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Father’s Day 2018
By
Published: Jun 07, 2018
Category:
Holiday
I’ve already received the best Father’s Day present I’ll get this year. It came in the form of a text. “Please cancel my ortho appointment for tomorrow,” my daughter wrote. “I have a table read of the play.” I had to smile at worlds that looked contrasting to me — a “table read” contending with an “ortho appointment” — but probably aren’t contrasting for her. And I thought, “A ‘table read’ at 16 — at 16, I had no idea what that was. How cool.”
So my daughter’s done. And as my father’s been gone for 20 years, I have no need of gifts. You may. These 28 suggestions might be of help to you. So, more than ever, might be a gift to a food bank in your father’s honor.
THINGS
KOR ONDE water bottle
It’s totally functional. Helps the environment. But more: It’s beautiful.
Timex Easy Reader Watch
Because it’s $10,000 cheaper than a watch that looks and works no better.
Zojirushi Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Mug
Hot stays hot. Cold stays cold.
The Burr Grinder
A burr grinder runs at a slower speed, so it generates less heat. Coffee snobs know this matters.
Anthelios Sunscreen
Because there’s no better protection against melanoma.
Nam Prik Asian Chili Hot Sauce Nam Prik Asian Chili Hot Sauce
This Asian chili sauce is both spicy and sweet. It could be the next Sriracha.
BOOKS
Mohsin Hamid: The Most Important Novelist Now Writing
Hamid says he writes love stories. Yes, but not like any you’ve read. All three of his short novels are the best books I’ve read in years.
Churchill
This short book is not about not Churchill the God, but Churchill the extremely interesting man.
The Tender Bar
A boy needs a father. If he doesn’t have one, he needs some kind of man in his life. Or men, because it can indeed take a village…
Epictetus
Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD) studied at the feet of Epictetus (55-135 AD). One man was an emperor, the other a former slave who lived simply and wrote not a word.
Levels of the Game
This account of a single match between Arthur Ashe and Clark Graebner in the semifinals at the U.S. Open in Forest Hills is the best book ever written about tennis.
Night Life
David Taylor is a thriller writer who writes rings around most of the others.
Venice
Books and music about a favorite destination.
MUSIC
John Prine
If you buy just one CD this year…
A Man and the The Blues,
Buddy Guy could be the greatest Chicago blues guitarist. This was his first solo recording.
Live in Europe
Voice raspy as a file, Otis Redding stood at center stage in a salmon-colored suit, shouting out his legendary songs to a crowd that had the good sense to worship him.
The Very Best of J.J. Cale
Eric Clapton made "After Midnight" and "Cocaine" into hits, but nobody plays J.J. Cale’s seductively laid-back songs better than their author.
Astral Weeks
Van Morrison made this breakthrough CD in 1968. It took just four days, cost less than $25,000, promptly went on best-ever lists.
Miles Davis: Ascenseur Pour L’Echafaud
Early work: the soundtrack to Louis Malle’s first movie. This gets ten extra points.
Paolo Conte
The voice is whiskey and cigarettes.
Jason Isbell
Isbell makes human-scaled art, deep truth captured in the moment when the thoughts and feelings are fresh.
EXPENSIVE
The Filson Duffle
You can pay less. You can’t get better.
The Filson Briefcase
“Might as well have the best.”
HEALTH
Anthelios Sunscreen
Because there’s no better protection against melanoma.
Mental Clarity
Brahmi is said to “improve capacity for attention and focus, improve the ability to withstand emotional stress, reduce nervousness and anxiety and improve immune system function.” Or maybe it’s a placebo. Whatever: it seems to work.
Manuka Honey
Manuka honey comes from New Zealand, where it’s made by bees that feed on the nectar of the manuka tree. Their honey is dark and thick. And it’s good for you.
Lypo-Spheric Vitamin C
But most of the Vitamin C in pills or capsules never reaches the bloodstream. Estimates of its absorption rate are less than 50%. Lypo-Spheric Vitamin C has a 90% absorption rate.
A DIRTY BOOK
Married Sex: A Love Story
A husband and wife, married for 20 years, have devised a novel way to protect their marriage — if you’re tempted to cheat, bring that person home. Or as the line on the movie poster might say: “It’s not cheating if your wife’s there.” A dirty book? Only on one level.
