Instagram Star Lexis Wilson Wants To Be Your Valentine, Bryce Harper Goes Through Airport Without Shoe & Shooter McGavin Checks In
Happy Valentine's Day to those who celebrate
Today is one of those days (Halloween also falls under this umbrella) where I have to give a special shoutout to all the fathers out there who have daughters who went into the Instagram influencing biz or who have OnlyFans operations.
This shall pass, IG model fathers. Just remember that in June, your daughters will celebrate Father's Day with a heartfelt message of love and admiration. The IG models don't do that on Mother's Day, so you should feel special, especially as your daughter prepares to dump out her Valentine's Day content.
God bless you guys.
Valentine's Day tips for the guy out there who need help on this day when she might say it's a stupid holiday, but that actually means you better do something semi-nice.
Have a great holiday.
Would you give your employees the Monday after the Super Bowl off as a holiday if the federal government made it Presidents Day?
• Thomas V. in NC writes:
First-time emailer, love the daily hit of content, you do an awesome job.
I am a brewer, I was talking with a distributor we work with last week. He said they always have the Monday after Super Bowl off. Owner of the company figures too many people call out the day after the game. Also none of the buyers at accounts are working today.
Kinsey:
This is a good one from Thomas. My brother works in the beer distribution business. I need to ask him if this scenario is ever discussed within the executive offices.
Southern Super Bowl snacks
• Charles F. in Arrington, TN says this is his Super Bowl grazing board:
Thoughts on a Tuesday morning
• Perry in Williams, Arizona (by the way, Screencaps seems to be picking up a huge number of readers out of Arizona...not sure why, but they're definitely piling up):
You walk into an Italian grocery store...which beer are you choosing?
• Mike T. went to the grocery today and he knew exactly what I'd want to see in Screencaps:
Doing Hard Things (construction) in Venice, Italy
• Mike W. in New Mexico writes:
I’m enjoying the European chronicles of Mike T. but as a structural engineer I pay attention to other things when my wife and I travel to Europe as well. In particular, I was curious how Contractors worked on buildings throughout Venice since there are no roads. On our last two trips through Venice I caught evidence of just how work got done over there and I don’t think I’ve seen Mike T. post these type of photos so I thought I would share.
A boat-mounted backhoe and tub of concrete in one shot and what looks like a boat-mounted pier replacement operation in the other photo. All this is done directly adjacent to the traveling public. I don’t mean to step on Mike T.’s toes here but I had to share with my TNML brethren.
How to travel like a pro in 2023
• Paul R. in Phoenix, AZ travels his ass off:
Travel resume - 15 years 35 weeks per year.
• Brandon C. in Pinckney, MI writes:
I've been a traveling road warrior with lots of business trips in and through our great nation. Here's my top 5 things:
- skip Clear, get TSA precheck. Clear is starting to be more widespread, but there are a number of airports that still don't have them or only staff them for morning through early evening. I've been on multiple flights back home out of Dulles post 8 pm and precheck is still open but clear is shut down.
- travel bag: assuming you need a laptop and you're not staying more than 1 night, invest in a good laptop backpack. You need a separate compartment for your laptop; a large middle area for one change of clothes and your toiletries; two smaller front pockets for your planner, biz cards, second cell phone if you have one; a side pocket water bottle / coffee mug holder that's tall enough for your favorite (a lot are too short for anything besides a 18oz nalgene bottle-- kids play); and I like one with a "soft case" on the top where I store my primary charging cord, battery/charger block combo, and wallet/phone when I go through security. Amazon basic 17" explorer laptop bag is pretty close to what I recommend and it's $40, but some of the swisstech or targus bags are pretty good too. And all these will fit under your seat if you have no overhead spots. Skip the wheeled bags.
- battery / charger block combo... This is a true game changer. Anker makes a combo battery pack that also has the wall outlet built in. Two usb-a ports and a usb-c, 2 full cell phone charges. The less amount of cords and devices you can take, the better.
- shoes... Heavily dependent on your work culture and customers, but if you can get a good pair of black / dark gray / neutral low top hiking boots without a lot of accoutrements, they match with a lot of sporcoat / khaki combos and you can wear them after hours as well. I like the made in USA Keen models.
- figure out if you value upgrades in flights or hotels and then get a credit card for that brand (if your work allows you to use your personal card to book travel) that gets you most benefits easiest.
To me those are the 5 go to's for becoming an efficient business traveler these days. The focus is on minimizing the opportunities for your travel to go sideways -- pack light, no checked bags, minimize time in time wasting areas. The only other thing I'd recommend in terms of timesavers is to get upgrade status with rental car company so that you can skip the counter and go right to the garage to get your rental car. That's one of the #1 time sinks for the biz traveler is waiting in line at the airport rental car desk. Hope this helps.
• Bo T. writes:
Joe, Happy Super Bowl Sunday and greeting from Pure Michigan. Can’t tell you how glad we are that we moved here.
1. Thanks for the motivational reminder on Saturday. Picked up enough blown-down sticks/branches for a decent Led Zeppelin album cover while my lovely and gracious bride defused Lab land mines (ladies choice on task selection). Was too windy to burn so stacked it by the fire pit. Staged/ran all the mowing and trimming implements. Ready for opening day.
2. The pizza joint stories reminded me of going to Shakeys pizza in KC after 3&2 baseball games. Pop managed a team for TWA, and would have a pitcher of Falstaff to wash down the pizza with anchovies. Old school decor with dark wood booths and Tiffany-style lamps. Place smelled like pepperoni and stale brew, with a shuffleboard table.
3. For Andy in Knoxville: Highly recommend enrolling in TSA-Pre, frequent traveler programs for 2-3 airlines, rental car companies, and hotel chains. Make every attempt to use the same airline/car/hotel every trip to build status or points. The “high status” perks vary, but generally have separate check-in kiosks, free baggage checks, “no waiting” car pickup, and free room upgrades. Clear is good in combination with TSA-Pre when the lines for Pre are long.
The TSA-Pre lines at Dulles are usually pretty fast. For luggage, I would identify the size bag you will normally use and comparison shop. I generally go with a backpack and a soft-sided carry-on. The soft-sided bag works on regional jets that have smaller overhead bins. Finally, decide if you are a “2 hour early” or a “last minute” airport arriver. Only date/marry a girl in the same category. Trust me.
4. FJB
• Jobie T. writes:
1) Strong bag 23-inch roller.
It is a little heavy but indestructible and plenty of space. Read the travelers review at link. Spot on!
2) Bose qc45 noise cancelling headset. Game changer! Aircraft noise is fatiguing. These eliminate it.
3) Clear. Cannot recommend. You are giving up huge amount of your data to an organization that gets you through no faster than TSApre. TSAPre is a necessity—-same data concerns but it works.
4) Get the credit card for the airline you fly most. Free version is fine but sometimes the top end (read this as $600-$700 per year)…gets you lounge access and TSA Pre free—-among many other perks to include earlier boarding.
I realize that the bag/headphones/card might set him back $1200 but it is well worth it for ease of travel!
• Conor A. writes:
Here to help Andy out with travel questions. My current job doesn't allow me to travel much, but at my previous employer, I had to travel quite a bit across the country.
1. Luggage-this is entirely a personal choice. My wife and I both have Gregory. The brand Away also has great luggage products, too. You want to get durable, yet light carry-on, because sometimes you get unlucky and have to gate check your luggage, which means that thing is getting tossed more than romaine lettuce at a salad bar. I also bring a backpack with tons of pockets for ease of access to my laptop, chargers, books, earbuds, etc.
2. Clear is fine, but you're paying about $240 per year. It's also not available at every airport. If you want to pay a little extra to skip the security line, go with TSA pre-check. It's $85 and will last you five years before you have to renew. The process is simple, just apply online and get a background check. Even my tiny hometown airport in Eastern Iowa has TSA pre-check. Not that you need it though because the line is about two people deep, but every second counts. You don't have to take off your shoes, and electronics can stay in the bag.
3. Since we're having a eulogy to the in person dining experience at Pizza Hut, I found this video that highlights the good ol' days of the classic Midwestern restaurant. I'm only 29, but I do remember going into the local Pizza Hut on a Friday night and pigging out on pizza, salad, and sides. The parmesan and red pepper shakers are just as iconic as the red cups and pleather red seats. Root beer somehow tasted better out of those cups.
• Todd B. writes:
I travel a lot for work. Others may agree or disagree but this is my must dos top 3.
• Chris B. says he's a retired road dawg, so listen up to the retirees who made it through to the other end of the road dawg life:
Kinsey:
There are many more emails from road dawgs who have plenty to share with Andy from Knoxville. Your messages will be forwarded. Andy might have questions for you veterans of life on the go.
And for those of you just starting your journeys, make mental notes of those road stories worthy of being included in a Screencaps column. Tell others what you're experiencing out there in the world.
Chili analysis
• Alex R. writes:
For me, it’s very simple
Chili with beans goes in a bowl.
Chili with no beans goes on something.
They are both great but they are eaten differently.
That is it that’s the list.
Kinsey:
At first, I thought Alex was shifting gears on me and writing a chili haiku.
And that's it. Another Screencaps is in the books and the sun is shining AGAIN. 57 and partly sunny in NW Ohio this time of year just doesn't happen.
Go have an incredible day and good luck to the road dawgs at the hotel bar later tonight.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com