“Okay Google, what is the last thing I wrote?”

Well, I find myself today looking back and reflecting on what wasn’t. I didn’t write much (for myself) in 2017. I wrote a lot of emails and briefs for my newish job, but not much of anything else.

I don’t regret that. It’s been a busy year for me. I started a little over a year ago working full time for a big video game company. Which has been fun but consuming due to a lot of travel. On top of that, my son is now one and half and quickly showing signs of toddler-hood.

With work I have traveled the world probably three times over and spent too much time on planes. I flew to Stockholm last fall twice. The second time, on the way home— took up a whole row with some colleagues and we played Mario Cart as we soared over Greenland at six hundred miles per hour.

And my son, he is growing fast. He has an appetite for speed. Like his father I guess. I was asking my wife just yesterday when a kid is old enough to ice skate. She rolled her eyes at me.

“Okay Google, when is a kid old enough to Ice Skate”

Sometimes I take my son skateboarding. He stands on the tip of the board while I peddle from behind. I hold both his hands up as he sails the sidewalk. Have you ever heard a kinder sound than the squeal of a small child when their excitement and terror is spun into one stereophonic tone?

When I travel I read the New Yorker. It’s become a ritual. I used to be able to work on planes, but now that I am on them so often I don’t ever want to work. Instead, although I usually think I a going to play my Nintendo Switch and am a freak-a-zoid about charging it, I usually just read an article or two. The writing, style of storytelling, and editorial standard comfort me. Whereas I am otherwise constantly living in fear of where the world is headed.

“Okay Google, play Idiocracy on the Living Room TV Chromecast”

For 2018 I want to focus in on a few things to learn and write about in detail. I find the focusing part though… hard to focus on. I pride myself as a jack of many trades. But when I heard this woman on the radio talking about making a list and going down it in order and learning everything she could about each specific subject, I thought: maybe if I can focus in on something I can then procrastinate on the prioritizing.

Nobody will be surprised if I don’t write much here this year, especially myself, considering, to be completely honest, that this blog is an exercise in ego. But let’s say, for the sake of 2018, that I do write a lot here this year. And why not! Let’s go out on a limb and say it’s the best writing I’ve done ever! Because it’s focused and procrastinately prioritized. And it is sincere and honest. It is about ten things I came up with at random just now and am dropped right here:

  • Charcoal Grilling
  • History of Street Skateboarding
  • Mescal
  • Cappuccinos
  • Metrics for Business
  • John Madden
  • Buffalo
  • David Bowie
  • Video Games Statistics
  • Oakland Hip Hop

“Okay Google, remind me of this post in a year”