Good Good Things – Issue 010

Hello everybody, if you are new here… (rapping) my name is Jeff and I’m here to say I like to share stress-free things every day, well once a week. Yes, despite the horrors that surround us, there is still some goodness to distract us. Hoping the content below is of interest to you. Please read, please clap, please share.

Night Swimming

Al Mennie at Downhill Hill Strand beach, near Coleraine. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni

I’m going to put this as succinctly as possible: Al is cool as hell. As a wise man once said, “Nightswimming deserves a quiet night.”

Irish surfing giant Al Mennie: ‘I started going into the sea after dark. I couldn’t see the world, and the world couldn’t see me’ The 6ft 5in Derry man helped put Irish big-wave surfing on the map, and now his focus has shifted to night swimming, which has been a balm for his mental health.”

Read his story >

British Baking is Back (soon)!

Ready, set… bake! Coming September 5 on Netflix! I’m very excited to kick back and nibble on some pastries each week while watching polite Brits bake some goodies that look tasty, as well as other sketchy British favorites I would have to pass on. I’m also buzzing (British slang) to see Noel and Alison do their thing.

The Great British Baking Show is back with a brand new season and a brand new batch of talented amateur bakers from across the UK. In the iconic white tent, they’ll take on the ultimate baking challenges — from showstopping celebration cakes to perfect pastries — all under the watchful eyes of legendary judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith.

This Guy Made a Subway for His Cats

Is it weird to build houses and subway systems for your cats? Absolutely not. Wherever you can find happiness filling the hours of the day while bringing joy to others (and cats), just do it.

Check out my latest project! A subway train and station in mini-scale! Please subscribe to see all the cool miniatures and DIY projects I come up with to enjoy with my family and our pet dogs, cats, and hamsters!”

View all his projects >

Painter Chris Huen Sin Kan on Art, Family, and Pets

London-based painter Chris Huen Sin-Kan renders in ink unremembered and often overlooked moments in life. Taking his dogs for a walk, watching his children wreak havoc in his apartment, and admiring his wife curled up in front of the TV; for the Hong Kong-born artist, these quotidian events are worthy of large-scale celebration on canvas.

Modern Convenience

“Thank you for renewing your car registration online. Please print out the document using your 16-year-old printer with 1% ink left that your laptop no longer recognizes.”

LISTERS: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching

I love a good documentary about niche interests, and this was definitely one of the most entertaining peeks into a subculture I know very little about. Two brothers who you would not immediately think of as bird watchers (one has a massive mullet, both drop lots of eff bombs) give the viewer a fascinating and very funny first-hand account of the popular hobby/lifestyle known as birding. Lots of top-notch photography and illustrations, too.

Two brothers learn about competitive birdwatching by becoming birdwatchers—spending a year living in a used minivan, traveling the country to compete in a ‘Big Year’.

Watch the movie for free and get the field guide here >

Pro Chefs Blind Taste Test Every Salsa

I’m great a buying bad salsas. This is a very exhaustive but informative list of salsas that should help me rectify this. A thing I learned: Lots of brands add water for the sole purpose of increasing the amount of the product to fill the jar, which, of course, dilutes the flavor. The judges call out many brands for doing this.

Chefs Eric See, Luis Herrera, and Barbara Sibley are used to thinking outside the box when it comes to cooking; however, today on Epicurious, we’ve asked them to give us their unfiltered, honest reviews of some prominent salsas found on supermarket shelves.”

Kirsty Elson, Driftwood Artist

Kirsty Elson, a Driftwood artist from Liskeard, Cornwall. Kirsty has been creating work for 15 years and now works full-time as an artist. We follow her on how she creates her driftwood creations.

View her art >

Buy a Tee and Support Good Good Things

Support this 100% free site that loves sharing the weird and wonderful in the world by buying an awesome T-Shirt >

The Beths – What’s In My Bag?

I know, I know, I talk about The Beths and What’s in My Bag a lot. It’s simply because both entities rule so very hard. I’m going to see The Beths in Philadelphia in December, and I’m very excited. They just released a new single today, too, and it’s my favorite so far from their upcoming record.

Elizabeth Stokes and Jonathan Pearce of The Beths go record shopping at Amoeba Music in Hollywood. The Beth’s new album ‘Straight Line Was A Lie’ is available Aug 29 from ANTI- Records.

Donate to World Central Kitchen

Help José Andrés and his team serve 1 million hot meals daily in Gaza.

Donate Now >

Quick Hits

Restoring a Massive 1950s Superman Poster

Not sure if I mentioned the fine folks at Fourth Cone Restoration before, but if not, go directly to their YouTube page and click on any of their amazing vintage poster restoration projects. There is something so satisfying about bringing a piece of art back to life and watching these artists tackle the formidable job with supreme craftsmanship.

Vintage poster restoration & conservation in Los Angeles since 2014. We’re a woman-owned art studio specializing in the preservation of vintage posters, prints, fine art, and collectibles. On this channel, you’ll find behind-the-scenes videos, time-lapse restorations, and a closer look at the conservation techniques we use in our studio.

They also have a soothing ASMR channel.

Good Jams

“The Ghouls” by Midlake

“Doing Now” by Hannah Jadagu

Tomorrow And The Day After by SAVAK

Jawbreaker Rehearsals

The mighty Jawbreaker is touring again with a slew of legendary crushers (see poster below), and they have been rehearsing and posting tasty little snippets of your favorite songs on Facebook.

Visit: www.facebook.com/jawbreaker

Tour: jawbreaker.com

Making Fun of Ultrarunners is Fun

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Scott Jurek Fans Only (@yaboyscottjurek)

Tony Darracoté AKA “Scoot Jurek” runs the @yaboyscottjurek (Scott Jurek Fans Only), and he is exceptionally good at taking the piss out of overly serious trail and ultra athletes and the community. He also has a slight disdain for the insanely overpriced, boutique running brands and the running “influencer” culture. In the above post, Ya Boy is reporting from the World Cup Finals of ultras, the UTMB Mont Blanc, which is a highly competitive series of events where the world’s best trail and mountain runners compete head-to-head. Watch it live starting August 28th!

Get your POWER HIKING merch here >

The Creative Process #1

Good stuff, as always from Semi Rad. Follow him here >

Good Things on Bluesky

Hey, did you know there’s an alternative to ChatGPT that makes sense economically and doesn’t destroy the environment?
It’s called English majors and they will happily fix all of your documents for the low price of health insurance and a living wage.

— Jillbles (@jillbles.bsky.social) April 14, 2025 at 5:12 PM

I know everything costs a lot more now but at least it’s also worse quality

— andy vs. (@im-all-id.me) August 22, 2025 at 10:58 AM

A girl I babysat years ago recently graduated from medical school, and I keep reminding myself not to call her Baby Sophia. She’s Dr. Baby Sophia now

— mave (@mave.bsky.social) August 20, 2025 at 5:13 PM

Pretty sure I could go to Eric Adams’ office and say, “Hey, I didn’t get my bribe,” and walk away with something

— Mike Schuster (@mcs212.bsky.social) August 22, 2025 at 3:19 AM

Not only did I make my own sushi, I drove myself to the E.R.

— Kip Conlon (@kipconlon.bsky.social) August 22, 2025 at 9:41 AM

Illinois is launching a first-of-its-kind legal hotline for LGBTQ+ individuals — Illinois Pride Connect.

As the only state in the nation that will provide free legal advice to protect the LGBTQ+ community, we’ll help fight ignorance with information and cruelty with compassion.

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— Governor JB Pritzker (@govpritzker.illinois.gov) August 21, 2025 at 10:00 PM

Jack Antonoff: and I guess that’s how we sorta landed on the bedroom pop feel of Midnights

Andy Reid: [wiping blue cheese dressing from his mustache]
— Bradford Pearson (@bradfordpearson.bsky.social) August 26, 2025 at 1:42 PM