The Clumsy Interloper

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  • Crustworthy Shoutout

    I would like to give a shout out to Tom Kelly, the owner of Crustworthy Pizza, for giving an amazing Food Business 101 presentation earlier this week at the Bread and Roses Community Kitchen at Trinity Episcopal Church. I also want to extend thanks to Market Central for putting on this free program and for…

  • The Good Book of Pizza

    Pizzaiolo: A chef who specializes in making pizzas and who has been trained to make real, Italian-style pizzas. When first contemplating this HCP journey, I cracked the Pizza Bible by Tony Gemignani and was mesmerized by the breadth and detail of this text. It’s the most comprehensive love letter to pizza making that exists in…

  • The Hawk is Upon You

    I took a month off to adjust the dials – delicately feathering the bass and treble until I get it just right but I’m still not there. I’m no savant but sometimes I pretend to be. I have this bursting energy that I’m finally ready to discuss. Something deeply held and personal. I seek to…

  • Footie as a Tonic

    It’s been almost 3 years since I left my post as maintenance manager at CBS Rentals, an off-Grounds housing provider catering primarily to UVa students. I felt a responsibility as a manager to engage my maintenance team with things that promoted camaraderie and commonality. I set up a fantasy football league, ran a weekly NFL…

  • Atomic Series: Identity Based Habits

    The concepts in Atomic Habits by James Clear at first blush appear to be reductive and simple – make small changes and over time they will yield remarkable results. This is the elevator pitch and a fair enough basis for inquiry. However, upon cracking the book I’ve been drawn to the core themes on both…

  • Solfeggio Frequencies

    I want to pose a question – What is the last thing you LISTEN to before you go to bed and the first thing you LISTEN to when you wake up? Zero judgement. This answer will not be graded. Do you have it? If I am completely honest – I fall asleep with a podcast…

  • Meditation Recommendation #2: Sit Around The Fire

    I look in the bathroom mirror every day before I leave the house, however I barely pay attention to who I see. As I would treat a stranger on a train, my reflection and I occupy the same space but I maintain an aloof stance. I’m a brooding robot, a replicant with an algorithmic mission.…

  • One Year No Beer

    Today marks my first alcohol-free year of adulthood. It’s been an illuminating 365 days, both in how I perceive drinking and how others regard my decision. The support I’ve received has been beyond heartening and I owe a debt to the encouraging words from neighbors, friends and family members who have championed my new path.…

  • The Charlottesville Loop (Rivanna Trail): Home Stretch

    11:51AM – 30,000 Steps – Hitting the most steps you’ve ever recorded on your Fitbit before noon is an exhilarating yet unnerving feeling. Imagine taking a road trip across the country in a Dodge Neon circa 1991 (Hi!) and you drive NY to Nebraska on the first day. The front of the car starts vibrating…

  • The Charlottesville Loop (Rivanna Trail): Trail Twilight

    I set off at 6:15AM from Riverview Park. The first 30 minutes are a familiar asphalt path that hugs the Rivanna river. I walk with purpose, breathing deep the cool morning air and eagerly nodding at all joggers traveling in the opposite direction. Once I near Cosner Brothers Body Shop at the 250 bridge I…

  • The Charlottesville Loop (Rivanna Trail): Pre-Amble

    When people ask me where I’m from, without pause, I tell them Chicago. After all, I cut my teeth in the Second City and continue to possess a lasting reverence for her architecture, culture, food and sports. Then, in my next sentence, I mention that I also lived in San Francisco for several years (4th-8th…

  • Practicing Non-Dualism on the DTM

    After a 7-mile Saturday afternoon hike at Ragged Mountain it appears that my car, without consulting my brain, has driven itself to the Downtown Mall and parked on a dimly lit side street. I have no plans, no dinner reservation, and no companion to meet. I spend a few moments in silence staring at my…

  • 72 Hour Water-Only Fast Diary

    Sunday, 6pm (Father’s Day Meal) MK made a delicious dinner of steak, asparagus, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and chocolate cake. I ate until I was completely stuffed causing me to unbutton my pants and gently unfurl into a reclined position to watch McIlroy choke away the US Open to DeChambeau. I hadn’t slept…

  • Kota the Friend

    Speaking on behalf of all elder Millennials out there: If you have contravening evidence, please see the comments section below but be warned I’ll be over here like Juror 12 with my arms crossed and nothing but a glower for your efforts. Hip-hop used to have an outsized impact on my life. It was this…

  • Meditation Recommendation #1: Just Be

    My meditation practice is like a smoldering fire. The frenzied dance of modernity dampens the spark and that ember dwindles over time. Then, with a gust of inspiration, it can catch hold and drive my life for a few months, burning bright. The fickle flame speaks to my frenetic mind and my unconscious need to…