Update 10–18–2026
Update, it has been almost a month since my last post. I have simply not had to post anything of substance. I am currently working on another short story, but the quality is not up to up standard. It has certainly been a productive month. I got my raise and with it came a 20% increase of work. It is almost as if the corporation is squeezing the life out of me.
I have now triple checked my calculations and place my bench mark at $140,000 annually at time of retirement. It is unfortunate that I do not see myself living forever on the West Coast. The prices are just too high. Eventually I will have to move out. If I do nothing else, I should be out in my 40’s. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have a family, but as of now, I would not risk it under my current conditions.
I think writing has become a natural escape for me. I hold on to the dream that maybe I can make a living from it. I’ll give it another decade to see if anything long lasting can come from it. My time on Medium has certainly been worth it. I have met so many wonderful people and my digital footprint has increased ever so slightly. It is clear that the process is going to take years and not months with the benefit being that it should last years.
The benefit of the diary format is that it can flex and adapt as necessary. I can’t tell you have boring it has become to see writer’s who only focus on one topic. It may be more profitable for the writer and the algorithm, but I know which writer’s to stay away from because they are a one trick pony.
In a world of automated perfection, imperfection is human design.
I am sure in another ten years, written form will be almost indistinguishable from human thought. In the meanwhile, we continue to try and eek out an existence out of our work. Now more than ever technology really does give us the freedom to express ourselves in ways never though possible. I think the danger though is that we get too distracted by things that aren’t real. Good storytelling is the art of balancing fact with fiction to create some greater truth.
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What I have seen with the rise of AI, it has opened the possibilities for expression that were previously limited by skill or power. Again, the quality is not quite there yet, but the potential is limitless. I figure though, as long as there are physical needs, there will be physical work.
If you look at a life’s work as a culmination of everything you do from adulthood till the end then people have much more time to follow their passions than people realize. We create a number of distractions for ourselves. There is something philosophy about life being a distraction from death. I am not sure if I am as morbid about my own existence.
I think people are also willfully ignorant of how much time they have on this planet. You have to take educated risks to move forward. Everyone deserves a high quality of life. Very few are actually able to achieve any sort of stability because it takes years of practice. Your first priority should be to yourself. You are no good to anyone if you cannot perform your duties. I am a very selfish individual. I deserve at least the first half of my life for myself.
In the age of technology, it is a wonder people even still read. It is clear that all of the great movies and video games and media often start with the written word. It is also clear that a lot of garbage still manage to find success because of powerful connections or an ignorant audience. I too have my creature comforts, so I would be not so quick to judge harshly.
Americans are so independent and selfish. It is also why our economy has managed to stay so strong. It would be nice to tap even deeper into our near infinite wealth. I’ll give the platform till the end of the year. It is clear that progress is being made. There are enough fans that I can’t help but dig deeper to find some truth within myself.
Maybe it is time for another excursion. My highest performing articles were also about San Francisco. I think I know how to play around with the algorithm. Since this is my first account, I want it to be as authentic as possible before selling out to the machine. Whoa, the prices for the trip are higher than I thought. I mean they aren’t that much higher, but wow things really have changed.
I guess we just keep pushing until we reach some end.
