Me? Just a guy from the middle of America in a mid-size capital that gets 300 days of sun and is a stone's throw away from mountains. Denver's cool. I've lived here the bulk of my life, rapidly nearing or already arrived at middle age. What even is middle age these days. Life ain't bad and life is by no means perfect.

I don't know.

I am a collection of interests, of which you'll read about if you read what I write here. Interests that are generally but not always outside the popular box because I search it out specifically. Why do I do that. Well, I remember hearing the phrase, and I paraphrase at length here, that if you read the same popular books, watch the same popular movies and engage and consume the same popular content as everyone else, you will have the same worldview as everyone else. And that's... kinda boring. I want to experience something outside of that and I don't care if anyone thinks it's hipster, if anyone cares about hipsterism these days. Physically travelling to other countries and cultures would be incredible but damn if it ain't expensive and not in any way easy when you've got a full-time (night) job. So I read oddly, listen strangely, dress to impress myself and my wife, and watch the peculiar. At the same time I'm a sucker for big action flicks and the bop of a catchy pop song.

Creative projects always take me the shortest time if it isn't the project that I have any responsibility for or expectations of. I create best when I procrastinate on what I should be doing. There are of course several dozen creative projects I always feel like I'm on the verge of starting, or continuing, or even completing, but of course the triumvirate of issues present themselves: time, space, funds. And energy. Let's say space-time, energy, and funds. There. There's your triumvirate.

Other general philosophy of living? Everything in moderation. Be kind and don't hold a grudge because grudges are in no way productive and I can't believe some people go their entire lives holding onto stupid grudges when they could just... move on. Why some cultures hold grudges for generations for what their distant ancestors started. It's not easy, it's conflicting and uncomfortable, but just imagine if everyone just GOT ALONG. Nobody has to agree with everyone else but that doesn't change the fact that we as humans could simply decide to accept our differences, move on, and get along. It's as simple and as absurdly difficult as that. Life is paradoxical.

It doesn't particularly matter who I am, so far as all ya'll are concerned, frankly. I'm the guy with the thoughts and opinions I write about in my posts. If you've stumbled upon this blog, that's awesome. Otherwise I'm just fine with writing exclusively for myself and for an imagined audience.

Everyone is so damn performative these days. And that can be fun and I probably would be too if I were more outgoing and had less anxiety over, say, posting TikTok videos and the like. Life, even living as authentically as we feel we can be, will always be performative to some degree, and that is ok. But when everyone's trying to go viral and out-perform everyone else it's exhausting. People, chill. You'll be fine just being yourself.

Curmudgeonly but good-natured and always willing to smile broadly. Contrary, patient and a confirmed procrastinator. I try to sustain creative hobbies (like this blog) and I try to stay curious.

CURIOSITY. That, possibly above all else, is key. Stay curious, stay willing to learn new shit, new perspectives. Listen.

And be kind. To yourself and to others.

Well.

That's me, I guess.