked mole-rats, antique rifles, obscure math journals. The man who famously avoided interviews turns out to have left a running commentary in the margins of his books on just about everything.
What emerges is a portrait of someone way weirder than the popular picture the public myth painted. McCarthy was a reclusive literary heavyweight who refused Wi-Fi, wrote Pulitzer-winning novels in bed on an Olivetti, and still found time to redesign car engines and critique monk-strap shoes (and would’ve subscribed to Relay).
ICYMI: Happy Hour Edition
Tennessee dropped the (power) ball with xAI’s Colossal 2. The new build had to literally cross the border to get power. Innovative but an absolute troll from the state.
Axios scores the exclusive on Emily Sundberg’s Feed Me podcast announcement.
Best of Substack this Week
We’re suckers for a weekend in Maine - COOLSTUFF.NYC
Raptors 101 - Birding University
the future of golf style may look a lot like the past - On Golf
This Week in Relay’s Shopping Cart
Sperry X J.Crew Boat Shoes (Jack)
They’re back everyone, it’s a fact. Get on board.
Grid Jazz 9 Suede, Saucony (Ian)
Snagged these on the Embers patio. An online sale situation inspired by Dave.
Felted Chore Coat/Blazer, Buck Mason (James)
I’m fully ripping off Ian here (sorry homie) but Buck Mason finally restocked this jacket after two months of no inventory. It’s the ideal weight to go from the office to the happy hour patio as soon as fall finally hits in Nashville.
Olympus Stylus Epic DLX (Macke)
I dropped my last 90s Olympus Stylus at a greek wine bar in NYC and ever since it has had a light leak. This week I bit the bullet and bought a new one. I think I got a fantastic deal on it too (🤞). Here’s to another 100+ rolls. 🫡
It’s Not That Deep, Randy
(I didn’t even know what People Brands Things was when I put this in but gf filled me in) - Jack
Thanks for reading—or for mega scrolling all the way down here.
The internet is an overwhelming mess of headlines, ads, and mid takes from the worst people you know. Big Tech owns our attention spans. Everything is content. Nothing makes sense.
We’re not here to “fix discourse” or “build a better internet.” Relay is just our attempt to riff on what we’re already talking about at happy hour without feeling like we’ve been hit by a content truck. Some analysis, some memes, call it a day.
You might like it. Tag along.
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Can’t wait to roast yall for wearing the sperrys X JCpenny collab