There's a meme going around that Sysco is "ruining restaurants", and it's spreading fast, probably because it feeds way too easily into recurring consumer fears concerning food quality, corporations, and homogenization. The problem is that the meme, like most punchy viral outrage, collapses under basic scrutiny. While there has been some underground Sysco critical buzz […]

Mostly, it feels like my body is wearing an invisible suit of armor, that, depending on the day, ranges in weight from 25 pounds to 100 pounds, making my limbs feel heavy and weak. When I stand, every signal in my body compels me to find support by leaning, sitting, or laying down. On more […]

Yesterday, I timeboxed 45 minutes to write down every single rule of good social skills I could come up with, wrote a tweet thread, then it went somewhat viral! Here's the list in article format, with slight editing for feedback: 1. Most important one: in almost all conversational contexts, generally let the other person win. […]

Large apartment buildings are a paradox of potential: a bunch of people live in extremely close proximity, but often completely closed off from one another. What could be a perfect setup for community, connection, and mutual aid often ends up being awkward greetings in the elevator and hurried head nods in the foyer as everyone […]

I've been helping a friend evaluate a list of business ideas. At first glance, all of the ideas sounded viable, so to dive in further, I wanted a framework that we could use to differentiate between each idea based on key metrics and eventually choose one to work with. I did some research and found […]

There's no need to spend a bunch of time restating the obvious: it is not possible to use the stock version of any social media experience in a healthy way. The only healthy way to use social media involves you battling it constantly for your attention. Many have chosen the path of abstinence, deleting profiles […]

In 2018, I was diagnosed with unipolar mania, a rare form of bipolar disorder where my brain experiences only the positive cycle of the bipolar curve mania, with little or no depression present on the downswing. If you've followed the Kanye West news stories of late, he's undergoing a particularly severe and extended episode of […]

The story starts, like all great stories, with a nasal endoscopy. There I was, sitting in an otolaryngologist's office, complaining of copious mucus, sinus pressure, and occasional headaches. In my state of sickness, I didn’t have the bandwidth to do more research than simply figuring out that this particular doctor was in network. I figured […]

Ed Charrier (second row, orange jacket) was an Austin based ultimate (frisbee) player in the early 1990s. (Those familiar with contemporary ultimate may recognize the last name in Ed's niece, Diana Charrier, a national champion and USA Under 24 National Team member). If you've played any sort of skill game, you know that there are […]

In 2015, I founded the Bauhaus, a purposefully non ideological, (semi)intentional living community here in Oakland. I was given the opportunity to write a case study about it for Supernuclear, a new Substack newsletter about community living: Supernuclear Case Study: the story of Bauhaus

Prior to mid March I had spent the six years I lived in Oakland either playing competitive team sports, going to the gym, or doing some other group outdoor athletic activity. With the shelter in place order, everything I knew was taken away. I responded by doing the only thing I could: ride my bike. […]

Last February, I completed a weekend long course put on by an organization called Authentic Relating Training. The course and content were far outside my wheelhouse, but I'm glad I went, and the lessons continue to have an effect on my life almost a year later. The Story It all started at a house party […]

It has taken me a long time to cope with the fact that the way I travel is fundamentally different than the way most of the world does. At the tail end of a two week solo trip to Taiwan and Thailand, I took some time to write down my idiosyncrasies. Packing I have religiously […]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hikmgac\ QYw One month ago, I decided to start learning Chinese, it's been a wild, exciting ride that has challenged me in a way no language has before. I had been toying with the idea of learning for a few months; I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and speak Spanish on a near […]

I have a somewhat voyeuristic fascination with personal organizational systems. Whenever I catch a glimpse of someone's Bullet Journal or to do list, I'm intrigued. What tools do people use to organize their life, from daily minutiae to notes on higher level thinking? What does this say about their personalities and their effectiveness? Does analog […]

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of appearing on the Scooberlicious video podcast, recorded live in Berkeley. Scooberlicious, hosted by Lawrence McKendell, is San Francisco Bay area based podcast about the sport of ultimate, which has made up a large part of my adult life, which I've spent as a player, coach commentator, journalist, and […]

We all know the story. You’re fresh faced, bright eyed, and bushy tailed and ready to finally get in shape for the summer. The only problem is that you don’t know where to start. During the sign up process at your local chain gym, where you’re greeted by a perky, ditzy trainer, who takes you […]