April 2025: Getting Weird on LinkedIn
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, let’s get weird on LinkedIn. Getting Weird on LinkedIn My favorite plea for normalcy this year — a year that, so...
March 2025: A Little Relief
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I’m here to remind you to give yourself a little grace. A Little Relief Once a year, I tell myself that it’s...
February 2025: The Long Way Through
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, let’s overanalyze one of the greatest punk songs of all time. The Long Way Through There’s a point in...
January 2025: On Not Knowing Where to Look
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I need to log back into Tumblr. On Not Knowing Where to Look Today is the day I’m going to get back into Tumblr....
December 2024: I Am Writing a Newsletter Post
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, let me walk you through my thoughts as I tried to write this newsletter. I Am Writing a Newsletter Post I am...
November 2024: In Moments Like These
In Moments Like These In moments like these, there’s always music. In moments like these, there’s the release of anger. You want to break things. You want to...
October 2024: I (Once) Hate(d) Pink Floyd
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, here are some thoughts about how I thought I was too punk to listen to Pink Floyd. I (Once) Hate(d) Pink Floyd...
September 2024: 300 Or So Words About British Actors
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, did you know Idris Elba is British? 300 Or So Words About British Actors There are currently a half dozen points...
August 2024: My Own Personal Radio
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I want to talk about a very large playlist I made this week. My Own Personal Radio I make a lot of Spotify...
July 2024: The Lifecycle of a Band
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I want to talk about the music festival I went to, and how I saw every stage of the lifecycle of a band. The...
June 2024: How to Clean a Blood Stain
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I want to talk about how I learned to clean a blood stain. How to Clean a Blood Stain When I was a kid, I had,...
May 2024: Giveth; Taketh Away
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I want to talk about how a cousin’s Super Nintendo became mine, and then back again. Giveth; Taketh Away I...
April 2024: The Impermanence of Our Creations
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I want to talk about how art is completely impermanent, even if we only want it to last forever. The...
February 2024: On Hiding the Embarrassing Songs
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I want to talk about the embarrassing things I used to listen to, and then forget they ever happened. On Hiding...
January 2024: Contextualizing the Ten Weeks of Darkness
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, we’ve just exited the “darkest ten weeks of the year,” and (as with anything relating to time) we need a little...
December 2023: A Clumsy Metaphor About the Sioux Falls
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I'd like to talk for a bit about the Sioux Falls, and also be dour about this past year. A Clumsy Metaphor About...
November 2023: Eight Paragraphs about Grand Jury Duty
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I'd like to let you know about how grand jury duty's been going over the past 13 months. Eight Paragraphs about...
October 2023: Crisis as Building Blocks
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I want to talk about the crises we encounter, their very big impact on our lives, and how they help shape the...
September 2023: Poptimism
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I want to talk very quickly about poptimism and the idea of "good news." Poptimism I’m pretty tired. We’re all...
August 2023: I Organized My Records
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I want to talk about how I reorganized my record collection, which means I spent somewhere between four hours...
July 2023: The Frequency
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I want to talk about the perils of grind culture, what it’s like when you feel like you’re falling behind, and a...
June 2023: The Canon Silhouette
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I want to talk about the canon silhouette of the Teton Range, and why that relates to the archetypes of...
May 2023: The Systems Within Us
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I need to talk about the physics engine behind the new The Legend of Zelda game — and how difficult it is to...
April 2023: It’s the Anticipation that Kills You
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I need to let you all know that I’m giving a talk next week and I’m endlessly nervous. So here are some thoughts...
March 2023: Things I Don't Remember
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I’m going to respond to a common podcast question: “When was the first time you … ,“ because, for the life of...
February 2023: Seeing the Past (Through Two New Lenses)
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I’m going to wring my hands over being old, when in fact I’m not old at all, really. Also, I’m going to talk...
January 2023: An Approximation of Art
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I wrote about a personal frustration with the concept of AI-created art and writing, along with a short...
December 2022: About That Time I Got Stuck in the Snow
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I wrote about how I got stuck in the snow, and how that can be a metaphor for whatever you’d like it to be....
November 2022: It Snowed, and I’m Trying to Write a Book
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I wrote about a week of opposites — from a sunny cruise to a weekday snowstorm — and how that led to some deep...
October 2022: Returning Over and Over Again
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I wrote a quick story about seeing Wilco for the third time, and then I try to use it as a metaphor for the...
September 2022: The Expectations We Create
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I wrote a quick story about seeing Wilco for the third time, and then I try to use it as a metaphor for the...
August 2022: On Demystifying Our Lives
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I wrote about how we interpret complexity and the importance of helping others demystify complexity. On...
July 2022: When My World Was Sunny Day Real Estate
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I wrote about self-centered fandom — more specifically, about my own dip into emo from 1994 - 2000. When My...
June 2022: Crying Over Dungeons and Dragons
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I wrote about how I cried over Dungeons and Dragons last session — and how I’m scared for the future. Crying...
May 2022: Fake Plastic Sushi
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I wrote about about sampuru — the Japanese art of creating “sample” food out of plastic. I also use it as a...
April 2022: The Followers We Made Along The Way
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I wrote about my disastrous first few hours in South Africa, and how Twitter played a pivotal role. The...
March 2022: Nostalgia (Remake)
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I wrote about playing Final Fantasy VII Remake, and more specifically, about how nostalgia works (in my mind, at...
February 2022: Remaking Our Songs and Ourselves
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I wrote about why artists remake and reinvent songs from their past — and why we always want to do that to...
January 2022: On The Whiteness of Country Music
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I wrote about being at the Grand Ole Opry (it was amazing), learning from our history, and my struggle to come...
December 2021: The Gatekeeping We Do to Ourselves
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, I wrote about how I haven’t had a drink in 1,477 days, and the gatekeeping we do to ourselves. The Gatekeeping...
November 2021: Fighting Guardians and Launching Podcasts
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, some thoughts on the Guardians in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and how they relate to my brand new...
October 2021: The Returning Permanence of Aaliyah
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, some thoughts on Aaliyah, permanence, and a radio station with no radio waves. The Returning Permanence of...
September 2021: Theft of a Cassingle
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, some thoughts on petty theft and instrumental tracks. Theft of a Cassingle Sometime in early 1995, I was caught...
August 2021: Chinese Satellites
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, some thoughts on shooting stars, satellites, and acceptance. Chinese Satellites Until last Friday, I had never...
July 2021: Emerging From Underground
Hey, there. I made you a mixtape. But first, some thoughts on how I found myself missing out on two different music experiences this past week, followed up...