Hello avid-readers, thanks for joining for me the 4th issue of Momo Mail! It is officially summer! It’s time to whip out the sunglasses, a beach towel, and your surfboard! As much as I love the vibes of the sunniest season, boy am I glad that air conditioning exists. In this edition, we’ll be covering giant dinosaur statues, my picks, your summer plans, and more!

The next issue may be delayed as July is going to be a busy month for me with my summer anatomy class taking up most of my time! Apologies in advance!

A Day in the Life

My first week of summer break after graduating from university, I went to Palm Springs, California on a two-day trip with my girlfriend before the summer semester. On the way there, we stopped off at the iconic Cabazon Dinosaurs! The wind was so strong that my hat was stolen right off my head and flew away the moment I opened my car’s door, and I had to run pretty far to catch it!

Sculptor Claude Bell began the construction of “Dinny” in 1964, and was finally finished in 1975. Dinny has a hollow interior that is used as a store for Cabazon Dinosaur merchandise (you know I had to buy a holographic sticker as a souvenir). Dinny is based on the Brontosaurus, a dinosaur that was a controversial topic for paleontologists for over a century. The Brontosaurus’ fossil skeleton (found in 1879) was originally an error in identifying an Apatosaurus skeleton. Since the Apatosaurus was scientifically classified earlier in 1875, the Brontosaurus name was declared invalid in 1903 despite its regular use in popular culture. However in 2015, scientists suggested that the Brontosaurus name be brought back since there are a few key differences between the Brontosaurus and Apatosaurus skeletons.

The second giant dinosaur statue is nicknamed “Mr. Rex," a 65-foot tall Tyrannosaurus rex, completed in 1986. There’s also a small park behind the giant statues that contains countless smaller dinosaur statues for a small ticket fee. The dinosaurs were featured in the cult classic movie Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985) and you can find a reference to them in the video game Fallout: New Vegas (2010). “Dinny” and “Mr. Rex” have cycling paint jobs and messages done depending on the season/holidays. If you are heading to Palm Springs, Joshua Tree, or Arizona; make a quick stop and take a picture here!

Evan’s Picks:

I don’t think any artist truly encapsulates the warmth (or melancholia) of summer than The Beach Boys. One of my favorite love songs by The Beach Boys is Darlin’, a single released on December 18, 1967, included on their 13th studio album Wild Honey, released on the same day. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the song borrows inspiration from soul music, and features a lively brass section, lovely backing harmonies, and incredible lead vocals by Carl Wilson. The song is so simple and so full of joy that it’s impossible to not smile and groove along.

“Don't know if words could say
But darlin', I'll find a way
To let you know what you meant to me
Guess it was meant to be”

The Three-Body Problem (2006) is a widely celebrated Chinese science fiction novel written by Cixin Liu as part of his “Remembrance of Earth’s Past” trilogy. The novel was recently adapted into two TV series (one produced by Tencent Video and the other by Netflix) and an upcoming Chinese film. The Three-Body Problem follows several key scientist characters throughout different decades as they figure out the mystery of recent scientist deaths and what the organization Red Coast is up to. What I thought was most interesting is the way that it presents the many complex physics concepts, as well as the unique alien civilization that they find. Although I found that the characters were a bit one-dimensional, the story and unique concepts were definitely not, and I would certainly recommend this book for fans of the sci-fi genre. I’ll be checking out the Netflix series in the future.

There’s something about summer break and enjoying Minecraft again. Recently I’ve started playing the best-selling game ever in my spare time, exploring the crazy new cave generation and experimenting with the new features (it’s been a while since I’ve played) in my single-player survival world. I’m in constant awe of the raw beauty in this blocky game, even without resource packs and shaders. I’m challenging myself in my world to keep it fresh and exciting: no animal products (meaning I have to grow my own food) and no enchantments. I’m really enjoying the slower-paced gameplay and using my imagination again!

Devil May Cry Trivia

As suggested many times over by dedicated reader Cacodemom, here is a one-time Devil May Cry (DMC) series trivia segment for you hardcore fans out there!

Did you know that during the production of Devil May Cry 5, the developers nicknamed the Fury enemy, “Red Arremer,” an enemy in Capcom’s 1985 game Ghost ‘N Goblins?

Did you know that Lady’s appearance in Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening was inspired by Julia Volkova from Russian pop duo t.A.T.u., who you may know from the song they recorded: All The Things She Said

Did you know that on the PS2, Resident Evil — Code: Veronica came with a demo for the original Devil May Cry? Anybody remember when some games used to come with demos or trailers for other games? …Am I old?

That’s it for the Devil May Cry Trivia! I have never played a DMC game, but I think I may have to try one sometime. If you wish to see another one-time segment in a future edition, let me know.

Your Picks:

Here’s what you guys are up to this summer!

“My favorite summer activity is making s’mores. Something about it really makes it summer. My plans are to convince my boyfriend to do a themed photoshoot.” - Julia

“Water is so incredible and awesome, I’m hoping to do some river rafting and learn how to properly surf!” - JJ

“Going to the beach !!!! Eating at nice restaurants on the shores of the Mediterranean and enjoying a nice sunset with close friends is the best thing in summer !!! [Lately] I've been listening to Arvo Pärt, he's a great composer !! Tabula Rasa is a great album of his ^_^” - Nomis :-)

“Plans: Spend quality time with my partner, my family, and prepare to move from LA to San Francisco!!” -Jeremiah

“I must be honest and say that I fucking [love] summer so I have no real plans besides gaming as per usual!!!!!!!” - Mrs. Cacodemon

“I'm planning to go to an anime convention in the poconos mountains of pennsylvannia in september with my bestie!!! colossalcon east, this will be the 3rd anime convention we've been to, one thing im looking forward to is that there is a "otaku art/craft fair" i'm hoping we can sell some plushies and art at the craft fair, to get some experience for an artist alley in the future!!!” -Rachel

“The thing I'm most looking forward to has gotta be some good summer food. Lots of cold sweets but can have a bbq with some fresh fruit. Also being by a beach I feel like that's almost always a good summer option. 8) stay cool out there this summer“ - Sam

The winner of last issue’s submissions is: Jeremiah! The $5 Amazon gift card has been sent to your email! Good luck to everyone next time!

Thank you everyone for submitting your summer plans!! It sounds like you guys are going to have a really busy or chill summer, and I hope to hear more about how things go from you all! I am so grateful to see so many of you this month! Like the acronym your high school yearbook is probably covered in: H.A.G.S.!!!!! (Have A Great Summer!!!!!) ^_^

Artist Corner

You can find more of Rachel’s amazing artwork here.

That’s all for this edition, but if you want to share your creations in the next issue, please attach a link to something you created and uploaded recently to the Momo Mail Submission form below!

I’d love to hear from you guys! In each newsletter I want to feature things that you guys think about anything, really! Each issue I will provide a prompt in case you don’t know what to submit, but I want to hear about anything. Send me what you are up to, your favorite songs, how the weather is, etc!

The next newsletter will be pet themed! Here’s a prompt for you: Tell me about your pet(s)!!! (what is their name? what kind of animal is it? how old are they? post a pic if you can!) If you don’t have a pet, what kind of animal would you get if you could?

One randomly selected submission will win a $5 Amazon e-gift card.

The last day to submit will be July 20.

Thank you so much for joining me for this issue of Momo Mail. I hope that you enjoyed! I loved hearing from you guys and I love writing these up!

With Love,
Evan (Momo) <3