Montana recorded 11 new cases of the coronavirus yesterday. Someone I know had a family member test positive for the virus earlier this week. The curve is trending up, and I recently heard Dr. Fauci state that we’re still in the first wave of this pandemic and not the second that some people thought we were in, myself included. I’ve become complacent when it comes to staying safe and practicing everything every smart person in the world is telling us: wear a mask, practice social distancing, wash your hands frequently, etc. Last night I went out drinking with a few friends. I had a lot of fun but was it worth the risk? I have a mask. I bought it in May, and I’ve been wearing it only when going to Walmart to buy food. I haven’t been wearing it at work or at the local grocery store or at the bars I visited last night. I keep it in my bag, but I don’t bring my bag everywhere. The coronavirus has only been in America for four months, but it feels like a lifetime.

I played The Last of Us Part II yesterday. The Last of Us was the very first game I played when I bought my PS4 Pro, and it was a game I loved almost from the outset. The same is true for its sequel. In the world of the game, an outbreak of a mutant fungus infects the world, turning the infected into zombie-like creatures. It’s an interesting game to play when the world is going through its own pandemic, but unlike the world of The Last of Us, our world didn’t need a mutant fungus to turn us all into brainless zombies; we just needed to elect a reality television star.

Today is officially the first day of summer, and I plan to spend it with some friends. I don’t plan to wear a mask even though everyone everywhere is telling me I should. I guess I’m a brainless zombie, too.

So, here it is, my very first blog post on my brand new website. It’s been a long road to get here, and I’m still unsure about what I want and what I want to do with this space. I think for now, I want to continue journaling like I usually do, but with some changes to make them a bit less personal and a bit more amenable for the open web. I just want to write, but I also want my own space online, so here we are.

For the past decade, I’ve kept a private journal. First in doc files, then in Moleskine notebooks, then in Day One, and finally as simple text files. Some of them did turn into blog posts on a blog that no longer exists (for now)¹, but mostly, these files have been private. For my eyes only. But I’ve had this urge to share some of them for a few years because I really feel like I’ve discovered some insights into my own behavior that might help others out there. I also just want a place where I can share my photography in a place other than social networks. So again, here we are.

My plan is to write a short entry every morning, but only after I journal briefly in my notebook. So what was usually one activity—a very long journal entry every morning—will now be turned into two activities: a short journal entry in my notebook and a short blog entry with a photo on this website. I’m not sure what the road ahead looks like, but I’m eager to find out. I’m bursting with ideas, though, and I’m glad I’m starting this. Let’s go!