My first climbing trip to Black Corridor in Red Rocks National Park — It was warm for January in Las Vegas. Going into this trip, it had been six months since I quit my job. I decided I wanted to spend more time doing what I loved, which was climbing. Would I regret the decision? It felt right to take time off to…

Friendship and frustration It was a warm summer evening at Pacific Pipe, one of those days that I could comfortably climb in a t-shirt. Summer was taking its time in the Bay Area this year, but the heat was finally picking up and I was glad for it. …

Core memory, you know? — After Hazel agreed to help, I figured it would be a good idea for her to see what an extraction felt like. “Ok we can keep it simple, and I can extract a happy memory from you. Those are generally easier for people to think about,” I said. “No, let’s…

What’s in a memory anyway? — “So you guys are like the guys from Inception? You go inside people’s heads to take their memories?” Hazel asked, as she sipped on the milk tea I bought for her from Purple Kow. I offered to buy her lunch but all she wanted was boba. The wind blew gently…

Finding a good distiller is so hard though — “Jesus Christ, this is fucked up,” said Jake. Jake was new to distilling and this was only his third extraction. He watched the scene unfold, palms sweating and heart racing faster. The climber looked tiny and insignificant on the high-definition monitor. It would have been difficult to spot anyone on…

We were all hungry after playing pickleball for several hours and settled on dinner at Zareen’s, an Indian restaurant in Redwood city. The restaurant sat in the middle of a wide, plaza-like street, similar to Valencia in San Francisco, except cleaner and nicer. Inside, it was well-lit and spacious. …

A microstory about nothing — “Hey everyone! I’ll be visiting next week for my cousin’s wedding and am free that Friday to hang out — can anyone host at their place?” Most double-tapped the message and a heart would appear under it. No one responded for two days. “I can come help set up too” …

A short story about you, me, and us — They walked into the Leaping Lemur Cafe to get some drinks. The space was rounded and had a vaulted ceiling that tapered off to a triangular point. There was something about the cafe and he felt good there. The music played loud and clear. …

The first couple weeks of my trip to Kalymnos — Eight months after quitting my job, I booked a climbing trip to Greece. I’d met Charles online and he had been to Kalymnos twice already and was well acquainted with the island. Charles posted in a climbing group on Facebook and invited others to join him. …