Strangely I find myself at the awkward age of 52. I am of average height and working my way back toward average weight. My nerdy introverted middle aged stoic Asian American facade masks the not quite mature geeky self that’s been me for decades. People may mistaken me for a bespectacled middle aged dad, except I have neither kids nor family.
I am a fairly curious person, and often find myself going down Wikipedia rabbit holes with too may open browser tabs. Hence I am looking for someone to explore LA/SoCal, attend No Kings rallies, and go backpack travel the world with. Over the decades I’ve switched from listening to KROQ to KCRW/NPR. Remanent memories of Jr High orchestra means I love Tchaikovsky and Maria Callas, but Rage Against the Machine touches my soul and Blink-182 brings tears to my eyes. I have a myriads of hobbies and probably undiagnosed ADHD.
Currently I am getting reacquainted with my sewing machines and TIG welder; sometimes I need more than Hello World/Blink the LED level of proficiency. Recently I got a little carried away baking simple walnut raisin bread and have joined regularly scheduled Griffith Park hikes. I also love writing with fountain pens despite my poor penmanship.
In the past decades, other than a small interlude working overseas as a wet chemistry research assistant, I’ve worked in a small family business. I did everything from overseas QC, to trade shows, to operations, to IT/DevOp, to warehouse laborer as the company downsize. A few years ago I discovered that figuratively I am not family. It wasn’t an extinction level realization, however it did collapse the foundation of my long held beliefs on family, fairness, and trust. Is LA still home? That is the deep deep ugly emotional scar people don’t see. As a Pastafarian, my deity of choice is surprising silent on the concept of suffering. C'est la vie.
Luckily I am a t-shirt and jean person. Not into name brands nor Michelin stars. I watch what I spend(mostly) and I don’t gamble. I take public transit to LAX, fly low season economy, and travel with a backpack. Home cook meals, no matter how bland, are still my favorite. I also rather browse foreign supermarket aisles than duty free shops. In today’s rampant consumeristic world I can usually find something I value within my budget, new or used. I minimize purchasing products made in authoritarian countries, and minimize using services from tech oligopoly.
I guess this is like a message in a bottle. Maybe we can find our mutual analog attraction in this vast digital world, or at a minimum, a decent museum visit.