We almost got scammed

Turns out it was NOT legit.

We got a bit of inbound business last week. “Request for writing services” the subject line read. The email laid out the needs of the project in detail. It was right in our wheelhouse: articles for a webinar in the healthcare space. Inbound business, as everyone knows, is the best business.

Noah looped me in on the thread while he was on vacation. Wow, doing biz dev on vacation? Against company policy! April followed up again. There was a sense of urgency. “Does this seem legit to you?” Noah asked. Dear reader, a cursory Google search showed that it was very much not legit. A sampling: How to Scam a Commercial Artist, a post from r/phishing, and a PSA from r/freelancewriting, all of which traced back to our new potential client “April Castillo.”

In hindsight, there were red flags: “April” wrote in a font that felt like something a child would use for a school project and they specified in their first email “I prefer email correspondence for easy understanding because of my partial deafness.” I tell you all this in case April reaches out to you requesting your writing or design services.

What a thrill! I thought phishing was reserved for preying on the elderly. Turns out it’s for writers and artists, too.

Onto the links!

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A new website

Another TPF website refresh. Check it out. Tell us what you think! Same old Three Point Four, we just got the website back from the tailor.

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An article

As someone who has done quite a bit of stunt journalism—I once slept in an altitude tent in my Brooklyn apartment for two months, sadly the publication died in 2012 so I cannot share the link—I thoroughly enjoyed Willy Staley’s piece about eating like RFK for a week.

It turns out a breakfast of ground beef with a pile of kimchi and a fried egg is, frankly, invigorating. But lunch, by virtue of having to take place near the Times Building in Midtown Manhattan, allowed me to really spread my wings: I found my way to the skirt steak from a Spanish restaurant, which could be secured off menu—and, mercifully, to go. I would drag my jar of kimchi, plastic trays of fermented banchan and a wedge of Roquefort to a shared lounge area and hope the staff of T Magazine across the way didn’t notice my grotesque feeding ritual; at times I hoped someone would ask what I was doing, just so I could explain that I’m not normally like this. They never did.

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A recipe

This is my new go-to salmon recipe. The grapefruit does a ton of heavy lifting. It’s okay if it gets a little burnt under the broiler—that’s the point. Bonus: the recipe only calls for one tablespoon of fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice so I like to drink the rest while I’m cooking (with mezcal if I’m feeling spicy).

[leans in to whisper] I’ve never actually made the full recipe. I just make the salmon and serve it with whatever veg or rice or carb I have handy.

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A video

Roughly 40% of my YouTube consumption is old late night music performances. Recently stumbled on this 2014 Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks Letterman spot. It’s extremely funny to hear Letterman utter the phrase, “their current album entitled Wig Out at Jagbags.” David Letterman is an American treasure.

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A tomato

Can’t stop thinking about this rubber ducky looking tomato I saw at the market last weekend. I was told very sternly by the farmer that it was off limits and not available for purchase.

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A run

Lots of relaxed, muggy miles on the bridle path in Central Park last week solo and with old friends. Even made time to grab bagels and smoked fish at Barney Greengrass after. Whatta town!

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An interview