Sometimes there needs to be an unfiltered, raw train of thought(s).

Too much of “𝓌𝓇𝒾𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔” is portrayed in ways that we don’t think or communicate like. Sometimes we need a release of ideas. The truth is, I haven’t had enough time to focus on The Newsletter, but nobody cares.

This isn’t an artistic installment meant to offer a new point of view or an inspirational pat on the back. It’s not an installment I wrote in the early morning light over a cup of coffee feeling grateful for a quiet morning alone. It was written too quickly because I needed to send one of these things to keep a promise to myself that I would make time for The Newsletter minutes after ingesting a burrito on the tail end of a grueling work day.

On “brain rot” –

We’ve reached a point in the digital age where all pop-culture, media, and platforms are constantly rotting our brains and we’re fully aware of it. But we’ve leveled up and reached a new tier of self-harm by deeming content that’s even more parasitic and mindless than the typical ‘unbox my amazon thing’ or ‘watch me clean this dirty room’ as “brain rot.” Which is fascinating to me, because if you Google brain rot videos – they all seem to be various edits of already viral videos and online trends that were just edited to the point of resembling whatever “brain rot" is… So really, the brain rot content isn’t anything new or sectioned off from normal content. It’s just videos we already watch… edited in a way that waters in down to be even more meaningless?

A photo from December 2024 –

An experience I had in public last week –

I was sitting in a coffee shop the other day and a guy I’ve met at least 3 times came in and waved at me. I waved back, knowing that I had no clue what his name was for a 4th time. The guy came up and said hello, we talked for 2 minutes. He mentioned his name. I forgot it again.

A quote –

"Idolatry is committed, not merely by setting up false gods, but also by setting up false devils; by making men afraid of war or alcohol, or economic law, when they should be afraid of spiritual corruption and cowardice."

On appreciating coffee –

I drink a coffee every single day. It’s an early morning joy of mine that I truly try and savor each moment of. Sometimes, when the coffee is really hitting the spot – I like to imagine the process that had to take place in order for me to enjoy the simple pleasure of sipping on a cortado and staring out of the window.

On the sourcing side – empty fields that had to be prepped for planting, the time and care it took to nurture the coffee plants, the laborers that worked in the sun for weeks to harvest the cherry and get the beans, the process of washing (or not washing) the harvested product, the packing, shipping, transporting, driving, approving, paying, and distributing.

On the production side – hours of training and honing a skill to know how to extract the espresso from the beans just right, an appreciation for an art form that many overlook and don’t understand the details of. All of this… just so I can drink the coffee too fast, upset my stomach, and complain about how it makes me anxious.

Another quote –

“Strategy is not about adding more and more stuff.

Strategy is about taking stuff away.

Taking away everything, until there’s only one thing left.

One single powerful thought.”

A concept I wrote down for a website –

A website as an “archive” for music I’ve listened to with a 1–10 rating scale and a text input box for a maximum of 5 sentences. The website wouldn’t offer any interactions or purpose other than to log every album I listen to. Overtime, this public record would act as a time capsule to seeing what albums, artists, or music was either trending, or had my interest in a clean and organized manor. The website design, CMS, and structure could also be offered as a template for others to do the same for themselves – creating an ecosystem of websites that all look identical, but take different shape due to the music and entries the website hosts. It’s not a social platform or an app, it’s not trying to be something it’s not. It just is.

On Kan(Ye) West and his recent outbursts –

…..

Actually, nevermind…

Moving on…

A photo I took in February 2024 –

Things I asked ChatGPT this week –

“What's another word to replace Matutinal?”
”Tax strategies for selling stocks in the state of Texas”
”Who is Chase Rowan?”
”What does the word LETTRA mean? And how would you use it?”
”Healthy diet guide for a dog”
”What’s your favorite curse word? Use it in your response 3 times”
”What do you think of this design?”

A thought about maintaining a routine –

I started taking my health seriously several years ago, it’s been both challenging and rewarding – but I’ve reached a point where I no longer feel the same towards the routine-ness of it. At first the structure was the best part of doing something new, it felt like I was on a schedule, now I sometimes resent that I began the habit at all, because I’m hyper-aware of the things I should be doing.

However, there’s something great about knowing what you should do, and ignoring it in favor of something else. It serves as a reminder that not everything can and will be able to be adhered to – there’s joy found in letting a moment be enjoyed.