Published in GEN·PinnedMember-onlyLooking Through Jerry Orbach’s EyesThe organ donations I can’t stop thinking about — Before murderer Gary Gilmore was executed by a firing squad in 1977, he made the choice to become an organ donor, offering up his eyes, kidneys, pituitary glands, and liver. His whole execution captured the public imagination — he was the first person killed after the Supreme Court reinstated the…Organ Transplant6 min read
Aug 31Member-onlyNow, More Than Ever, We Need Shopping MallsAs a kid growing up in NYC, I was obsessed with malls. Rightfully so. — I was maybe 12 years old when a Target finally, finally, finally opened within several miles of my childhood home in Manhattan’s East Village. It was out deep in different borough, so my friends and I hopped on the subway, adorably eager to see what it was all about, to…Shopping4 min read
Aug 19Member-onlyHow the “West Wing” Theme Song (Briefly) Ruined My LifeAnd how I managed to find peace. — The story of how the “West Wing” theme song ruined my life is actually pretty cute. It was 2020 and my fiancé Hudson and I were watching a lot, a lot, a lot of TV. We began a new tradition, where, if the show we were watching had a theme…Earworms4 min read
Published in Human Parts·Aug 17Member-onlyYou Should Move to a Random City for 2 YearsIt’ll help you figure out who you are — I have a recommendation for any rootless millennial and Gen Zer who does remote work: move to a random city for a few years. I’d especially urge you to do this if you currently live in a very expensive major metropolis like New York or Los Angeles or San Francisco…Advice5 min read
Aug 4Member-onlyAn Ode to Nevada’s Weird Vanity PlatesWhen I move away from Reno at the end of the month, I might miss the cars most of all. — When I moved to Nevada from New York City two years ago, I found myself missing strangers. The little interactions I had with oddballs when I was walking down the street and seeing people with bizarre outfits riding the subway was an aspect of New York City living that gave…Cars4 min read
Aug 1Member-onlyHow Organizing My 700 Books Makes Me Feel Less ChaoticAs I prepare to move, boxing up my books is strangely calming… and reminds me of who I am and want to be. — Every time I move, I am reminded that I have entirely too much stuff. To be clear, this is not a weird brag — it’s not like every time I hop from mansion to an even bigger mansion I am forced to spend hours boxing up my diamonds and furs…Organization3 min read
Jul 26Member-onlyA Video Game That Shows You the Joy of CleaningPowerWash Simulator makes cleaning fun, and demonstrates the ecstasy of menial labor. — I do not mean to brag, but as of late, I simply cannot stop cleaning. I’ve used my expertise to make my filthy van spotless. I removed all the dirt and grime from the mayor’s golf cart in a matter of minutes. I walked into a playground covered in mud…Videogames3 min read
Jul 16Member-onlyA Modest Proposal: You Should Get to Be An Animal For Two Weeks Every YearHear me out on this one. — There’s a scene from the first episode of The Green Planet, David Attenborough’s latest nature series, that I’ve been compulsively watching. He’s telling the viewer how the balsa tree gets the kinkajou, a fruit-eating relative of the raccoon, to pollinate its…Proposal4 min read
Jul 10Member-onlyWhy Watching “Jackass” in 2022 Makes Me Feel Better About the WorldA good prank creates a coherent narrative about cruelty and chaos. — I was in Oregon for two weeks, visiting my fiancé’s hometown for the first time since we got engaged. My biggest priority on our vacation wasn’t seeing his family or going out for long hikes in the forest, but rather, watching an obscene amount of television. I spent hours consuming…Pranks5 min read
Jun 30Member-onlyHow Trivia Makes Problem-Solving FunEverything I learned from writing my own trivia: — Trying to keep your distance from every human being in the world, it turns out, means spending a lot of time by yourself. Like many, I developed curious new interests during the pandemic, ones I probably wouldn’t have discovered if my day-to-day life didn’t transform overnight. It was during this…Games5 min read
