This is 40. Read my blog.
Hello! My name is Brian. If you're reading the very first post on my blog here...you probably know me. If you don't...I'm really not sure what the hell you're doing here.
In all seriousness, I'm not really sure what I'm doing here. I just know I like to write. Ideas pop into my head all the time and I think...I need to talk to explain this to someone...and quite frankly I think my wife and kiddos might be tired of me chucking half-baked conversation topics and ideas their way. So...I guess this is where you come in.
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Anyway, I'm about to turn 40 and I guess in a grand swirl of emotions that comes with not only turning 40, but also turning 40 in America in 2026, I figured I'd start blogging (again). Also, my therapist said maybe it would help me not be so angry at all the bastards trying to keep us down.
Oh yeah, when I said "blogging (again)" above that's because I used to blog almost everyday. I was in graduate school and worked during the day for my dad where I was in charge of scanning a bunch of files and such. It was a boring job, and yes, it was an opportunity drenched in nepotism, but I really enjoyed working with (for?) my dad and having my own desk at a job where I could also do a little day dreaming from time to time.
I look back on that time in my life fondly and I'm hopeful it was in some part due to blogging, which more than anything helped me stay connected with folks, specifically college friends who had scattered across the country and globe after graduation.
That blogging experience (also called "The Life of Brian," super friggin' original, I know) was almost 20 years ago. So...some things have changed since then. So, let's end this initial post with a few things about me and a few things I really like (and maybe a few I dislike) summed up in one of my favorite ways to communicate...a list of bullet points!
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Things to know about the Life of Brian:
• My Family. As I mentioned above, I have a terrific wife and two kiddos. I'd imagine being a parent and the joys, struggles, etc. that go with that will fill a lot of the posts here. My wife and I have been together for over 20 years. I love her fiercly and very much enjoy her company and talking with her. My kiddos are a nine-year old daughter and an eight-year old son. There is nothing I love doing more than being their dad. It's also, exhausting. You have kids? If so...you get it. We'll talk about it here.
• Basketball. I really like basketball. A lot. The Louisville Cardinals are the team I live and die with, but I really love debating all things basketball college, pro, etc.
• My House and housing in general. With my family, I live in a great, old house with lots of character. And by character...I mean issues. DIY'ing things around the house is something I like to talk about from time to time. Although, it often feels like one of my favorite online bits from comedian Derick Cahill called "F*ck this house). However, I'm also a big advocate for making sure everyone in our city, state, country? has a house. I mean good lord, how hard is that to understand?
• Music. That's a thing I love too. I play guitar poorly, enjoy collecting records and will never be convinced that The Beatles aren't the greatest band of all-time. Although my favorite kind of music is soul girl groups from the 60's. The Ronettes - Be My Baby is my favorite song of all-time.
• Politics. Over the years, thanks to my wife, I've become political. If you haven't...well it's just like Sonny and Cher always used to say..."That's on you, babe." Everything is political. Start paying attention.
• Comedy and Sarcasm. It's all I've got. I like to laugh, I really like to make other people laugh. And more importantly, I love not taking things too seriously and just joking about pretty much everything. (I also really like quoting movies and tv shows. For instance, I know that Sonny and Cher reference above is wrong...but did you know that's actually a quote from Noho Hank from the TV show Barry? If you did, nice catch. If you didn't? Well...that's on you, babe)
• I really like to use ellipsis when I write...you probably knew that by now. I know I don't always use them correctly, but I like to think I'm using them in a way that helps my writing read a little bit like how I talk. If you don't like that, well frankly...I don't give a toot.
• Lastly, we're all human, we all make mistakes. I'm not gonna edit this for typos or grammar, I'm just gonna try my best. If you read something you like, drop a comment. If you read something you don't like, drop a comment so I can ignore it.
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I think at the end of the day, I just wanted to start this blog because I thought it'd be a nice outlet for me and a good way to hopefully connect with good people who are trying to navigate whatever the hell is going on in the world...and because again...my therapist said I should. Also, I think there's just not enough middle aged, middle/upper-middle class, white, straight, men with platforms and we need to be heard.
There's that sarcasm for you new readers. Hopefully, you got that. We'll talk more about all of that as we go along. For now, thanks for reading and subscribing? I think that's how it works. We'll talk soon.
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Song of the Day: Sonny & Cher - I Got You Babe
