Hey friends,

How are you? I’ve been a little quiet lately. I don’t know about you, but sending out missives about traveling the world feels a tad trite when said world is in chaos. I know most of you probably don’t subscribe for talk of politics. But there’s a real likelihood that as you’re swiping or scrolling your way through your inbox or social media of choice, you’ll come across some images that I’ve taken or words I’ve written, and the very next swipe is news that a U.S. missile struck an Iranian school and killed 165 children. That’s a jarring sentence, right? It’s equally so in the feed. Or is it? It’s all content these days, baby, two spectacles just a swipe apart. Both reduced to the same real estate on a glossy screen. Both demanding the same gravity in your mind. Both vying for the same scraps of attention. Both with little heart buttons asking for validation.

It’s crazy…no...deranged? Surreal? Dissonant? I don’t know if there’s a word that can truly articulate the absurdity of the moment. But as someone who creates things and puts them out into the void, I’ve been struggling to rationalize my voice and place in any of this. I’m sure some of you have been feeling the same.

Anyway, it was my birthday a few days ago. Yes, thank you, thank you. Turning 30 didn’t faze me; I even found some freedom in it. But now that I’m a year out from having to check the 35-44 box, I’ll admit that the existential dread does feel a little closer. Each birthday over thirty feels increasingly introspective. I think it’s the combination of time, distance, and fewer fucks given that opens the mind up to ruminating on past traumas or life events with more objectivity. 

Birthdays make you do one of two things - try to extract meaning from the chaos, or catalog your complaints. I’ve tried the first one. It doesn’t work. And honestly, this year is turning out to be such a shit show and I was searching for something more cathartic. Instead, I thought I’d share 34 gripes or aspects about our world that annoy me, one for every year of my life. Yeah, that’s right, as a younger millennial who is forced to endure a generationally defining disaster every four years, I think it’s my right to complain about the nuisances of living in 2026. 

These gripes are in no particular order, but grouped, if only to spare you the whiplash.

// Petty Grievances

• People who play music on hiking trails.
• People who stand in the middle of the sidewalk. Or grocery store aisle. Or escalator.
• People not using headphones in public. I don’t want to hear whatever stupid reel your friend sent you.
• Loose wall outlets are the absolute worst.
• Calling another adult male “buddy” or any awkward stepdad name including but not limited to: sport, kiddo, big guy, champ, tiger, pal, and slugger.

// Travel

• Why is it that whenever I’m at the airport it happens to be everyone else’s first day on earth? Move the fuck on, people.
• People who put small bags or jackets in the overhead bin. 
• Rollerbags. Especially children wielding rollerbags.
• The ever-shrinking width and legroom on airplanes. Sure legroom gets all the attention, but spare a moment for the shoulders.
• Kids at airport lounges. Sorry big guy, adults only.
• Car headlights that are too goddamn bright. As president, stopping that shit would be in my first 100 days.
• Push to start in cars. Was turning a key just too difficult?
• Why do we have so many different apps to pay for parking?

// Food & Drink

• The fact that burgers are now over $20 - what are we even doing?
• "Elevated" versions of simple food that are worse than the original.
• When restaurants say they include a “5% service charge that is retained by the restaurant,” do I still need to tip? Do the waiters get paid a living wage? Whenever I ask, they just give an awkward shrug and non-answer. I’d like to be a good person, but why are you making it so difficult?
• QR code menus. I thought we were over this? Don’t make me take out my black box of horror when I’m trying to have a nice meal.
• Food delivery apps. Maybe an unpopular opinion, but we solved food delivery a long time ago and not every type of food should be delivered.
• N/A alcohol zealots. I get it, good for you.
• The phrase “off the beaten path” and “eat like a local.” Let me tell you, all paths are fucking beaten and the locals are eating at home.

// Technology, etc.

• Self-checkout machines or really any automated customer service. Please place your items in the bagging area.
• Anything smart house related - fridges, doors, lights - can we not just get up and turn off a light or use a key anymore?
• How shit just breaks so much easier now. Not only technology, but just about everything.
• I seriously don’t want to hear a drone, ever.
• The fact that it takes two years to get a new season of a TV show.
• Needing to have about 20 subscriptions to watch live sports.
• How A.I. is getting shoved into everything. It has its uses, but I don’t really need Gemini or whatever suggesting edits to my emails.

// Culture

• The way Americans have no chill. Whenever there is a new trend or novelty, we just beat it into submission and monetize it until the soul is gone.
• Constantly feeling like I’m getting sold something and how every aspect of our life has become purely transactional. 
• The way that social media, influencers, algorithms have turned us all into narcissistic sociopaths. And how every hobby eventually becomes content.
• The oppressive duopoly of the United States’ political system that doesn’t actually want to solve anything.
• The fact that stupidity in this country is at an all-time high.
• The grindset bros. I like sleep too much to be bothered. Also maybe just get a life?
• Every ad about sports gambling and prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi. The fact that we can bet on if there’s going to be a nuclear war is absurd. WWIII, brought to you by DraftKings.

Honestly there’s probably about 100x more I could rattle off but I had to stop myself at some point. Need to vent? Your gripes are welcome in the comments.