This will be my last email for the year. I’ll be taking the five weeks of December off to enjoy the holidays, and then returning in January, hopefully refreshed and rejuvenated. This is the first time I take a break from the newsletter since starting in 2022. 137 weeks in a row later, I’m definitely excited for this little break. This break will give me time to do some deep thinking and regrouping, without having to worry about an output every week. I also have some projects that I’ll be working on.

On the admin side, I’ll be spending some time organizing my Apple Notes and Synology drives. Notes, files, and folders. I also look forward to building out my Sofa lists, thinking through new ingredients, and beta testing the new podcast feature. On the gaming side, Dragon Quest III and Metaphor are the games I’ll be playing. I’ll also be spending time migrating all my emulation from a few devices to just the Retroid Pocket 5.

Last but not least, I’m excited for the holidays. It’s my favorite time of the year. The quality time with family, the reflecting on the past and what’s ahead, the holiday decorations and meals, and then watching the kids open presents. It all adds up to special memories that I’m really looking forward to.

Until next time.

Good evening. Just finished walking back from the office. Fried shrimp and fish for dinner. Watching Rose learn how to run around in Astro Bot (Simple things like going through a door to find her friends is impressive). Her birthday party was a success. Lots of people, food, and Peppa Pig presents. Important notice: Next week’s letter will be the last one for the year. If you have any request or questions, now’s the time to ask them. I’ll be wrapping things up in next week’s email. I’ll be taking the month of December off, and then returning January 6th. This is Morning Coffee 136. Buy me a coffee to keep it going. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. Was up a few hours before the sun today. Made coffee, did some admin tasks, packed backpack and gym bag, got dressed for work, picked out Rose’s school outfit, and then slowly got her dressed without having to rush. We spent quality time laughing, playing, and slowly preparing for the day. As she was eating her eggs, I was spraying, conditioning, and brushing her hair. This routine (of us all leaving the house first thing in the morning) is still new to us, and the best way I know how to handle it is to give myself a lot of extra time to make the process calm and methodical. I’m now writing you while walking to work, and everyone else in the house is on their way to school. Big week for our country. Hope everything goes as planned. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. Finishing this letter up in the new office. Already a few coffees in thanks to the nearby cafeteria. The foggy cover photo above was taken this weekend, early in the morning, during a flag football game. Spent the rest of the weekend resting as much as possible. Was able to finish writing out Rose’s party invitation and send that out to family and friends (Thankfully the only time I’ve used Facebook in a year). Looking forward to enjoying Rose’s big day with her (She’s been talking about it for months). This is Morning Coffee 133. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. Busy weekend: home cooking (shrimp tacos, shrimp spaghetti), watched a flag football game, a pumpkin patch, and the house of blues in New Orleans (AC/DC). Another week at my new job. Learning the hallways. Getting across the facility much faster. Each day is a different set of jobs, depending on the tickets that land in my inbox. Thankful for the nights and weekends (and half-day Fridays). The perfect amount of time for family and basketball. Was also offered a skill trailer position again for a local basketball organization. Getting paid to play and teach basketball on the side is a cool thing to be able to do. This is Morning Coffee 132. Buy me a coffee to keep it going. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. It’s been a busy weekend for us (Seafood boil, church, birthday party, another church, pumpkin patch). Skipped running a few days last week (rain, basketball gyms closed, and schedule just completely filled up). But even with those days missed, thanks to the amount of basketball I’ve been playing, I feel lighter on my feet. Hoping to play a lot more basketball with my new schedule. This is Morning Coffee 130. Buy me a coffee to keep it going. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Today’s letter is brought to you by Analog cards (Almost done with today’s agenda). A few days ago, cajun steaks were cooking inside while a bonfire and s’mores were outside. The music in the background was perfect (I turned it into a playlist to share). It’s been awhile, but the season has finally changed for me (I’ll share more soon). This is Morning Coffee 129. Buy me a coffee to keep it going. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Today’s cup of coffee is brought to you by Aeropress. It was just a few days ago, five us were huddled up in one room with mattresses covering the entire floor. A window unit was providing air condition, while the generator was blaring outside, keeping the lights on until our city recovered from the hurricane. There’s an adventurous and bonding spirit in the air during a storm. Strategizing meals, kids jumping on mattresses, Rose bumping her head while jumping and now has a black eye, spending quality time with my little brother, and getting tons of hours in on the Death Stranding (Steam Deck). There’s nothing out there quite like Death Stranding. This is Morning Coffee 127. Buy me a coffee to keep it going. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. On my second cup of s’mores coffee. Rose is helping me work outside. We’re moving everything in the back apartment as we prepare for a potential Hurricane Francine. A few days ago we all got dressed early, went into the attic to get a gift bag, went to the store to buy a football for a gift, then headed to the trampoline park just in time for a birthday party…just to be told at the register that we’re a day early and should come back tomorrow. This is Morning Coffee 126. Buy me a coffee to keep it going. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning and Happy Labor Day. The kettle is heating up. The coffee will be in the thermos soon. A few days ago, I saw that it was about to rain, so I decided to take the family out for a picnic. Interesting choice. Knowing that it was about to rain didn’t stop us from making lunch a little more adventurous. We packed sandwiches and snacks and set out to a nearby park. As soon as we started eating, the rain started pouring down around us. Rose ate chips and watched as the rain surrounded our shelter. Once we were done eating, I ran through the rain to pack everything back up. Olivia held the umbrella over Rose’s head and walked slowly back to the car. A simple picnic, collaborating with Mother Nature, to create fun memories for the family. This is Morning Coffee 125. Buy me a coffee to keep it going. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. Hot coffee in the thermos. Writing you from inside of a Starbucks in New Orleans. Sade’s By Your Side is playing in the background. Rose and I are waiting for Olivia to finish taking her test, then going find lunch in NOLA. This is Morning Coffee 124. Buy me a coffee to keep it going. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. A short newsletter this week. Preparing for some changes. Expecting good news today. It was a busy weekend setting up our chicken coop and getting our chickens settled in. Another week of running and playing basketball. Currently watching Industry. On the Steam Deck, I’m playing Feed the Deep and The Long Dark. Looking forward to Gamescom this week. This is Morning Coffee 123. Buy me a coffee to keep it going. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. Hario v60 coffee in Stanley thermos. Admin time. Lots of little tasks inside of Things this morning. Prepping for a busy week with big changes on the horizon. Played basketball twice last week (Aiming for three this week). Still running 5K a day. Watching Industry and started playing Detroit: Become Human for the first time. This is Morning Coffee 122. Buy me a coffee to keep it going. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. Writing you before going on my daily run (5K a day has been the goal lately). It’s been an interesting week for me, with lots of conversations about my career. On a related note, a cool milestone happened this week: one of my songs was featured in a movie (You can watch the movie for free on Tubi. My song starts playing at the 25 minute mark). Tonight is the season finale of House of the Dragon. A few days ago, I binge watched the entire season of Presumed Innocent. Been playing Fallout 76 (on PS5) and Fallout 4 (on Steam Deck). This is Morning Coffee 121. Buy me a coffee to keep it going. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. Writing you after a busy weekend and the start of a new work schedule. Bracing myself for all the upcoming changes at work. I’ve been watching Hacks, House of the Dragon, and Books of Doom. Been playing Diablo IV and Fallout London. Let me know what you’ve been watching, reading, playing, or listening to. Always interested in growing my library. This is Morning Coffee, 120 weeks in a row. Buy me a coffee to keep it going. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. Pralines and Cream coffee beans with the Hario V60. Prepping for the week. Todo list with Olivia. Big season of changes on the way. You’ll also notice the newsletter is a little tidier. Been playing The Witcher 3 and Moonstone Island. This is Morning Coffee 119. Buy me a coffee to keep it going. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good evening. Sitting in the living room on bean bags with Rose, watching Frozen II. Fresh AeroPress coffee is brewed. We spent the day out of town. First feeding ducks, then eating lunch. A nice peaceful day. Been playing Star Ocean: The Second Story R, Once Human, and Concord. Been listening to The Death of Slim Shady. It’s a dark story about cancel culture and saying goodbye in the most Eminem way possible: vulgar attacks on current events through overcomplicated rhyme patterns. It’s very polarizing, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Won’t be for everyone though. This is Morning Coffee 118. Buy me a coffee to keep it going. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. Just finished making a coffee and logging more details about last night’s dream in Apple Journal. If you ever wake up and remember your dream, I highly recommend writing it down somewhere. This week’s newsletter is a long one, breaking down how I setup a Mac. Time for breakfast and work. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. Welcome to the house of balloons. I currently have 50 balloons floating around the house that we to took from a baby shower, and I invited all the kids over from the party to come play with Rose. Busy weekend. A lot of driving and quality time with the family. Wish I could slow down time to enjoy these moments more. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. By the time you read this I’ll already be on the interstate. If I had to predict the future it would look like this: Finish writing this intro, run treadmill, watch House of the Dragon, sleep, wake up and start driving to Florida, stop at the first Cracker Barrel. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. Just finished taking the family to the local donut shop (kolaches and pink sprinkled donuts). Headed home to make a coffee (with the Hario V60) and get ready for my second week of training. Today’s also WWDC (A Super Bowl for those who follow Apple). And next week I’ll be writing you while on vacation. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. In the kitchen making a coffee before going run. Olivia is editing wedding photos on the couch, and Rose is watching Arthur. She learned about Arthur from making puzzles (her new favorite hobby). She sits there and works on puzzles all day now. Fascinating watching her little mind put all those pieces together. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. We’re on the interstate, on our way back home from a three day camping trip as a family. I switched to the passenger seat after we ate lunch, so I can write you this letter. I turned thirty eight a few days ago, and that has me reflecting on life in many ways. Meeting my wife four years ago, buying a home and having a daughter soon after, and now being able to work from home with them right there with me. A full circle. I start a new position at my job next week, and we also have some vacations coming up. So many things to be thankful for. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. Writing you from my office. I’m typing on the MacBook, my dad’s editing his next YouTube video next to me, and Rose is sitting on the bean bag behind us, watching Cocomelon. We’re about to start frying fish for lunch. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. Currently sitting on the couch next to the slide and tunnel, working on the MacBook, finishing up the newsletter. Rose went grab her computer to work with me. This week I introduced her to the concept of an obstacle course: Through the door, in the tent, through the tunnel, on the stool, jump to the bean bag, up the slide, down the slide, and land on the other bean bag. What I’m watching/playing: Cave Story. Fallout TV Series, Backlog one and two. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. Writing you from a hotel lobby. Only had my phone with me, and now Rose is watching cartoons on the phone, so this newsletter is being outlined on the receipt paper from the cold brew order. We walked here from the skate park, where Olivia and Isaac are still skating, where Sleepy Silver Door was playing, and where all the other kids were doing very impressive tricks on bikes, boards, and scooters. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. Sitting in the car writing while Rose naps and Olivia skateboards. Fried fish for dinner (Here’s a video of my dad catching them). The last two days I ran four miles each, doubling what I usually run (Over the bridge. Through the town. Through the tunnel. Through the neighborhood. To the coffee shop). The Box: Playing Balatro, Alan Wake 2 and Final Fantasy VII. Started watching Fallout on Prime Video. As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. Just finished walking home from the coffee shop. Rose wanted to race me a few times. “Ready steady go!” Then I had to hold her as I walked while she rested on my chest to catch her breath. Spent the last week running bridges and doing daily workouts. Also been playing the Metal Gear Solid series (the first one from the original PlayStation and Phantom Pain on the PS5). Also just finished Netflix’s 3 Body Problem (Thought it would be much better. Wish I could have that time back now). As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. It’s been an eventful three-day weekend for the family. Building an arcade cabinet (sketching and cutting out the frame, and curating the retro games). Setting up a chicken coop. Running bridges. Rearranging Rose’s room for her new kitchen set. Church. Easter egg hunt. Pizza party. Fish fry. Feeling very fulfilled and thankful. Today is the start of the second quarter. I’ll be very focused and intentional through this next season (More on that in the coming weeks). As always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Good morning. Writing you from CR Coffee Shop in New Orleans. Headed to celebrate our two-year anniversary. Thankful for all of our little moments together as a family. It keeps getting better by the day. Also reflecting on all the creating I’ve been doing lately. Last week was 100 newsletters, a few weeks ago, I released two books, been live-streaming, and today, I’m announcing new videos that I’ll be working on each week. Also been recording a lot of new music lately for a new album (Having to retrain myself on the whole process of making music again). I mention this today because I often think back at how creative I “used to be” (as if I’m not creative now). This is a reminder to myself that even with my beautiful family, I’m still as creative as ever. It just looks different now. And I wouldn’t change it for the world. Happy anniversary, Olivia. And for everyone else, as always, I hope this letter finds you well.

Just finished a 30 minute run to the coffee shop. Now I’ll spend the next hour writing about how I track all things health. Our phones and watches make it so easy to manage this information. Let’s begin.

Just leaving the coffee shop. The topics today will cover two different apps. One that I’m beta testing, and one that tracks my game progress. Simple nerdy week. Thanks for reading.

Just arrived at Downtown Jeaux. Americano and MacBook. After writing this, we’ll be headed to New Orleans for the day. Let’s begin.

Good morning. Just got to the coffee shop. Americano and water. After writing this, I’ll be heading to the gym to workout. Let’s begin.

Good morning. Just arrived at Downtown Jeaux with Rose. She’ll be my sidekick as I write out the newsletter. Let’s begin.

7am. Downtown Jeaux. Coffee. Writing. Knocking out another newsletter. Have a workout session after this. Let’s begin.

Just arrived at Downtown Jeaux. Listening to The Technicolors. Small Americano. Last week’s newsletter launch was a success. No hiccups. Love the way it looks in the inbox now. Hoping to improve on that process this week and become even more efficient. Let’s begin.

Last week, I went shoot photos in New Orleans for the day. Artists from New York came down to perform, and I captured their day and then the performance. I ended up with 5,000 photos. Now I’ll be spending the next two weeks editing and delivering those photos.

Feeding Rose this morning. Good morning! This week’s newsletter will be written on the road. Just picked up two large coffees from PJ’s, one for now, one for my thermos. Headed to go film in Baton Rouge. Let’s get started.

Rose Makes 8 months tomorrow. Just arrived at the coffee shop. 7:30am. Small americano. An hour to write this. Let’s begin. (Update from my future self: finished this in only 30 minutes. Exciting. Enjoy this new condensed version.)

This week went by way too fast. Feels like I was just writing the previous newsletter. That’s what traveling and vacation does to your days. I’m writing you from my Downtown Jeaux headquarters. Today I brought my family with me. I’d like to not split these two times up, and instead, spend time with them while I write this. Hoping it could be something that flows well together. As I’m writing this, I look up from the screen to see Olivia feeding Rose her breakfast. She’s beautiful. Let’s begin.

This week, we’re in New Orleans. I’m writing you from French Truck Coffee, one of my favorite coffee shops to visit when I’m in Nola. We’re staying at an AirBnb nearby, searching for new adventures in the next few days. Life’s been busy. Feels great though. I’ll be writing 90% of this newsletter in TextEdit as a plain text file, with no internet. Hoping to speed through this process faster than ever, and then add the few things that requires internet after. For something that I need from online, I’ll add a “+ video” or a “+ link” and keep writing. Not slowing down is the goal. Let’s begin.

After doing a two mile run to the coffee shop, I’m now here to write this newsletter. There was a dog inside barking at everyone passing, and even my AirPods noise cancellation couldn’t block out that distracting sound, so I moved to a back private room to write this. Hoping for another solid week of writing. Let’s begin.

Good morning. Just arrived at the coffee shop. So much to do, so little time. Writing. Meetings. Workouts. It’s a good problem to have, being this busy. I don’t take it for granted. It’s inspiring. I’m just trying to keep up. Let’s begin.

I feel like I’m moving at a faster pace the last few days. My schedule is completely full, and I’ve been moving through each hour with different roles to focus on. Feeling sharp. I’ll be knocking out this newsletter to start the rest of my day. Have a lot going this week. Let’s begin.

It’s 8 am at the coffee shop. Pure Focus playlist on Apple Music. Three days off, planning to be very productive during that time, starting now.

Just arrived at the coffee shop to knock out today’s newsletter. Hoping to be quick with this one so I can go enjoy my birthday with the family. (I think I want crawfish). Let’s begin.

Starting this week’s writing session off later than usual today. Brought my little brother to school, cleaned up around the house, fed Rose her bottle and put her to sleep. Now I’m at Downtown Jeaux preparing for today’s newsletter. Listening to Morning Focus on Apple Music. I have a few topics that I’ll be covering today. Hoping this one will be shorter than the last few weeks, so I can spend most of my free time today doing photography. Let’s begin.

It’s 6:30 AM. At Downtown Jeaux coffee shop. Arcade Fire’s new album “WE” is playing in the AirPods. I have a lot to say about photos today. Let’s begin.

Good morning. Just sat down at the coffee shop to begin working on this week’s newsletter. Poolsuite FM is on again for the soundtrack. Field Notes are in front of me, skimming through all my notes from this past week, looking for the sparks of ideas that I had throughout the week that I’d like to write about now. Let’s begin.

Reporting live from Downtown Jeaux. I brought the family M1 MacBook Air with me this morning to switch things up. It’s a new week, new ideas, new topics to write about. Clocking in at 7:15 am. The music is Early Hours on Apple Music. “Imagine an after-party at 9 am.” That’s the tagline that got me to press play. Let’s begin.

Welcome to Morning Coffee. This week’s writing is brought to you by the first 30 minutes of The Batman on HBO Max (before the baby woke up), Downtown Jeaux fresh local coffee (where I’m at now), Poolsuite FM (for the soundtrack of this writing), and my friend/coding partner Jay Ray (who helps the site not come crashing down from all the weird things I throw at it).