September 2025

What’s In Your Mailbox?

As I go through today’s mail, it amazes me how much banks and insurance companies must spend on trying to get us to switch. Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve been with the same bank for almost a decade, and the same insurance company for a few years with no intent of switching. But my physical mailbox at this point seems like it’s nothing but letters from Progressive and Chase trying to convince me to change over. Do these actually work on anyone?

There’s one thing that could get me to switch. If someone whispered to me that there was an insurance company that did not spend millions of dollars on ads, but just laid low and put all that money into paying claims and lowering premiums, I’d pay attention.

Less Social Media

Over the past couple of years I’ve found social media to be less enjoyable, less useful, and more aggravating. On Facebook, the one site I still used fairly regularly, my feed became filled with spam and AI posts, and the real people I interacted with seemed more likely to be itching for a fight. Other than habit, the main reason I’ve hung on there is to promote my musical projects. But social media music promotions have never seemed all that effective. We interact, we chat, but the butts in seats have largely seemed to come from real life interactions, not online ones.

I’ve spent the past few months spending considerably less time online, and I am amazed at the extra time it has opened up in my life. I have more time to read and to play guitar, and I certainly feel less stress. How bizarre is that? The tool that initially brought us together, that reunited us with long lost friends, has become such a source of angst.

And then what may ultimately be the final straw came from learning how many friends, colleagues and acquaintances of mine justify political violence online. From outright cheering to “I abhor political violence but,” I have no room in my life for this. I’ve learned that this isn’t something that can be rationally debated for the most part. When there’s poison all around you, sometimes all you can do is try to avoid the source. And so I shall. I’ve deactivated Facebook for now. We’ll see if it lasts this time.

All that said, I still feel a need to collect and post my thoughts. And I think I’m going to do that here. At least for a while. Please feel free to visit anytime.