Welcome back to What Needs Knowing. Long time no talk! The mini vacation was just what the doctor ordered and I’m excited to be back this week with a brief recap of what is going on in sports, books, and culture. Rejoice, my reading rut is finally over and once again, Taylor Jenkins Reid was the key to puzzle. Let’s jump right in.
What’s Worth Knowing
She did it! Since we last spoke, Mikaela Shiffrin both tied and then broke the all-time career world cup wins record. This gives me actual chills. 87 wins and counting…
Ted Lasso is back. Without spoiling the first episode, I can say three things: car status matters a lot in the UK, legos are so pure, and my predictions for this season are all on track. In general, the first episode was a bit of a check-in with every character before the real story gets going but the humor had depth and the heart was turned up to full volume. If you need something to tide you over between episodes each week, Shrinking (also on Apple TV+) is worth your attention.
The Ocean Race continues as the 4 remaining boats have passed Australia and New Zealand and are in the South Pacific. These waters are some of the most remote on the planet. All of the boats are entering a low-wind area which will give the teams a chance to make repairs—some of them significant in 11th Hour Racing’s case—before continuing full steam for Cape Horn. Check out the current tracker here.
F1’s second race of 2023 takes place in Saudi Arabia this weekend. While the first race was novel with Aston Martin proving their new car design can compete near the top, I’m hoping that this weekend proves that another team can win a race other than Red Bull. Formula 1 is interesting because I think the strategy and science behind the sport are fascinating but the races themselves are only interesting if there is a clear and present threat of a challenger. The season is young but I think F1 might be missing that particularly spark this season as Red Bull seem totally dominant. I’ll still be tuning in to ESPN at 11am on Sunday to find out.
I’m really enjoying Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I was inspired to pick this one up on the recommendation of the over-sharing book store employee in Crested Butte’s Townie Books and because Amazon Prime has adapted it into a TV show that looks pretty good. The format of the book reads like a super long Vanity Fair interview but doesn’t lose the character development or complexity of a novel. Who knows what I’ll pick up to read next but for now, this is filling my soul. Check out the trailer for the tv show and if you’re like me, maybe you’ll be inspired to pick up the book.
Parting (face) shots: While enjoying my mini vacation last week, I “got stuck” in Crested Butte, CO during a 30-inch snow storm. I’ll be thinking about that weekend for a long time. Shout out to my late-night chauffeur, bump-slaying, goggle-tan connoisseur shred queen for being my partner in crime last week. So grateful you had a shovel in your car to dig us out of the parking lot on Saturday afternoon.
Thanks for joining me this week. It was a brief one but there are only so many hours in the day. I hope you have a lovely weekend and that your bracket is less busted than mine. Talk soon,
-Mackenzie “I picked Furman and Princeton but it was all downhill from there” Timbel