Last updated: February 2026

Music makes the people come together

In an effort to keep my brain from smoothing out, I’ve been continuously updating my iTunes library. It still works, and hot tip: don’t install Apple TV or Apple Music on your Windows computer; Apple will prioritize those apps over iTunes. Not sure if the same process works on Mac; I’ve heard that they force Mac users to use Apple Music period.

I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do when they properly sunset iTunes. But I dare not manifest that energy.

As of late, I’ve chased down BBMak, Kehlani, and Level 42’s discographies. I had all of them in the past, but during the Great iTunes Wipe of 2025, I lost a ton of my music, going as far back as 2004. Between my past purchases from iTunes and Amazon Digital Music and my own physical CDs, I was able to start rebuilding it.

My local library is a godsend. I have a standalone CD ripper, so whenever I remember I don’t have a specific artist, I look in the catalogue and see if they have the physical copy, put in my request, and wait. Right now, I’m waiting on My Chemical Romance and the Cocteau Twins.

I can’t believe I lost all of my Cocteau Twins music. I had their entire discography. The only thing I have right now in my library is “The Moon and the Melodies,” the EP they did with Harold Budd in 1986.

The walls keep crashing down on me

The entire world is burning, figuratively and literally, and I remain without a job since June 2025. This is my longest stretch of unemployment ever. Like many others in the game, we all have experience, we’re all ready to work, and yet… no one is hiring? If I get another “this position is filled” email, I might… actually, I don’t know what I’d do. I rage like Aggretsuko every time I get one though.

I’d like someone to give me a shot. I’m ready, willing, and able. I don’t want to continue to be a statistic. I’d like to be able to be a functioning member of society. I don’t want to rely on others because there’s someone in a far worse position that needs it more than me and can’t work.

I’m at my wits’ end.

Trying to stay positive

On that deflating note, I’m trying to keep my head up and keep moving forward. It’s hard to sell myself because I’m a generalist when it comes to my writing. I can write about anything that you put in a content brief. Give me a style guide and I’ll have it done on your deadline.

Cleaning out my hard drive

One of my favorite things to do is scroll through Instagram and Threads and grab people’s free offers. You give them your email, and they give you themed content like “get my workbook and do this thing that’s made me multiple 000s in income!” I mean, anyone can say that, really. But hey, if they want to give away free stuff, I’m all for it.

So I’ve been going through at least a decade’s worth of PDFs, swipe files, and slide decks. A lot of it stuff I already know but haven’t had a chance to use myself. It’s always in the back of my head. I guess I haven’t found a reason to use it yet, but once I do, I’ll have the knowledge.

Not only have I been clearing that stuff away, I’ve been revisiting my ideas file. And with the help of the Novel 90 challenge at AutoCrit, I’m also writing again. There’s a story that I’ve been kicking around in my head for awhile now about a professional cuddler. The working title is “The Patron Saint of Chavez Ravine.” Something about that title is poetic. I’m not even sure where I’m going with it, but it’s been fun, getting stuff out on paper.

I haven’t written long fiction in probably over 15 years. And I didn’t even finish that novel! Ha. I felt I wanted to express myself more with short fiction and poetry. And I’m glad I did! There’s so much I want to share in those styles.

Ugh, so many stories, so little time.