PinnedMember-only2022, Halfway Through (I)This is the long-form, more image-driven, less literary version of the semi-annual update to my “life stakeholders.” — For the semi-annual update that feels more like a first draft of a potential epilogue to a book, go here. Pro tip: click into the links throughout this post for newsletter recaps by month, links to other writing, and miscellaneous easter eggs. If you want to read more “in-the-moment” writing…Travel8 min read
PinnedMember-onlyOne Purple Belt’s Perspective, Five Years LaterMy annual jiu-jitsu anniversary post about what I’ve learned and lost in another year of physical, emotional, and spiritual commitment to a very strange sport. Before I start this year’s edition of the post, I should note that I struggled with the title. While I am now a purple belt…Jiu Jitsu13 min read
Jul 5Member-only2022, Halfway Through (II)A first crack at an epilogue at the end of the great American (Brazilian jiu-jitsu) road trip — As I write this, I’m on a rented couch in a terrace-level apartment in Marietta, Georgia. The apartment breaks out into the view of a tranquil pond, where you’ll find flocks of geese, Muscovy ducks, and — if you’re lucky — a mythically-sized pelican in the early break of dawn…Careers8 min read
Aug 25, 2021Member-onlyThe Dirty DollarThe last four years of my life in a New England MMA gym are the ones that will shape my next forty, I think. The names of the individuals most closely involved are inked in Sharpie on a dirty dollar bill on the right side corner of a dive bar…Mwc Reentry10 min read
Mar 22, 2021Member-onlyOne Blue Belt’s Perspective, Four Years LaterIt has become an annual tradition for me for me to write a blog post about jiu-jitsu on the anniversary of my first-ever class in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). Today marks four years since I first walked into the basement of 36 W. …Jiu Jitsu7 min read
Mar 12, 2021Member-onlyCOVID-19, one year laterThere are some days that will stick with you, that you remember exactly where you were and who you were when it all happened. A few particular days come to mind for me, approaching the one year anniversary since America began its pandemic shutdowns. When 9/11 happened, I was in…Coronavirus6 min read
Published in Fight, Write, Love·Mar 1, 2021Member-onlyMexico City, Three Months LaterIt’s hard for me to believe, but it’s been just about three months since I was in Mexico City. When I look back, I do so fondly at the trip and at the person I was in Mexico: loving the opportunity to travel, to train with other people after being…Travel3 min read
Feb 1, 2021Member-onlyFoot Notes.My take on love, loss, and what I wore. Inspired by a letter to a friend about the loss of a parent. On this day, two years ago, I signed my offer with my current employer, a shoe company, and began planning my exit from my previous employer. With my…Grief5 min read
Published in Fight, Write, Love·Dec 22, 2020Member-onlyAll That GlittersFinals. Just over a minute on the clock. The score is 0–0. The triangle choke I almost finished in the first minute gives me a 1–0 advantage that would call the match in my favor were the time to run out with the score as is. …Jiu Jitsu6 min read
Published in Fight, Write, Love·Dec 14, 2020Member-onlyA Matter of BeliefIt’s easy to write about the wins. It’s hard to write about the losses. It almost becomes harder to write about the losses when the pain from them has dulled — any visceral, tear-jerking, fist-throwing, red-faced emotion loses its edge over the course of a day, a week, a month…5 min read