My Top 5 Posts of 2023
2023 was a busy year for me. I became a full-time freelance writer, moved out of (and back into) NYC, got engaged, lived abroad for 6 months, and started a new corporate job. But of everything I did this year, the thing I’m proudest of is the 32 editions of this newsletter I published.
It wasn’t always easy. In fact, it was never easy. I spent most of my time between writing each article pondering if I would ever be able to write anything decent again in my life. And I have dozens of unpublished drafts to prove it. Even still, this was the most “personal” writing I’ve ever published in a calendar year, which isn’t nothing.
Further, the feedback I’ve received from many of the folks gracious enough to subscribe to this silly publication gives me the strength I need when I’d much prefer to never write another word again. Seeing my writing resonate with readers has been the coolest part of this whole experience.
So with that, I’d like to present a collection of the best articles I published in 2023, and by “best” I mean the ones that received the most pageviews:
1.
The Dumbest Explanation of Blockchain Ever Written
Let’s say I go to the grocery store and buy 100 bags of frozen buffalo chicken tenders. Each bag contains about a dozen frozen buffalo chicken tenders, meaning I have 1,200 frozen buffalo chicken tenders. I decide to give 100 frozen buffalo chicken tenders each to 11 of my friends—all of whom love frozen buffalo chicken tenders. Now me and my 11 friends …
2.
How to Make the Forbes 30 Under 30 List
From Elizabeth Holmes, to Sam Bankman-Fried, to Charlie Javice, the Forbes 30 Under 30 List is a who's who of budding white-collar criminals. If you're college-aged, convinced of your own genius, skilled at holding grudges, and meandering towards sociopathy, you may have what it takes to scam a bunch of boomers out of millions and
3.
25 Lessons from 6 Months as a Digital Nomad
Over the past 6 months, I've lived in 7 countries, visited 30 different cities and towns, stayed in 15 Airbnbs (and one hotel), freelanced for 14 clients, and earned enough money to finance this lifestyle without burning through my savings. This was my life as a digital nomad.
4.
How to Win Couple's Therapy
Couple's therapy is a productive way to address recurring issues in a relationship and lay a foundation for growth. It's also a competition with clearly defined winners and losers. After attending couple's therapy with my fiancee for nearly 2 years, I consider myself something of an expert in winning couple's therapy sessions—and I can show you how to d…
5.
What to do When Your Friends Hate Jews
For, uh, various reasons, you may have recently discovered that one or multiple people in your life now hate Jews. As a Jewish person, this can obviously be a little disconcerting. Especially if the people espousing such anti-semitism are also the friends who normally adhere to a progressive worldview that upholds the equal worth of all human life.
I think these top five are a good representation of what I was interested in this year—from tech and startups to travel to tongue-in-cheek social commentary. Here are a few others I also personally really liked:
I hope you enjoyed subscribing and reading, and I hope you’ll continue to do so in 2024 (and maybe even invite some of your friends!). Thank you for allowing me this platform in your inbox. Having a place to publish and share my writing is all I could ever ask for. I look forward to bringing you more great content in the new year.