Dear readers -
Grief is a tricky emotion. It can be obviously present and inescapable. And at times, it can be subtle catching you when you least expect it. That has been my experience lately and it’s all sad and hard. I want to feel like myself again, but I’m constantly hit with a depressive fog around me. I know time heals and I know love is worth it. Just keeping it real with y’all.
We held my mom’s Celebration of Life on March 16 at our house. It was so nice to be surrounded by love and my favorite people in the world. Thank you.
Let’s see what this newsletter has for you today. Thank you for joining me.
The Coolest F1 Driver in the World
The F1 season is in full swing. Max Verstappen will win the drivers championship. The F1 governing body will continue to operate with zero transparency and ineptitude (google Christian Horner or Suzie Wolff or Mohammed Ben Sulayem to get an idea of what I mean). But there is something positive happening!
I may be a Sir Lewis Hamilton stanboy, but there is another F1 driver taking things to the next level. Finnish driver Valttieri Bottas is on fire. The proof is in the pudding you say? Check these things out.
Ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, he just dropped this video in collaboration with Uber Carshare. Watch it please.
Or the time he sold this nude photo of himself for charity (and saved one for Lewis Hamilton).
Or his enviable mullet and glorious mustache.
Or his teammate Zhou Guanyu paying the ultimate respect to him, by impersonating him, helmet included.
In a sport that can often take things too seriously and continues to take its fans for granted, Valtteri’s approach is a breath of fresh air. He is authentic, engaging, approachable and fun. F1 take note.
The Shinkyo (sacred) Bridge at Nikko
My eldest son Oliver is currently on an 8th grade trip to Japan, including stops in Osaka and Tokyo. How cool.
In honor of his adventure, I wanted to share one of my favorite photos (I also have a tattoo of this). This bridge, both a nationally designated Important Cultural Property and a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site, is simply stunning. It is also within close proximity to the Futarasan Jinja Shrine (well worth the visit). More of my Japan photos here.
And the bridge has some lore about it.
In 766 a priest named Shodo Shonin was traveling in the area with his followers when he came to the edge of the rapidly flowing Daiya-gawa River and was unable to cross it. The priest got down on his knees to pray and a gigantic god called Jinja-Daisho appeared on the opposite bank with two big snakes, one red and one blue, wrapped about his arm. The god threw the snakes across the river and they were transformed into a rainbow-colored bridge with sedge grass growing on its top. Shodo Shonin and his followers were able to safely cross this miraculous bridge after which both the bridge and the god disappeared. According to the legend a bridge has been built and maintained here since that time. After crossing the rainbow bridge Shodo Shonin went on to found Rinnoji Temple, Futarasan Jinja Shrine, and Chuzenji Temple. Nikko grew up around these sacred sites and so Shodo Shonin is regarded as Nikko’s founder. The legend of Shodo Shoin’s bridge is why the Shinkyo Bridge is also known as Yamasuge-no-Hebi-bashi which means “Snake Bridge of Mountain Sedge”. (source)
The bridge, and many others in Japan, have been the inspiration for countless Japanese artists. This site, presents a concise overview of Shinkyo's history and showcases woodblock prints by celebrated artists such as Yoshitoshi, Chikanobu, Ito Yuhan, Kishio Koizumi, Hasui, Shotei, Hiroshi Yoshida, Tsuchiya Koitsu, Gihachiro Okuyama, Shiro Kasamatsu, and Tokuriki Tomikichiro, to name a few!
I got to see this bridge back in 2011 armed with my camera and a lensbaby (that gives it the cool blur look). I felt an instant connection to it. So much so, here I am writing about it 13 years later.
Unfortunately, Oliver won’t get to see this bridge. But he will get to experience the Cup Noodle Museum, Taiko drumming, a bamboo forest, ride a bullet train, the Pokemon center, and hopefully a 7-Eleven.
勉強になりました.
C'était un rendez-vous (It was a date)
In the summer of 1976, at 5:30am in the morning on a Sunday, filmmaker and driver Claude Lelouch hopped in his Mercedes-Benz 450SEL. Equipped with a Eclair cam-flex 35mm camera with a wide angle lens mounted at the front of the car, he drove his ass off through the streets of Paris. All of this is authentic, aside from the engine sounds which were replaced with the sounds of his Ferrari 275GTB (the V12 sound is a much better choice).
It is bold, reckless, dangerous, foolish and absolutely mesmerizing. Red lights are ignored, cars zip by, pedestrians are a blur and pigeons flap their wings. And we get glimpses of the Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées, Palais Garnier, and Place de la Concorde.
Take 8 minutes to watch it. It’s exhilarating.
Consumption
Things going in my brain.
Movies/TV:
Finished Succession!
Finished Dynasty: The New England Patriots.
Watched The Leprechaun.
Links:
All you need to know about Kismet, the new £2.5m a week gigayacht
A CT Scan Shows Where the Lead Is Located in Stanley Cups
Coming April 4: Parasyte: The Grey
A new Banksy mural sprouts beside a cropped tree in London
The Japanese BBQ Sauce Costco Shoppers Can't Get Enough Of
Barbie’s Margot Robbie Is Working On A Sims Movie
Starbucks releases a Braised Pork Latte in China
Well, that’s a wrap. Thank you for joining me for issue #33. Until next time.
Much love, Daniel