As you’re surely aware, the inhumanly prolific Taylor Alison Swift released a new album the other night. Well, she released a surprise double album. (Triple album? I don’t know. It has 31 songs. So far.) This brings her to a total of ten albums (if you count The Long Pond Sessions limited vinyl, which I …
Ten years ago, Kim and I enjoyed a date night at a restaurant on Portland’s south waterfront. I don’t remember the restaurant and I don’t remember the meal. What I do remember is this. My therapist at the time had just recommended that I begin meditating. She wanted me to emphasize mindfulness in my daily …
My life has been consumed by art. And that’s a good thing. It’s not that I’m making art every moment of the day. In fact, I don’t get enough time to practice and it frustrates me. I try to cram in drawing sessions whenever possible, but my lifelong inability to budget time manifests itself even …
Twenty years ago, when I was trying to figure out how the hell to get out of debt, I was fortunate enough to find two silent mentors from which to learn financial skills: Dave Ramsey and Vicki Robin. I say silent mentors because I didn’t have any actual relationship with these people. I read their …
I started two new habits on 01 January 2021, and I’ve managed to maintain both habits for more than three years. First, I began logging every movie I watch on Letterboxd. I usually write a short review and/or assign a star rating, but even if I don’t have the time or inclination to do that, …
For more than five years now, Tom and I have had (nominally) weekly calls. Every Tuesday morning, we meet to chat about work and life. These started as calls to work on Get Rich Slowly, but because neither of us was wholly motivated to do that work, they eventually evolved into general bullshit sessions. Lately, …
Last night, Mac and I drove to Portland to catch Depeche Mode in concert. He’d intended to take his wife, but they had a miscommunication about dates. Turns out Pam’s in Taiwan right now haha, so Mac took me instead. The Depeche Mode concert was fine. It was just what you’d want from them. It …
Here in Corvallis, our friend Michael is a fan of perfumes. He’s a scent collector. He watches perfume YouTube videos, makes vacation excursions to buy perfumes, and otherwise educates himself on the subject. His enthusiasm for scent is contagious. Recently, Kim and I have met with Michael (and his wife, Rae) for a couple of …
Have I truly not published anything here in November? That’s crazy! I guess it’s because my November so far has been packed with friends and fun. I haven’t had time to write. I continue to enjoy my watercolor class. Like, I really enjoy it. For a hobby/art I never intended to explore, I’ve become surprisingly …
It seems strange to think that I’ve reached the end of my fifth week of watercolor classes. The time has passed quickly. At last, though, I’m beginning to feel like I can do something besides “childish scrawls with crayons”. There are still plenty of those, no doubt, but every so often I create something that …