Category: Life

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE

This was written sometime in 2011, and I found it via The Wayback Machine:

I gave my two weeks notice on Friday. My last day as editor of Noisecreep for AOL Music will be Feb 11. I’ve worked with great people over the past 2+ years, and met some amazing artists, but it’s time to move on.

Living life on the road for six months has been a challenge, with all the logistics, managing money (and my mail), signing divorce papers, long bus rides — but it always works out. Maybe not exactly the way I planned it out (three hour delay yesterday en route to Atlanta), but it’s gone pretty smooth.

I just did the stuff I wanted to do on the side. I worked my day job and then I hung out with friends. I emailed a friend 50 miles away and on the weekend rode my bike there. Then I emailed another friend, and I rode 50 miles. My parents were just 30 miles away, so why not ride there next? On and on I’ve gone, asking friends for a couch to crash on and I’ve made it work. I just did it. Yes, it helped that I could work remotely, but I’ve been doing this “blog thing” for about a decade – I didn’t just “get lucky.” At the same time, I didn’t need to quit my job, or save up any money, or buy a new bike (oops!); week after week I just did this on the side.

Do what you love on the side, a few hours a week. See what happens. If it’s really a priority, and something that feels right in your bones, maybe you can keep doing it.

Can’t believe here I said “doing the blog thing for about a decade,” and here I am now in 2025, having down the blog thing for like 24 years now.

I joke a lot about people being the problem. So many situations, drama, etc. and it’s people that are the problem.

But on the flip side, it’s people who get us through the hard times, help us find our way, bring light to any situation.

It’s the right people that make things better. Hard to find, but worth the effort.

GET OUT OF THE WAY

Noah Kalina from “Newsletter #178 – The Chicken Camera.”

“Sometimes the best thing we can do as artists is simply create the conditions for interesting things to happen and then just get out of the way.”

Creating the conditions for interesting things to happen. Yes. That’s why I started my newsletter back in 2021 (here’s the first post). Write about the stuff I want to write about. Maybe other people will enjoy it.

From that, interesting things have happened from Social Media Escape Club.

PEACE AND EASE IN EVERYTHING

“when you’re living according to your values, immersed in nature, and putting your talents toward things that matter to you, life becomes easy.

There is no cognitive dissonance, no exhaustion, no fear, no guilt. There’s peace and ease in everything, and a rhythm to it. The sense of freedom that comes from refusing to wear the itchy mask anymore gives you energy and optimism, which you channel into your projects.”

Katherine Pomfret

From ‘The path to a zero-bullshit work life.’

DID TRUMP FORGIVE EVERY STUDENT LOAN?

Oh, I sure hope this happens: “Every Student Loan is now “Forgiven” thanks to Trump.”

If you suddenly find your loan managed by an agency not named in your contract, not authorized by Congress, and not subject to the same legal compliance regime, guess what?

That’s a breach. A big one.

And in contract law, a breach that goes to the heart of the agreement—like changing the party responsible for enforcement or management—is what courts call a material breach. That means the contract is no longer valid. And if it’s not valid, they can’t enforce it.

It’s a post from someone you read on the internet – don’t stop paying your loans just yet.

“As I said earlier: get your paperwork. Talk to a lawyer. If lawsuits start to emerge, then evaluate whether you want to participate. But that’s a legal process — not a unilateral decision to walk away from a loan just because you read a compelling Substack post.”

RELATED: Trump says Education Department will no longer oversee student loans, ‘special needs’

RESKETCH NOTEBOOKS

These look amazing.

“(Resketch) makes notebooks and sketchpads of unused architectural diagrams, maps, logs, sheet music, and more. The resulting designs offer users the opportunity to creatively engage with the original markings and add their own additions to the printed pages. Flipping through a notebook also becomes an act of discovery as old calendars or bureaucratic forms are tucked between graphs and lines.”

Via Colossal

QUICK NYC TRIP

Spent a night in New York City. Did an eight mile run from my hotel, all the way around Central park, and back. Haven’t run that far in a minute, so that was quite a feat. Took no photos during the entire run (1.5 hours), just wanted to soak in the entire experience.

Shot with NOMO CAM 135 TC.
Shot with NOMO CAM 135 TC.

I read 4000 Weeks last year, which has made me think of the quickness of life. Is this maybe my last trip to NYC?

Shot with NOMO CAM 135 TC.
Shot with NOMO CAM 135 TC.

I went to Grand Central. I used to walk through that building a few times a week when I moved to NYC back in 2004. My god, what a simpler time, right? No streaming music. Two years before I joined Twitter.

Shot with NOMO CAM 135 TC.
Shot with NOMO CAM 135 TC.

Every moment is a gift. Grateful to be able to make this trip.