Dull Boy
Oct 10, 2026
I got to ride in a private jet for the first time on the way to Orlando. Felt strange doing so with like negative forty dollars to my name, but it was an incredible experience nonetheless.
They say that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Likewise, all play and no work makes Jack a mere toy. A toy boy. So they say.
They also say that, while you follow your dreams, you should never quit your dayjob. I subscribe to that belief. It's nothing glorious, but after getting home from an incredible trip to Disney World with my friends, I fell back to reality and took up a job at my local combination Starbucks-and-Target. I've fulfilled my gluttonous desires, and now I must repay with my time and hard work. I'm happy to get some nice barista training while I figure out what I'll do next. Shockingly, everyone who works there is my age and generally happy being around each other. I expected it to be as depressing as it was in high school when everyone I worked with was twice my age and acted like every interaction was an irritation.
As manufactured as it may be, it truly is a beautiful park. Walking outside here early in the morning with nobody around was surreal.
As a working boy toy who gets no play, I have plenty of time after my shifts to work on my art and my health. I've been in my best shape in a long time, running up the Hill Country mountains every day since getting home from vacation. I'm proud to have ran from my house all the way up Jester, an intense mile-long steep incline, every single day this week despite the compounding soreness in my legs and hips. Plus, instead of turning tail at the top and feeling satisfied, I've pushed myself further and further, even while knowing I'd have to make the trip back on foot. It's such a nice challenge to work through every day.
Some random guy gave me this bundt cake on a run in Fayetteville, AR. "Hey, do you want this?" "Sure." And then I enjoyed it with a coffee at the Meteor Cafe for 5x the price of the cake.
Whenever I tell my athlete friends that I'm a runner, I get asked for my Strava since it's apparently the thing you're supposed to use to track yourself and gain street cred or something. My cross-country teammates had it, but I didn't since I never had a Garmin or a smart-watch or a phone armband thing. I thought it was more trouble than it was worth... and it was, until today! I got a fancy Apple Watch Ultra 3 to keep track of my progress, and a Strava account in turn. The strap is barely small enough for my tiny wrist, as the end of it hangs over the screen if I put it on too tight. I logged a bit over four miles in excitement immediately after setting it up. I think it would be awesome to somehow pull my stats off there and put them up here on my website. It's on my to-do list.
I haven't got much else to say, really. Just looking forward to the future. Things are getting better, and I'm improving at stuff I love. I'll find happiness in that, and my happiness will hopefully translate to better art. We'll see.
I have work tomorrow, so I'm posting this and falling right to sleep. Good night, and I wish you a happy week. Do some cool shit! You're sleeping on a goldmine!