2026: New Year, New Nearly Monthly News
In which, we welcome 2026 with all the usual departments and some travel photos
Actually, not that new. I have deliberately designed my newsletter to be predictable, not novel, and in these times, it’s nice to have something you can count on. (If you want to scroll down and check in on Duolingo-land real quick, that’s fine. I’ll wait.)
(And if the non-Duolingo Dystopia has been feeling especially heavy lately, allow me to recommend these essays from Tembi Locke and Rabbi Ruttenberg, as well some news you can use from LAist.)
As for me, I had a YOLO moment back in December and decided to use my modest Jeopardy! winnings and go to Thailand to see friends and attend a writing retreat. (And eat good food and do touristy things, because, of course.)
Big thanks to my friend David for recommending the Time Shifter App, which promises to fight jet-lag with scheduled sleep and light exposure before and after travel. I wasn’t sure how much it would help, but wow.
I followed the plan the app gave me and ended up arriving in Bangkok pretty well on local time. Real quote from another writer at the retreat: "Wait, you came in this morning from the US? And you're still awake?!?"
Reader, I was.
From My Desk
NGL, a staff or freelance gig would be really nice right about now, but until that happens, I’m doing my best to keep busy. In late 2025, I sat down with a list of all the projects I have in progress or in the “I should write that someday” pile, and have begun doing my best to turn “someday” into “now.”
After all, the theoretical advantage of being a writer is we don’t have to wait for someone to hire us, so I’m doubling down on writing my own way forward. Excelsior! (& 🤞)
What I'm Reading and Watching
On the theme of creativity, I recently read Becoming an Artist: How to Make Art Like a Human by Embracing Failure, Discovering Your Creative Voice & Finding Joy in the Process, by Scott Christian Sava. It's a quick read (even if the title isn’t), and if you’re not among his millions of social media followers already, it’s a good summation of Sava’s philosophy on building a life as a creative and the many forms that can take, all in his signature supportive and inclusive style.
In preparation for my trip to Thailand, I’ve also been reading The Understory by Saneh Sangsuk, an immersive story of the evolution of life in a Thai village in the 20th century.
As for the movies, it's been an eclectic month. I rang in the new year with Anaconda, a delightfully meta quasi-reboot of the 1990s action/horror franchise, then went to a screening of Little Amélie or The Character of Rain based on the autobiographical novel of the daughter of a Belgian diplomat and her life as a toddler in post-war Japan.
Long plane trips are usually great for increasing my movie count, but I slept quite a bit on the trip across the Pacific, so instead of a feature, I plowed through ANA's selection of short films including: Feeling Through, Love at First Sight, and Operator. All of which are available on YouTube.
From the Cutting Room Floor of the Duolingo Dystopia
This month brings perhaps the more horrifying insight into the Duolingo Dystopia yet:
And That's the Nearly Monthly News!
See, I told you Duolingo-land would be there waiting for you like always. I hope 2026 finds you safe and well so far, and if not, Lunar New Year is right around the corner and we can all get another fresh start then. Comments? Questions? Drop me a Line! Otherwise, I'll see you next month!