What happens when a lifelong east coaster jets away on the cross country plane from New York’s gridlocked, focused streets to the city of supposed angels? I found it to be every bit as frustrating as New Yorkers say it is. And as awesome (the 18th-century meaning) as adopted Californians insist. A few months ago, … Continue reading Beach Dancing: What Hank Moody Misunderstood About Los Angeles
My Favorite Published Articles of 2020
Man, what a year. I don't have to say anything else, because we all know what a shitshow 2020 has been. But I will say more, because I like writing things. 2020 has been a strange, heart-breaking, eye-opening year. It’s been a year marked with immense difficulties for nearly everyone. And it’s also one where … Continue reading My Favorite Published Articles of 2020
The Chess Bug: Life Lessons Learned Through Chess
I’m staring down at the rickety wooden table covered by 64 squares and 32 pieces in Chess Forum, New York’s iconic old-school chess parlor. Located in Greenwich Village, just blocks from Washington Square Park. The whole parlor has that “old book smell,” the smell that makes you wonder who else has wandered the same room. … Continue reading The Chess Bug: Life Lessons Learned Through Chess
I Made It To the NHL (well, sort of)
Every hockey player growing up thinks they’ll make it to the NHL. I was no different. Eventually though, for virtually all of us, that dream recedes as the competitive reality of the hockey world sets in. That dream turned out to be not as preposterous as I thought. I’m excited and honored to announce the … Continue reading I Made It To the NHL (well, sort of)
Holden Caulfield Was Emo As Hell
Holden Caulfield was emo as hell. He didn’t wear black jeans and vans and all, but he was emo as hell. At least, that’s what I thought when I flipped the final page of The Catcher in the Rye. My 12th grade English teacher, Ms. Dalton assigned it to us as the first book of … Continue reading Holden Caulfield Was Emo As Hell
Redefining Emo: Five Years of ‘Life’s Not Out to Get You’
It changed the genre so much, now we call it “pop-punk” What it means to be emo in 2020 has drastically changed since its mainstream peak in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Traditionally characterized by bands like blink-182, My Chemical Romance, and Taking Band Sunday, “emo” music portrayed that it’s okay to be mad … Continue reading Redefining Emo: Five Years of ‘Life’s Not Out to Get You’
Quarantine Quavers
March 14, 2020 Manhattan at ~8:00pm on March 13, 2020 Last night I saw New York, the city that never sleeps, in its post-apocalyptic form. Times Square, by far the worst place in the city, showed me her bare beauty. Constantly lined with delirious tourists, unrelenting requests, and breath-shortening claustrophobia, only a pandemic could expose … Continue reading Quarantine Quavers
Of Dragons and Dreams: My Battles with Envy
Look, it’s easy for me to write what I’m excited to share. Like learning a language in a month by talking to topless women, or getting an internship with my childhood hero. This isn’t like that. It was hard to write, it’s harder to read back, and it’ll be even harder to admit to those … Continue reading Of Dragons and Dreams: My Battles with Envy
David’s Declassified Gym Survival Guide
[Calling all 2000’s Nickelodeon kids: This show did not get the love it deserves.] College gyms suck. As if college weren’t crazy enough, the barriers and challenges to maintain a gym routine present preposterous predicaments. For starters, they’re a pool of hormones, emotions, and stress. Once you add the sweat, stench, and close quarters, many … Continue reading David’s Declassified Gym Survival Guide
Rosie’s Rules for Success, Happiness, and an Awesome Life
Oh, Adolescence. A locked bedroom door meant a moment of peace and quiet. Solitude, an escape from trivial stress and an entrance to the black hole of YouTube searches, video games, and blogs. On one Saturday afternoon spent in my room in late 2012, I stumbled through the vortex of the fitness internet and landed … Continue reading Rosie’s Rules for Success, Happiness, and an Awesome Life
David William Rosales 