4.20.2024

Last August I left my old job doing comms and marketing content for a tech consultancy, and I’ve tried a bunch of things since.

I just started working as a "budtender" at a new weed dispensary about a half mile from my apartment. It’s a cool experience getting to open a brand new store, and I’ve noticed a lot of parallels with the tech startup boom I walked into ~10 years ago. It’s been pretty sick so far, staying close to home and learning a ton about a really cool and fascinating plant. 

From Jan - March I was working on the campaign to elect Graciela Guzmán as my next State Senator.

Graciela is the real deal — an inspiration and a homie. My first week on the job, the two of us were knocking doors in -20°F; and by the final weeks I was posted up in campaign HQ helping the Field Director, Sandra, cut turf for hundreds of canvassers, prep for election day, and set up phonebank and text campaigns telling everyone in the district when Graciela got endorsed by Bernie Sanders.

“It was not the water’s strength that broke the stone; it was its consistency.”

We were outspent 8:1, but Graciela won 51% of the vote in a 4-way race. Still feels great. The whole team rocked, it was an awesome experience.

The campaign taught me a ton of new skills, and I’ve been using those in combination with my content experience while helping with the United Neighbors of the 35th Ward, a group of community organizers in my neighborhood. 

Outside of election season, we meet with our elected officials and try to build political unity and clarity in our community.

And I’ve been using my free time trying to turn some of my hobbies into habits, getting regular practice with

• jogging

• playing music,

• cooking, 

• reading, 

• gardening...