MOSTLY LIVE FROM NEW YORK
I was reminded of a quote attributed to Lorne Michaels when he was pitching the show—it should feel like the television studio had shut down for the night and had been taken over by a bunch of kids. As the show unfolded, I started to notice that the ‘bunch of kids’ are as old as dirt.
I Believe… [The Stink of Neighborhoods]
...that one can make a lot of assumptions about the neighborhoods in Chicago but there is no escaping the fact that the Red Line smells like piss and weed and the Brown Line does not.
I Believe… [Special Purpose]
...that there must be a purpose of living beyond simply surviving despite the fact that survival is a heavy lift for most people. To find your purpose, look to the things that bring you the most joy and pursue.
A Collision of Mirrors and Masks
When Victim Society and Honor Society collide, it’s not a battle of ideologies—it’s a battle of insecurities. Both are desperate for validation, just in different languages. One says, “Look at my pain,” the other says, “Look at my strength,” but underneath, they’re both screaming, “Please, just look at me.”
I Believe… [Calm DOWN!]
...that telling people to calm down is less effective to actually getting them calm than the act of being calm in the first place. Lead by example.
I Believe… [Old Guy Vanity]
...that, while the fascination with looking younger than people think you should look is a narcissistic vanity, it’s still pretty cool.
Approaching the Sixth Decade
Sixty is around the corner. What lessons did 59 hold?
The Inability to See Past the Rage
The media started this trend with the heavy lean into tragedies and manufactured hysteria. The attention economy thrives on hyperbole.
I Believe… [No Going Back]
...that you can’t go back to who you were but you can go back to where you belong.
I Believe… [Acknowledge This]
...that land acknowledgments are a collective pat on the back for people who want to seem aware without breaking a sweat. Trust me—money or land would mean more.
I Believe… [Heroin Chic]
...that, with Ozempic making the stars of Wicked look like they are on heroin, it’s safe to say that body positivity is as over as DEI.
The Death of the Middle Class: A Tragedy in Three Acts
Once upon a time, the middle class was the American Dream incarnate.
Self-Care: A Misunderstood Act of War
You can’t pour from an empty cup, right? Well, you also can’t create, connect, or inspire when you’re running on fumes.
I Believe… [AI Roast]
...that having ChatGpt roast you is a wonderful window into how potentially full of shit you are. It is a dispassionate revealer of how you appear to the online world and stings while pulling the veil aside.
The Perils of Excess: When Liberal Progress Overreaches
“It isn’t that people don’t want progress. They just don’t want so much of it all at once.”
New Year’s Resolutions: A Savage Journey to the Heart of Self-Delusion
The concept of the New Year’s resolution is as American as apple pie and arterial blockages—a ritualistic spectacle of good intentions dressed up in cheap tinsel and wishful thinking.
I Believe… [Googly Eyes]
...that ownership and use of Googly Eyes as a man approaching 60 is a sign of an absolute refusal to grow old. Older, sure. Not old.
I Believe… [The Reese’s Takeover]
...that, if taken through the lens of truck stops and gas stations throughout the Midwest, Reese’s has taken over the world.
ON SOLO TIME
There’s a weird and persistent cultural myth that being alone is inherently bad—like solitude is something that happens to you, not something you choose.
I Believe… [Follow the Money]
...that the most body positive corporations on the planet are McDonald’s, Frito-Lay, and Kraft.
...that when meteors start crashing through roofs in Texas in bursts maybe we’re finally beginning to live in a Michael Bay world.