“It’s due in 52 minutes.” “Well, how many words do you have written?” I asked my client through my Airpods, walking through New York’s East Village on the way to a coffee shop to get my own writing done. My 17-year-old fitness client asked me frantically for help with his school paper. (When you do … Continue reading Indistractable by Nir Eyal: Book Review and Takeaways
The Power of Empty Space
(Inspired by Josh Waitzkin's first podcast on the Tim Ferriss Show, which I revisit about every year, and "Empty Space" by The Story So Far. This piece is an experimental form for me.) In chess, white always moves first. And that’s why when the best computers play one another, white always wins. Because black can … Continue reading The Power of Empty Space
Pre-Information: The Essential Step to Rapid Learning
(Spoiler alerts for The Karate Kid (1984) but if you’ve had over thirty years to watch it so I don’t know what else to tell you.) “Hey Sensei, is there any way in particular you want me to wash these windows?” “No, I don’t give a fuck.” shouts Sensei Johnny Lawrence from the Cobra Kai … Continue reading Pre-Information: The Essential Step to Rapid Learning
Beach Dancing: What Hank Moody Misunderstood About Los Angeles
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