things i think about while powerwashing 59

I'm going to talk about this more in my year end post, but this year one of my goals was to be a lot more consistent in my newsletter writing and publishing. One of the big issues that I had last year was that I would keep burning out due to lack of material and just phone in some really bad newsletters. Or even worse, not write any at all.

That was last year's consistency. This upcoming year we're going to have even more consistency in more areas of my life! Please text me or email me if you have any areas you want to share that you will start being more consistent in — it'll be fun to see what every one does!

anonymous subscriber news

Here we are, closing out the year with one last anonymous subscriber news. Since its inception it has yielded 107 submissions, and numerous (seemingly) confessions. Thank you all for your submissions, and I hope you shall keep contributing next year!

• anonymous subscriber is cleaning their house in the Christmas spirit even though they are watching “Justified” for the millionth time because it is so danged clever although it has no holiday theme whatsoever. This anonymous subscriber also wishes Ryan and all of the other subscribers a mellow holiday and a promising start to a new year. 💙
• anonymous subscriber also thinks they can fix anything on their car after replacing the brake pads and rotors on their car (they know less than nothing still)
• anonymous subscriber is moving to the Big Pinecone (cough Seattle) and is v excited about it

how to make the weight of life bearable

I recently read this blog post I found online that talked about having a game that they enjoy makes every day enjoyable (http://plumshell.com/2023/12/23/having-a-game-im-really-into-makes-every-day-incredibly-enjoyable/).

This might be more of a techie meets real life meets too-accessible-blogging moment, but I thought it to be kind of sweet. Like, what do we really live for? The shareholders? Or ourselves? To be able to fulfill some type of purpose in this greater life?

Anyway, this has been kind of resonating with me since I started playing various games with my friends every day. Every night (for better or worse) I log on to my computer and get in a Discord call with my friends and play games with them. Most of the time we're playing League of Legends, but lately we've started to get into this game called Lethal Company (which, ironically, is about generating shareholder value). Getting into that call and just shooting the shit with friends is does indeed make the weight of life bearable.

As does hanging out with my cat, or getting food with friends. Hopefully, opening this newsletter every Saturday morning takes the weight of your shoulders just a little bit!

cool artists i've been listening to

• Crowd Lu - a Taiwanese artist that has collaborated with one of my favorite K-Indie bands The Black Skirts.
• Laufey — I'm sure a few of you have heard but there's a new non-hyperpop artist on the block! Laufey makes jazz-like music (there are some points of contention here) but it's just straight enjoyable and the lyrics are wonderful as well. Highly recommend giving them a listen!
• Remix Rumble - This is the main underlying soundtrack to this game I play called Teamfight Tactics. There's been a few official remixes and my favorite one is done by Steve Aoki.

pet of the week

Just like the humans of this world, cats also get a little tired during the end of the year. Or is this a yell for food? Not too sure of the context here. On a side note, Eleanor literally found Mo on the side of the road and decided to take him in. From little kitten to nicely sized adult cat, it's amazing to what the attentive care of a small roadside stray kitten can turn into!