Regarding community, I mentioned Stavros Halkias previously doing great comedy. Check out this video where he talks about this caller’s dad falling in love with ChatGPT. The latter part is so great, it’s like DUDE! Fucking meet people in-person to play board games! People are lonely. Anyways, it’s funny, and has a good message: www.youtube.com/watch

It’s amazing how much nostalgia I feel sometimes for the in-store, in-person experience. We can get to the nth degree of market efficiency by having self checkouts, but unless it’s one item with a long line, I try to avoid it. It’s good to chat with the clerk at the checkstand. Does anyone under 30 know what that’s really like? Sometimes I wish I could time travel to 1995, where I can only imagine people had to act awkwardly in line, and start conversations with strangers, since smartphones didn’t exist back then.

Usually with products, I want to test out a product in the store. Can’t really do that online.

Similarly, I’ve also never liked the e-readers on my phone. I like the print editions. I recently went to Powell’s Books, and realized how awesome it was just to browse physical copies and run my fingers through the freshly printed pages of a new hardcover. You don’t get that from Amazon. The library feels very similar. We need more so-called “third spaces” for people, which transcend demographics and serve everyone.

It’s one of the reasons why I was especially frustrated with this Multi-Level Marketing Amway scam attempt that happened to my wife and I, at our local Target store last December. You could say we were “targeted,” pun intended! It’s a long story, but for now, suffice it to say there were giant red flags getting bigger and brighter as the conversation went on, leading to a Christmas party invite from total strangers. Odd enough, but okay. But what made me far more upset than whatever dumb bullshit they were trying to sell itself was the deceptive methodology behind it: the exploitation of people’s sincere willingness to chat with strangers, especially in 2026 when everyone’s lonely.

Similarly on theme, I also did a presentation recently in-person at Portland State University that just isn’t the same over Zoom. Speaking to everyone in person was so great! I’m the odd person that usually enjoys public speaking. I did a presentation that explored the practical elements of my completed graduate level experiential learning project: the time management, people skills, and everything else, which meant so much. While there are plenty of people to go around to talk about what such a learning project might be at a local government substantively––which I did address for a few minutes––more importantly, I talked candidly about the practical stuff, from lifestyle trade-offs, tight finances, less social time and partner time, and using AI responsibly rather than avoiding it, which I think people appreciated.

Also on my mind: last night I attended the men’s meetup group for a second time recommended by my therapist (my first time was several weeks ago) which was also great in having a space for men to share more openly challenges they are going through, without stigma or judgment. On the in-person theme: attending in-person was so valuable! I’m making it a goal to go to events like this at least weekly, and also other meetups without pushing myself too hard. The Meetup App, by the way, makes the daunting task of branching out simpler. I highly recommend people download the app and make a free account, as it’s easy to use.

Speaking of Meetups that step outside of my comfort zone: I also look forward to the Dougy Center orientation later this month, as discussed in a prior post, and sharing how that experience goes.