hot damn what a year
My life is great I love it
So, a lot of things happened this year and this recap needs to be brief or else it won’t happen at all.
Catshually
Obviously cats were pivotal throughout. First we made peace with reality and accepted that Ozzy was going to be a permanent part of our household. Then, when we couldn’t keep up with his insane energy levels, we literally kidnapped a toothless diseased stray cat off the streets of Casablanca and Ziggy has just been the bestest boy since. On the anniversary of Layla’s death, we sued the federal government, made my dead cat a viral sensation, and enraged millions of online commentators.
My wife and I had an amazing belated honeymoon, jetsetting to Morocco and then Italy. I eventually got her pregnant with twin boys! Woo!
I actually turned 40 this year and hijacked a little girl’s party on my actual birthday (the girl’s birthday was a few days prior, what a poser). There was a Taylor Swift cake:
Happy Jew Year
This year has felt dramatically less isolating as we got warmly adopted by our Jewish neighbors. It all started with meeting Elica Le Bon (we were too stunned to take a picture!) at an event and snowballed from there. Among all the new dear friends we’ve made, we also met Haviv Rettig Gur, Hen Mazzig, and many others.
I was even invited by the Israeli government itself to visit and be part of a delegation, but then that free trip got rescheduled multiple times and then finally cancelled. I hear this is normal when dealing with Israelis but anyways I’m firmly an antizionist now.
Substacking
I put out some of the best shit I’ve ever written, and also slam-dunked on many fools. As expected much of the topic was Israel-Palestine, with the reasons neatly encapsulated in this mini-manifesto. As much as Sam Kriss is an intellectual coward otherwise, I directly credit some of his pushback for inspiring me to write the essay I’m proudest of this year: Slicing the (Kosher) Hate Salami. I wish my disagreement bubble was violated much more often! Maybe next year.
It wasn’t all ethnic strife drabbiness! I also wrote about how the transgender discourse is fixated on a bizarre distraction, how moral homophones can cause activists to foster movements hostile to their core principles, and on the optimism a cheerleading movie from 20 years ago had about racial harmony. I also contributed a piece about drywall of all topics for Works in Progress, and it somehow ended up being their 3rd most popular article ever! Crazy!
Also did a bunch of Substack Lives, though unfortunately had audio technical difficulties with Bryan Caplan and timezone mishaps with Andrew Fox. But hopefully you know that the most insightful conversation award going to Dan Williams is not because he won by default.
I’d say it was a rather productive year, especially considering the demands of a solo law practice and a double homicide trial. Moreover, the vast majority of what I wrote this year was for my (yep, still pending) memoir, and remains under wraps. I’m currently mired in Proposal Land, maybe I’ll find more time next year in between frantic naps and sleepless nights.
So Stoked
Easily the most consequential year of my life so far. It’s been a rush, and I’m so stoked for what’s to come. We’re kicking off the new year with another double homicide trial (my 2nd double homicide trial in 4 months…) and then after that, just an extended paternity leave. I can’t wait to hang out with my baby boys and guide them through the world!
Shalom and Salam motherfuckers!