Last updated on December 15, 2025 from my home in Minnesota.

After returning to Minnesota this past summer, I’ve grateful to be able to connect with many friends and family members. I’ve also been able to attend some of my favorite pastimes including the State Fair, Minnesota United matches, and local conferences and meetups. The fall weather was delightful and even the first weeks of winter have been a return to the familiar. A really heart warming first months.

Growth

I love a good opportunity to learn, so I’ve been doing a lot of learning lately. I’ve been going through an enormous amount of growth in recent years and it feels like that’s accelerating.

It’s not something I talk about, but the internal side of growth can be painful. Way too much of my inner dialogue has been critical, even though I have a growth mindset, generally.

Fear and Procrastination

There’s plenty of reasons to carry some fear with you. This past year especially.

My usual way to avoid my own fears is using a method called preparation as procrastination. It’s been a great way to feel like I’m busy and working towards a goal, without actually taking meaningful action toward the goal.

For example, I can learn all about becoming a Youtuber, acquire the gear, learn about lighting and sound, etc. but never actually make a video. Even though the most critical piece in being a successful YouTuber is not the lighting or the backdrop. In fact, only through repetition can one really learn about how to be their best Youtuber, or anything else really.

Ultimately, the best way to work with any fear you have is through action. Direct action. If you’re a fan of stoicism, The Obstacle is the Way makes this point the most clearly. If I keep avoiding publishing this website, it keeps me from taking the next step. So I publish, with my fears still present anyway. Do it scared, as they say.

Artificial Intelligence and The Future

I’ve been a more casual user of AI until recently. There’s still so much that is changing, it’s good if you can keep an open mind about what’s possible today and how that will likely be different next month.

I’ve been digging into some ideas and utilizing AI as part of these ideas has been a fun adventure. I plan to share some of these explorations soon. 💡

Home Projects

I had my first taste of tiling a bathroom at our previous house. It went okay for a first timer learning the mechanics of tiling (a shower wall and bathroom floor). The experience really impressed upon me how much more I can learn attempting to do something instead of just watching videos about it.

During the process I better understand how critical the preparation is to the outcome but also making the work easier along the way. It’s interesting now to read from professional tile setters and their perspectives on photos of tile jobs and what could have been done better.

I have some more tile projects ahead in my house and I’m looking forward to executing them at a higher level than I did with my first attempt.

Health

Don’t worry, you won’t catch me posting pictures of me mid-workout. It’s not always pretty, but I have a new local gym that I enjoy and have been quite successful in my attendance since joining. Like many, I’m focused on losing some belly fat, gaining strength and expanding my flexibility.

I’ve been more focused on diet lately. It really is the difference maker when it comes to keeping the extra pounds around. The liquid calories really can be the most challenging to remove. Sodas are the obvious low hanging fruit, but where my head has been lately is around alcohol. I don’t drink often, maybe 2 to 3 drinks a week. However, the more information you read about the effects alcohol has on your body, it feels the equation has changed enough to almost rule out alcohol.

Another thing I’m interested in experimenting with fasting one day a week. There seem to be some cellular benefits but I’m still learning about how my body responds to it.