Hello friends, family, anyone who stumbles on this website for as long as I keep this post live. I've been determined to write more this year, and so far I've put out almost 1 post a quarter! I expect this one to be written over many days, poked and prodded (Authors Note: This post started in June which is wild, and I missed my end of the year deadline, whoops). Formed into whatever it's about to become. I don't usually edit these posts very much, a little here and there for clarity but I think it's important to let your thoughts breathe and take a life of their own after they've left your head. It wouldn't be right to change what those words said with later reflection. (Authors note: Fuck that, I'm editing as much as I want and I can't stop me. Also Abby as my loving editor.) All of that is to say that I've had a lot of thoughts that didn't rise to the threshold of a full article, but I wanted to write nonetheless. Here's my first grab bag of unrelated and unproven thoughts.
Learning to Type
Now, this might sound stupid, and it is, but just this last month (May) I really learned how to type. Before this, for the million words I had typed throughout my life, I had been typing in this odd fashion of mainly my index and middle fingers. I got pretty damn good at it as well! This past Memorial Day, Abby happened to be out of town and I sat down to work on my book (I've rewritten the plot and first chapter a dozen times, surely that's a good sign, right?), when I got frustrated that the speed at which I was able to type didn't match the speed of my thoughts. I sat down and made an account on a website designed to teach children how to type and put in the work.
Now here I am, about 5 hours of actual work later and accepting that I'll be slower for a little while and we're up and running with 44 words-per-minute. Hoping to increase my accuracy and speed over the next few months as I get better and more comfortable with a new system. Turns out it's not really that hard and I didn't have to cheat in Mrs. Panawashes third grade typing class. Shrug, I'll take any excuse to procrastinate if I can still be productive. Kinda like how the dishes get done when I have something more pressing that I don't want to do.
The Book
I talk a lot about this book. I think even more about this book. I just crossed the 20k word mark in writing this book. I'm not ready to share any part of this book. Tune back in next year when I try to publish it.
Boulder? I hardly know 'er
It's wild that I haven't mentioned rock climbing on this blog. While I don't have anything profound to say about the sport, it's become my main form of exercise and competition. Huge shout out to my Monte Lunes boys, Victor and Jandro, for hitting up the gym every week with me. It's the perfect blend of problem solving, physical endurance, and mental resilience. It scratches an itch to perform, tackle challenges, and pretend I'm spiderman. Here's a playlist of some fun climbs I've done over the last year.
New(est) York
2 experiences that define living in NYC for me.
On a recent frigid New York winter day, I walked out of my apartment. In front of our building we have a beautiful bush where sparrows gather all year round. They're a fun little bird, noisy, twitchy but deeply interesting to watch. One of them was taking a bird bath in the puddle of water next to the curb. It struck me. I love seeing animals adapt to the urban environment.
Speaking of the urban environment, we have an unwelcome guest living in our neighborhood. I have named him Reggie, for he is a colossal rat. No poison, steel wool, or anti-rat measure has dealt with him yet. Our trashcans are right next to the steps into our apartment and Reggie has created a hole right at the level with the stairs to give him easy access to the trash buffet. Recently Winston and I had a very close encounter with him. This mutt has rat terrier DNA but he's no hunter. I see Reggie at the top of our stairs, his huge ass hanging in the wind, and start yelling at him. The son-of-a-bitch turns around and charges US. Clip below.
The Sinners Experience
Abby and I went to see Sinners (8/10) in our local theater recently. As a quick side note, I hate the trend of theaters having waiters and runners like at Alamo Drafthouse. It's so distracting to me, and somehow I have the worst luck in who sits next to me, they usually order a three course meal and five drinks. Who comes to the movies to look at a menu for half the run time? Infuriating. I refuse to go to those theaters now, which sets the stage for this story. Cobble Hill Cinemas is a tiny theater in Brooklyn, with a reasonably priced concessions counter, no concern for when you arrive, and a staff that doesn't really care about the candy you sneak in for your loving but sweets-addicted girlfriend. I'm more of a popcorn man myself.
That bad luck about who sits next to me also extends into this story unfortunately. We arrived to a packed theater, but somehow our entire row was empty. In the first few minutes of the movie, another couple comes and sits next to Abby, leaving just the two seats next to me open. All good for now. Eventually, maybe 15 minutes into the movie, a pair of middle-aged women sit down next to me, taking the last two seats in the row. They proceed to talk to each other at full volume, despite being asked not to by the very angry woman in front of us.
The woman sitting next to me was the most audacious movie guest I've ever seen. A few minutes after they arrive, she pulls out her phone and begins recording the movie, in portrait mode, WITH THE FLASH ON. BY GOD, WHO DOES THAT? She turns off the flash after far too long (not a second mind you) but continues to record the movie for another few minutes. Insanity. I'm sitting next to her in shocked silence. The movie grabs my attention again, and their's apparently. In the back third of the film, she crossed her legs, planting her boot directly on my leg. The audacity. I angrily tell her to move her foot, which she does. Pretty sure she muttered something unkind under her breath but I couldn't quite catch it. Even through all of that, I still had a great time. Ryan Coogler knows how to make a damn good film. I'd absolutely recommend Sinners to anyone reading this.
Favorite Media that Came Out in 2025
Top 5 Movies
1. Hamnet (9/10)
2. Sinners (8/10)
3. Mickey 17 (7/10)
4. Weapons (7/10)
5. Train Dreams (7/10)
Best TV Show - Alien Earth
Best Song - WDID by Sylvan Esso
Punk goes Punk
Back before I really started writing for this blog, I did a deep dive into the origins of Punk Rock alongside the podcast No Dogs in Space. I've hosted my band-by-band reflections on a separate page since it's just so long. Link Here. I've had a draft of the damn post for over a year now, so I put on a few finishing touches and posted it. Better to get it out there than have it wither away in my drafts only to be published posthumously.
A Very Winston Christmas
As any pet owner knows, your furry companion becomes half of your personality. Abby loves being a dog mom and the best Christmas gifts I got her this year were Winston themed.
A charm! Abby wears a charm necklace with other pieces I've gifted her in years past. This year, I got a small gold bone charm engraved with a W for our little pup. This was the easy part.
A stamp! What follows is a slightly edited version of the letter I wrote to Abby explaining this gift: Years ago, Abby embroidered a simple drawing of Winston onto a new olive green shirt for me. It was my favorite shirt for a year until Winston jumped up and took a little nibble out of it. My first thought was one of sadness. Abby had created such a simple design for Bubby that truly encompassed his goofy, scruffy, adorable little face. I love this design so much I couldn't let go of it. The lengths I have gone as this project has changed and taken on new dimensions are simply wild. I've expanded my tool set, my skill set, and my knowledge of little rubber pads far more than I expected. It took quite a few iterations to really capture the magic that Abby originally created but it was important. I think I've done a halfway decent job as well! Little Winston has been immortalized in more than just our hearts but on any paper good as well. He's left his mark all over our lives so it's only fair we do the same.
A shirt! Inspired by a neighbor of ours (Not Reggie), I used my extensive collection of Winston photos to design a classic howling at the moon t-shirt for her entire family. I had no idea if they would like it but I had such a blast making it I didn't care. Thankfully, they loved it.
Now, if you're interested in getting your own one-of-a-kind stamped paper good showcasing Winston, respond to this email with your address and a holiday card will be in your mailbox eventually.
That's all folks, come again next time. I'm currently accepting all unprompted calls and connections, it's scary out there. Stay safe, active, and make sure to vote often.