about me

I have an ever shifting collection of hobbies and things that I strive to be good at. I'm not very good at most of them, but that's ok! I enjoy them anyway.

music

the big one right now and for the past year or so has been music. I've been learning guitar and piano and also have been dabbling with song writing which I am realizing is extremely difficult. and I haven't even gotten to like production and mixing and mastering and stuff yet. huge respect for people who are able to do that for real. anyways my goal is to one day make a song that I would actually listen to. I'm optimistic it'll happen eventually. I make a lot of unhinged playlists that reveal way too much about my personal life, check out my Spotify if you're into that.

I originally got into guitar bc my mom plays and she gave me her old classical Yamaha. she had tried teaching me on a few different occasions but for whatever reason I never really got into. but now that I'm a little older and discplined I decided to try again because I want to make her proud. that was the original reason. now I just do it because I really enjoy it. everynow and then I'll put on a little concert for her and my dad and it makes me really happy, especially because I've always considered myself to not really be all that musical. let that be a lesson that ANYONE can learn ANYTHING. that sounds so cheesy but I genuinely think it is true and that mindset has gotten me to try a lot of things that I would not have tried otherwise.

reading

I've been a huge reader my whole life. shout out to my sister for teaching me to read. I love the Once and Future King, Norwegian Wood (with the caveat that you should read my blog post on Murakami), and Humankind: A Hopeful History. I've dabbled with writing my own stories, but I've never had the discipline to see them through to the end. maybe someday I'll post some on here.

currently I'm reading a book called Bullet Train. I'm planning to read a book called The Master and Margarita next.

sports & fitness

I've never really been a big sports guy I'm gonna be so honest BUT that being said lately I have been getting very into pickleball AMERICA'S FASTEST GROWING SPORT. I feel a bit conflicted because on one hand I hate to follow the crowd but also in this particular case the crowd really knows what they are doing like... man. so fun.

I also did swim in high school although I was never all that good. I do enjoy it though. if you're curious I did breaststroke. I also have been running for a while. I've only been getting really serious with it lately though. my friend asked me if I want to run a marathon and I was kinda like why not so I am training for that now. the most I have ever run at a time is 13 miles. I'm using Nike Run Club which honestly has been really great. they have these guided workouts and they are so weirdly intimate but in a nice way. just this like really positive upbeat dude whispering in your ear how good you are doing and lowkey flirting. its nice. that's what keeps me going. thanks coach bennet.

oh yea I also lift weights and stuff but I'm not like huge on that. during quarantine I had a huge yoga/meditation phase where I did yoga nearly everyday. I'm not as consistent with it anymore but I still would consider myself an enjoyer. check out Breathe and Flow on youtube they make great guided flows.

arts and crafts

I've always wanted to be the kind of guy that can make cool stuff. I'm not sure if I'm quite there yet. that being said I have been learning to sew and I made a cool little tote bag and an apron. my next goal is to make a tshirt. perhaps some pants after that.

I've also done a few pottery classes and made some nice little bowls. oh yea I had an origami phase as well. and a drawing phase. I have a lot of phases.

pets & gardening

I really love animals. unfortunately I'm not at a point in my life where I'm able to settle down and get a pet quite yet. so instead I've been doing a lot of fostering. so far I've fostered a cat named Zelda, a cat named Sasha, and a litter of kittens named Grapefruit, Gala, and Guava. they take over my life everytime I have them but I love doing it. I cry everytime I have to give them back.

I also have a little collection of plants that I love. they were all my moms but she gave them to me. well most of them. I have a bonsai tree that my mom and dad got the same year I was born which is kinda cool. I'm currently trying to grow bell peppers from seeds.

language learning

and by language learning I mean I do duolingo everyday. but that counts for something I guess. I'm trying to learn Hebrew because my mom and dad both speak and I think it would be cool. to be honest I have been doing it for nearly 2 years now and I don't know any Hebrew at all. I can read it though so that's something. but if I actually wanna be able to speak it I'm gonna have to commit to something a little more serious than duolingo I think. oh I also speak Russian by the way

nyt games

a few months ago I achieved my ultimate goal of completing every new york times mini crossword in existence. it was a bit anticlimatic. I continue to do them everyday to maintain my status. I also do wordle every morning. and connections most days. woo hoo

final update on my flight status: you will be happy to know I am back home. yeehaw