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- Monkey Monday 2 #1
We are back.
The ground trembles as Monkey Monday 2 stomps in…
Summer Recap!
Hey y’all. Nate here. After a muy muy long hiatus, and after buckets and boxes full of fan mail, I have yielded to the masses, and made a triumphant return
I believe the best way to kick this second season off, is by going over what I did this last season, i.e, SUMMER!
This summer I stayed in the land of cheese with my friend Jo. I spend most my time working as an aerospace assembly technician at a steel tool & manufacturing shop, but nobody wants to see that. Let’s look at some of the highlights!
 Started the summer of RIGHT with seeing BRAND NEW w/Jo live! (still cannot believe this happened) |  The first of many things to bear! |
 Some black bears |  Grizzly bear! |
 Went back home to the land of Paul Bunyan for a week, had to delve back into my roots. |  The face of a stone cold killa. TANGO DOWN! |
 Met this chill dude |  This bear and I had a special connection I reckon |
 Making a financial exchange with this Raven |  Yo gurt! |
Now is the time to introduce my amazing girlfriend Lu! Blessed to be able to spend all summer with her. Pretty much everywhere I went, she did too!
 Parin visited the land of cheese! |  At the FISERV w/Reen…… |
TO SEE DEFTONES!!!!!!! They were breathtaking.
 Had to finish the summer by catching my biggest frog yet! |  Galactus (that’s his name) is as big as my face |
So that’s pretty much it for my summer; we back at school now, for my Junior year! Of course there were lots of other things that from this summer I can write about, but I’m choosing to save those for future issues.
-Nate
Pick of the Week
This summer I had the pleasure of finding English post-rock/jazz band Maruja. They are a pretty new group, having only released a handful of music since 2020. I discovered them as a feature on the final track CASPER of Quadeca’s long awaited 2025 record VANISHER: HORIZON SCRAPER.
After hearing the incredible work they did on CASPER, I decided to check out what kind of music they make on their own. And man, I was not left disappointed.
Maruja is made up of 4 members: A saxophonist, a bassist, a drummer, and a guitarist/vocalist. If I had to attempt to describe their sound in one phrase, I think I would sum it up with “Intricate, chaotic, rebellious, emotional, political new-generation jazz.” Their sound is so fresh, yet feels so timeless and genius at the same time. A mix of jamming and improvisation, yet very intentional and precisely crafted. These guys are ambitious and hungry. Hop on the train now, these guys are going to be something special.
-Nate
Is It Ripe?
Now back to Deftones. This past August the group released their highly anticipated 10th studio album “private music”, which is their first release since 2020’s Ohms. I was incredibly excited when I heard the news that this was coming out, especially since I got into the band after the release of Ohms, so I had yet to experience a new Deftones project. As soon as the first single, my mind is a mountain, came out, along with the album cover and release date, I was LOCKED IN.
With a band that’s onto their 10th project, being in the game for over 20 years, one might expect that their music would sound like, well, a band that’s been around for over 20 years, especially after their past 2 albums, which many would agree are some of their weaker projects. But with the release of their first single, something different was in the air: Deftones was back for blood.
And thus after a little wait, private music was released! And MAN this thing rips. We storm straight out of the gate with the lead single my mind is a mountain, which serves as a fantastic opener that establishes the high energy that the rest of the album is about to follow. The next few songs are bangers, but the 3 track run of infinite source, souvenir, and cXz, goes crazy. Then we slow down with i think about you all the time, which is a classic Deftones album breather: beautiful yet gigantic. Then it’s non-stop till the final track: departing the body, which is gorgeous.
Gas album, full of bangers. These old farts are still dropping classics. Best Deftones album since Koi.
Favorite Songs: my mind is a mountain, infinite source, souvenir, departing the body
-Nate
Ripeness: 9/10
Interview Time!
For our season 2 kickoff, we catch Dr. Jeremiah Cawley for a follow-up conversation!
Ballboy Ben’s Ball Update
JJ MCCARTHY IS A PSYCHOPATH
Welcome back to Ballboy Ben’s Ball Update! The trees are beginning to change colors, which can only mean one thing...FOOTBALL IS BACK! And there’s no team I would rather talk about more than the Minnesota Vikings. Definitely because I want to discuss the team, not because Nate is forcing me to do so against my will!
But who is the leader of the Minnesota Vikings? Who is the one steering the boat and leading this team into the gauntlet that is the NFC North? It’s none other than former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy: A psychopath. Ice cold blood in his veins. A National Championship winner at Michigan, J.J. McCarthy is entering his second season in the league and his first as the starting quarterback.
And oh boy, where do I begin. Sweet, sweet J.J. McCarthy. Ever since you stepped onto the grass field for the first time, I knew you were special. You made it known in high school, you proved it to the world in college, and now it’s your moment. The biggest stage with the biggest stakes in front of the biggest crowds. Now’s the time for you to make the world know what J.J. McCarthy is all about.
J.J. McCarthy made his first start in week 1 against the Chicago Bears. He started out UGLY, battling adversity to the highest degree. Immediate doubts, worried fans, angry teammates. But after throwing a pic six, and applying the WAR PAINT J.J. McCarthy demonstrated incredible poise. And when his team needed him the most, he was able to shine when the lights were the brightest, leading his team to a comeback victory and defeating the Bears. This is just the beginning for the new quarterback of the Vikings...what will he do next???
Ashley’s Animals
Aardvarks!
Aardvarks are myrmecophagy mammals native to most of Sub-Saharan Africa. Surprisingly, they are more closely related to elephants and manatees than they are to anteaters. |  |
Aardvarks have strong sharp claws that they can use to quickly dig up termite mounds and ant hills. They can dig holes at a rate of 2 ft/15 seconds! |  |
Aardvarks are surprisingly large animals, weighing up to 180 lbs and can reach snout-to-tail sizes of up to 7ft 3in. |  |
While they do have teeth, Aardvarks do not use them to chew their food. Instead, their unusually muscular stomachs act like a gizzard and grind up their food. |  |
Aardvarks are not currently endangered but were once thought to be, on account of their wide ranging habitat and secretive lifestyles. Sadly, land development and climate change may pose significant threats to them in the future. -Ashley |  |
Parin’s Proverb
“The prisoner who takes the key is a fool. The prisoner who takes the bread is wise. This is because bread tastes better than the key.”
Quan Quotes
“You’ve heard me play? I’ve never seen you in my entire life.”
Quan, to someone he spent a whole semester in the same class with.
Verse Of The Week
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; whom shall I be afraid?