The New England Patriots might be the surprise of the NFL so far. I know Titans fans aren’t feeling any joy watching Mike Vrabel turn that Patriots program around in a single season, but hey – credit where it’s due. That staff has done a fantastic job. Particularly, I’m looking at offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and the way he’s leveraging Drake Maye’s strengths to make big plays down the field. Not only is Maye a surprising entrant into the MVP race, but he’s emerged as one of the best deep ball throwers in the NFL this season. This 39-yard touchdown to Kayshon Boutte is a fantastic example of the intersection between arm talent and good scheme.
Well-executed deception is a surefire way to create explosives in the NFL. I’m a sucker for smoke and mirrors, and a lot of successful offenses in the NFL leverage misdirection to their advantage. In essence, can you hit your opponent with an okie doke? Can you pull their shirt over their head and punch them in the face when they can’t see it coming? That’s the secret sauce, man!
And, the Patriots pull it off here. The way this thing looks like the dagger concept before both outside receivers turn up field is a thing of beauty. I mean, I’m just watching this tape for fun (I’m a Titans fan – I’d like to watch good offense every once in awhile so I don’t completely kill my love of football this season) and sitting up in my chair when I notice how this concept worked that safety and cornerback.
The fact that these Boutte can sell this so well and still plant and get up field quickly is a testament to his explosiveness. He’s improved greatly as a route runner this season, and he’s emerging as a dependable weapon for Maye. But, it’s how he’s thriving in this scheme that serves as a testament to the importance of coaching. When you got a good one, you feel the boost. The Patriots got a good one in McDaniels. I’ll be curious to see if Maye gets any real MVP love this season because based on the teams I’ve watched so far, he absolutely deserves to be in the conversation.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, second on Football & Other F Words, analyst for Stacking The Inbox, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, the NFL Draft, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
Elsewhere on the SoBros Network: Check out Stacking The Inbox for premium coverage of the Tennessee Titans and NFL Draft. Subscribe to Nashville Movie Dispatch for all of our movie content. We get weird on Phone It In, the history podcast that explores legendary tales, important historical figures, and events.
Hello, and welcome in to the latest edition of Yankee Candle Reviews here on SoBros Network. I will be your host – the Fragrance Aficionado of SoBros Network, also the EIC, Stoney Keeley. My passion for Yankee Candle began in 2006, when I strolled into the location in Providence Marketplace in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. I picked up a jar of Autumn Woods, and found it captured the essence of the season perfectly. I’ve been hooked in this…well, you could even call it ‘romantic…’ relationship with Yankee Candle ever since. Today, we’re getting fresh in the great outdoors with Rustling Rain.
At least in my candle circle, it’s not a hot take to say that this rebrand is total ass. Rustling Rain is the fourth of the new waxes that I’ve burned in my house, and yet again, it’s another of the new waxes that doesn’t throw. I’m so bummed. The fragrance itself is awesome, as you’ll see in the video below that I recorded before I actually burned this thing. Rustling Rain, in theory, plays well in that late summer early fall window. In practice, you have to have the wicks practically in your nose to smell it. Sorry, am I coming across as too bitter in this piece? Maybe next time. We’ll keep trying.
Recommended Burning: I don’t know, the more I dig into these rebranded candles, the more I lean “just don’t burn them.” It used to be better.
Check out the Yankee Candle archives here on SoBros Network for my extensive backlog of Yankee Candle reviews! Also, be sure to check out my comprehensive list of the top 100 Yankee Candle fragrances of all time. I worked on that thing for forever, so any read is appreciated, thank you. That is all.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, second on Football & Other F Words, analyst for Stacking The Inbox, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, the NFL Draft, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
Elsewhere on the SoBros Network: Check out Stacking The Inbox for premium coverage of the Tennessee Titans and NFL Draft. Subscribe to Nashville Movie Dispatch for all of our movie content. We get weird on Phone It In, the history podcast that explores legendary tales, important historical figures, and events.
I wanted to share another piece of mine this morning – just because I’m feeling festive with Halloween going down tomorrow, and because Brittany from Danger Zone Video told me this one felt like old-timey Halloween to her and that made me proud to hear. This poem was inspired by the fragrance Witches’ Brew from Yankee Candle, and it will appear in the Yankee Candle poetry book I’m writing. But, as a special sneak peek, you can get it in print form in my latest volume of poetry, Seasons, Vol. 2: Nights Alive, on Amazon!
She saw the moon rise
Perched atop black clouds in the hazy night sky
Burning yellow, beaming down.
In two days time, it would be full
And the potion would need to be ready
For she couldn’t wait to see another October.
Through tricks and chemistry,
Biology and enchantment
The veil to a whole new world is lifted.
A smile forces wrinkles to spread up her face.
This untapped knowledge that so few know
Has given her the world.
But, if she’s to see another hundred years,
she needs the fang of a werewolf
To complete her concoction.
This ingredient, so crucial
She couldn’t risk losing it.
So, she’s bred them and fed them for centuries on end
The great forest is a beauty
You may hike, you may wander
But, deep within lies deathly danger.
A town captured under spell
Where the locals do know
Stay away from the forest when the full moon glows.
With a howl and a snicker
A hunt would ensue
A witch to a werewolf, and a werewolf to you.
She’s done it for a hundred years
While the townsfolk bolt their doors
And hunker down, waiting for dawn.
Howls pierce the atmosphere
Hunger equivalent to rage
Easy to find, with footsteps that thud
She flies above them
Broomstick in hand
Silver knives on her belt
As she’s done it again
To earn a hundred years more
No less interested in her immortality.
With her cauldron bubbling
She dropped the fang right in
And, so the cycle went as often it did.
Thankfully, she knew
That werewolves can be trusted
To do as werewolves do.
Buy your copy of Seasons, Vol. 2: Nights Alive on Amazon and support dudes who write about Yankee Candles.
Image courtesy of Sabrina Roman on Unsplash!
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, second on Football & Other F Words, analyst for Stacking The Inbox, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, the NFL Draft, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
Elsewhere on the SoBros Network: Check out Stacking The Inbox for premium coverage of the Tennessee Titans and NFL Draft. Subscribe to Nashville Movie Dispatch for all of our movie content. We get weird on Phone It In, the history podcast that explores legendary tales, important historical figures, and events.
Man, back in they heyday of SoBros Network, when life was a little slower, and we all had a little more time, I would sit down and hammer out a content plan for Spooky Season in August. We’d tag team it, and I always felt like it produced some of our best work. Maybe they’re just personal favorites, but I always thought the style and vibes of the season brought out the best in us. As things change and evolve as they always inevitably do, I never want to lose sight of how much fun October has always been at SoBros Network. And, to me, these pieces are worth remembering and celebrating.
Happy Halloween – stay safe out there!
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, second on Football & Other F Words, analyst for Stacking The Inbox, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, the NFL Draft, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
Elsewhere on the SoBros Network: Check out Stacking The Inbox for premium coverage of the Tennessee Titans and NFL Draft. Subscribe to Nashville Movie Dispatch for all of our movie content. We get weird on Phone It In, the history podcast that explores legendary tales, important historical figures, and events.
My oh my, how the times have changed. Growing up in the Gladeville area in the 1990s, I never would’ve imagined all of the options I’d have to dine in the area by the time I was 39 years old. Back then, we had Captain D’s, Arby’s, McDonald’s, Cracker Barrel and Waffle House. Don’t get me wrong – I had my fair share of those places. But, if we wanted pizza or Chinese food or even Chick-Fil-A, our best bet was the Hickory Hollow Mall food court. That’s not the case today, and while I bitch and moan about the traffic and crowded over-population in Mount Juliet in 2025, one of the things I’m certainly grateful for is the amount of dining options we have.
There’s so much to choose from now that it allows a place like Tipsy Thai to slip through the cracks. Located in a new strip mall over on the Gladeville side of Mount Juliet….right at the intersection of South Mount Juliet Road and Stewarts Ferry Pike. I had heard it was good for awhile, and given how other establishments have rotated through that strip mall like a revolving door, I figured the fact that it was still there meant it was absolutely worth having around. Every time I drove by it, I’d comment on the cars parked out front and tell my wife, “man, we gotta get in there and try it.”
Well, folks – after all those instances of me saying we’d have to try it one day, one day finally came. It was a Saturday night about a month ago. Aura and I were looking to hang around town. I had been in the hospital earlier that week and spent the week in bed recovering. In other words, it was date night, but we didn’t want to get too crazy. Tipsy Thai popped into my head, so I suggested it and she was on board. So, we finally gave it its shot. We started our meal with an order of wings because…hot damn…don’t wings just sound good when you’re really hungry and looking for a fulfilling appetizer? Then, for our entrees, I ordered the Singapore noodles and Aura ordered the broccoli toss. Bonus points for having ginger ale on the drink menu. It was a night that had me questioning why I waited so long to try it, and it’s definitely a spot I’d recommend you all to try. For more on Tipsy Thai, including a look at their menu, check out their website here.



Food: 9.12/10 – The wings came out hot and fresh, which is one of the easiest ways to nail a good score that so many restaurants seem to struggle with. The skin was crispy, but the chicken was plump and juicy. The sauce erred heavily onto the sweet side with the slightest bite of heat, all factors combining to make for what was a surprisingly good and intense appetizer experience. I got my Singapore noodles with chicken, spicy level 3, so much flavor coming through the spice – nice blend of textures between the chicken. Between that, the noodles, and the crunch of the carrots and sprouts, it made for a pleasing textural experience. I’m not a big cilantro guy, so I may hold that next time, but one bite goes from rich and borderline sweet to spicy with the complex combination of flavors in this dish. Spicy level 3 makes for a nice slow burn heat, and this instantly became one of my favorite dishes in Mount Juliet. I asked my wife for her thoughts on the broccoli toss, and she just said “exactly what I wanted.” Not really a wordsmith, but we’ll count it anyway.
Booze: 5/10 – I’ll give them the fair and square right-down-the-middle grade on the beer list. I couldn’t partake during this meal because I was gone off them antibiotics fighting off a wounded infection inside my body. But, the list had a little bit of everything and they offer solid bucket specials as well. No liquor, but you can get a myriad of flavors in your mimosa to boot. So, it’s pretty standard fare.
Value: 7.63/10 – For two sodas, an appetizer, and two entrees, the final bill was $54.84 before tip. That’s about the average, in my experience, for a sit down date night with my wife in Mount Juliet. But when you factor in the quality of the meal and the service itself, it’s a really good value in my opinion.
Atmosphere: 7.9/10 – I loved how laid back it was. There were a few tables occupied. Karaoke was set up, but there wasn’t a host chiming in every five minutes begging someone to take the stage. It was like “hey, y’all chill and whatever you need, just let us know,” and that’s 100% my vibe. The service was spectacular, and I told my wife a couple of times how relaxed it made me. Super chill and super welcoming.
Overall: 7.41/10 – It instantly became one of my favorite meals in town. I haven’t stopped talking about it. I haven’t stopped thinking about it. I came away from dinner so incredibly impressed that I was kicking myself for not trying it sooner. I wanted to sleep on it and let this take marinade for a bit before saying it, but I still…weeks later…believe those are the best wings I’ve had in Mount Juliet. Tipsy Thai is immediately going into our regular rotation, and I couldn’t be happier to proclaim that.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, second on Football & Other F Words, analyst for Stacking The Inbox, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, the NFL Draft, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
Elsewhere on the SoBros Network: Check out Stacking The Inbox for premium coverage of the Tennessee Titans and NFL Draft. Subscribe to Nashville Movie Dispatch for all of our movie content. We get weird on Phone It In, the history podcast that explores legendary tales, important historical figures, and events.
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