I am disappointed that we still have to have this conversation in 2026, but apparently we do. Listen and heed:

When you get off an escalator, get the hell out of the way.

I don’t want to have to say this again.

Happy birthday, Mom. This is the first time I haven’t been able to tell you that. 💔

I’m standing in the office kitchen, slowly munching a snack donut and watching traffic. A big delivery truck stops in front of me for a red light. The driver, bored, looks around. He sees me see him. I nod and wave my donut. He laughs and waves. I smile and wave back. He gives me a thumbs up, then drives off.

I love those little moments when you can briefly connect with a perfect stranger and have a fleeting instant of shared humanity.

The scariest people I know are also the kindest and most generous. They don’t have anything to prove or anyone to impress. Their self confidence lets them be open and inviting.

If you find yourself talking to a friendly, outgoing person at a biker bar or security conference, don’t mess with them.

Dress code in the Bay Area means wearing jeans and an OCBD shirt and having coworkers repeatedly ask why you’re wearing fancy clothes.

I saw a little hummingbird this morning and it reminded me of how much Mom loved them. I thought about texting her about it, even though she wouldn’t receive the message anymore. Then I thought about getting an “undeliverable message” reply, and I don’t think I could bear that.

I realized that my entire career seems to be built on saying, “huh, that can’t be right…”

The homeless guy next to me on Muni was very upset. I asked if he was OK and he said someone pepper sprayed him, then went on to lament. “Things are going good! I just got a bike that works” [note: don’t go there] “…and a met a good lady who gave me nice shoes. Why’d this have to happen?”

Now you know as much about his back story as I do, but it put things in perspective. I’ve had some ups and downs lately, but never to the point that the highlight of my month was simply having working transportation and a good pair of shoes. I have so, so much to be grateful for, and yet I haven’t shown as much gratitude for it as this guy did, this guy who just got pepper sprayed for who-knows-why.

Therefore but by grace go we. I hope that if I’m ever in a bad place in life that I can dwell on the good things I still hold.

I’m carrying a pot full of homemade macaroni and cheese to work today. I’ve successfully navigated the first 2 of 3 legs of public transit. A worker came by and asked what I had in this giant pot. I showed him the cheesy goodness and he asked if he could join us for lunch. I said I’d save him a seat and he laughed.

Commute step 1: Leapt onto Muni as the doors closed.

Step 2: Waited 2 minutes for BART.

Step 3: Waited 30 seconds for a bus.

This was the most efficient trip I’ve had in months.