Back in November I was referred to a specialist to check out my knee, which I had injured last March.  At the time my leg had basically gone back to normal but the doctor recommended I get an MRI given I wanted to get back to playing basketball again.  I happily obliged and waited for my MRI appointment.

And waited.  Until February.

Turns out they had sent the appointment information to my mom’s address (although I never gave them that address in the first place?). At any rate, I did the MRI in February, was told I would get a phone call in a week with the results.  I ended up forgetting about getting the results as I figured they would call me, AS THEY SAID THEY WOULD.  

Fast forward to last week (April) when I called the doctor only to be told by the receptionist that they had no reason to call me back after the MRI.  This obviously left me puzzled as it was the doctor’s idea in the first place to get an MRI so he could see what was wrong and give me advice on next steps.  WELP.  Turns out my ACL is still slightly torn.  And I still hear that receptionist’s voice in my head telling me there was no need to call me back.

Anyway, I don’t need surgery on it as it has almost completely healed at this point but it got me wondering, what can you do in life with a torn ACL?

Enter: Tiger Woods.

In 2008 Tiger entered the US Open with a tear in his left ACL (just like me!) and won the whole thing in an 18 hole playoff the following day - so basically he played 5 days of golf on a torn ACL.  I don’t feel so worried anymore.  That said, I also recall Tiger has had numerous battles with pain killer addiction - chances are he popped some pills before winning the US Open in 2008.  

The moral of this week’s intro?  The Canadian healthcare system is horrible.  And anything is possible, even if you tear your ACL...and find out a year later it was torn.

This week's issue is a 4 minute read:

👟 Why are they making these shoes?

🕹️ Betting on video games

🏠️ AirBnB’s updates that don’t include customer service

Shoes That Make Me Ask, “Why?”

Ever heard of a sneaker?  Of course you have.  Ever heard of a loafer?  I’m sure you have as well.  But have you heard of a SNOAFER?  ... I’m sorry in advance.

Earlier this year a New Balance and Junya Watanabe collaboration hit runways during Paris Fashion Week which spawned this shoe:

The silhouette was inspired by the popular New Balance 1906D but without laces and more “boomer”-like qualities.  When I was in Hong Kong last year, I noticed A LOT of people were rocking the 1906D’s.  The shoe itself has great qualities that you would want in an everyday sneaker - support, cushioning, durability, etc. etc.  Personally, as a Nike guy, I’d go with the Zoom Vomero 5’s - but I digress.  

I’ve never found New Balance shoes particularly appealing to the eye but I can see why others may think differently.  But with this loafer thing that will be coming out in the summer, I’m putting it in the same category as the following “wtf footwear”:

You might’ve seen these boots (MSCHF Big Red Boots) hit social media last year - like why?

Pringles and Crocs did a collaboration this month where you can put a can of Pringles into the side of the shoe thing - why??

Rick Owens released these inflatable boots so that you can walk around like these people below - WHY.

Betting On Video Games Coming Soon

The idea of being able to walk around a giant space with all kinds of arcade and ticket-style games while drinking a beer is probably attractive to most people.  This is basically the Dave n Busters experience - if you’re legally allowed to drink.  If you aren’t then the experience is just as fun anyways.  But now, if you’re of legal age to bet, you’ll soon be able to bet on the games themselves.  

Coming out later this year and available to DnB loyalty members via the DnB app, you will be able to place bets on the games you play.   From Hot Shots basketball to skeeball to general arcade games, you’ll be able to place wagers against others in what is anticipated to be small bet sizes between $5 to $10.  To avoid betting laws, they’re going to be calling these wagers “skill-based contests”.  Yes, skill-based contests where DnB will most likely be taking a cut off of the money waged.  

I suppose if doing tequila shots while playing Mario Kart is not enough entertainment, putting money into their app to bet on the race should add fuel to the excitement.  It remains to be seen how exactly will this all work but I’m hopeful I can place side bets on 11 year olds playing Time Crisis 4 who beat the game without losing all of their lives. 

An AirBnB Experience That May Not Suck

It’s very rare these days that I hear from anyone that they had a good experience at an AirBnB. Don’t get me wrong, when you need one, they tend to be convenient. But I rarely hear a story about how someone had an AMAZING experience with AirBnB. Frankly they’ve been so focused on growing the company since going public a few years ago that I really think they have decided to just have customer service run on cruise control and hope for the best.

This week AirBnB announced a few new features (NOTHING to do with improving customer service) lead by something called Icons, which they tout as “a new category of extraordinary experiences hosted by the greatest names in music, film, television, art, sports, and more”. To start, they’re releasing 11 locations that are supposed to allow you to live, what you would otherwise imagine. For instance ever wondered what it would be like to sleep inside the floating house from Disney’s Up? I mean, I technically haven’t but I guess that’d be cool to do?

Or how about the X-men mansion? Yes, when I was 11 years old. Or hang out with Kevin Hart in his private members only club? Given the Diddy allegations lately, I don’t know if I want to go to any famous person’s private anything. But I mean, these all seem like something AirBnB could bill upon. The full list here.

AirBnB also announced a few other features around planning group trips, an improved messaging tab, and a feature that allows you to invite people to your trip through the app…instead of just inviting them how you would normally invite them…I don’t know. This all sounds like the experience of using an AirBnB or the app itself may improve but I get the feeling this will also potentially increase the odds of more customer service inquiries - something that the company absolutely sucks at.

One day they’ll actually care about their customers when the experience doesn’t go as planned - one day.