Essays

• The human part of internet traffic

  What surprised me about why I share in public.

  Jul 21, 2026
• Moments of recognition

  What a wave on the street has to do with Python.

  Jul 14, 2026
• One relationship at a time

  Cultivating a local scene.

  Jul 07, 2026
• Code and smiling people

  Having both in the same week is nice.

  Jun 30, 2026
• Something about control

  Build it anyway.

  Jun 23, 2026
• One user is better than no users

  I built three tools before I found the entry point.

  Jun 16, 2026
• Trust works differently than I thought

  Skills are important, but so is showing up.

  Jun 09, 2026
• I let Codex loose on my UI

  The CSS got better and my brain felt worse

  Jun 02, 2026
• Looking under the hood will change your relationship to your code.

  You can build this box and the one under it and the one under it and the one under it.

  May 19, 2026
• Can technical depth exist outside an office?

  I’m not talking about WFH.

  May 12, 2026
• What if building is the whole point?

  When no one is noticing

  May 07, 2026
• No post this week

  Don't confuse what's below for a post.

  Nov 24, 2025
• Self-governing

  My public life experiment leads me to the polls.

  Nov 10, 2025
• One year of From Scratch

  Notes from rebuilding on my own terms.

  Oct 27, 2025
• Building a small life in a big city

  With a brain that short-circuits in groups but still longs to belong.

  Oct 06, 2025
• What I’ve learned from 200+ hours helping developers grow

  Lessons on mentorship, motivation, and technical growth.

  Jul 14, 2025
• I trusted 5 strangers

  Four refueled my soul, and one scammed me.

  Jul 07, 2025
• Getting into the room and hating it

  I'm betting my mental health on doing my own work.

  Jun 30, 2025
• Unnecessary plans I take seriously

  Mentally preparing to go to a pub in Leeds is already changing how I show up in New York.

  Jun 23, 2025
• Third place as first priority

  Why I’m spending 21 straight days in the same Leeds pub.

  Jun 09, 2025
• From Scratch Digest (1 of 1)

  I published a book + a few unresolved thoughts.

  May 26, 2025
• No one asked for proof of friendship

  Reclaiming public life on my own terms.

  May 19, 2025
• Opinion: Keep your coffee van out of my community

  Spring Cleanup, Thanks!; Coffee Van = Bad

  May 12, 2025
• Lake-Effect Coffee, Epilogue

  The end.

  Apr 28, 2025
• Lake-Effect Coffee, Chapter 6

  The van floats now.

  Apr 21, 2025
• Lake-Effect Coffee, Chapter 5

  Rising action.

  Apr 14, 2025
• Belonging in public while far from home

  I relapsed at keeping Britain in moderation and it felt so good.

  Apr 07, 2025
• Rebranding? I hardly knew branding

  Renaming the newsletter, but keeping the chaos.

  Feb 24, 2025
• Lake-Effect Coffee, Chapter 4

  Feeling stuck.

  Feb 10, 2025
• What makes a place feel like home?

  Unpacking the values which bring me peace, energy, and belonging.

  Jan 21, 2025
• Lake-Effect Coffee, Chapter 3

  Our trio lays the foundation and finds connection in unexpected (and dusty) places.

  Jan 06, 2025
• Lake-Effect Coffee, Chapter 2

  The trio searches for a van and faces a rival.

  Dec 23, 2024
• Lake-Effect Coffee, Chapter 1

  A fictional look at a real goal of caffeine-fueled connection.

  Dec 09, 2024
• Why do I crave recognition?

  The tension between ambition, connection, and individual needs.

  Nov 11, 2024
• Introducing: From Scratch Code

  I'm launching a small business built around my values.

  Nov 04, 2024
• Department of the interior

  My inner life takes center stage.

  Oct 28, 2024
• Britain in moderation

  Uprooting your life for a special interest is wasted on the young.

  Oct 14, 2024
• Why I left my 9-5 for good

  Struggling, simplifying, and recentering.

  Sep 30, 2024
• The roles we keep

  Recognizing the systems of belonging in an unlikely place.

  Sep 09, 2024
• Boundaries and backlash

  I stood my ground and was told to say sorry.

  Aug 26, 2024
• Misty ideals

  Taking a stab exploring my inner world through fiction.

  Aug 12, 2024
• Professional wavelengths

  Navigating the turbulent seas of workplace communication.

  Jul 29, 2024
• Pine needles and ping pong

  Finding myself jogging towards groups and then sprinting away.

  Jul 15, 2024
• A cry for connection

  Being diagnosed with autism at age 31 turned my world upside down.

  Jul 01, 2024