Being a long time Philadelphian is to be forcibly exposed to football, but this year I got really hooked — on my own terms. Obsessed. I'm even looking forward to Draft Night 2025.

I've been gradually becoming obsessed with sports in adulthood. Learning about the physical, intellectual, and psychological complexity of each sport feeds my respect and curiosity. Getting to know the unique winding journeys of individual players — season to season, game to game, or even day to day — reveals that the whole process is a lot like mine or anyone else's who is trying to make something of themselves and their talents. Through the 2024 Eagles season I saw and learned so much about life that goes beyond entertainment and inspires me in my own day to day.

Without further ado...

Keep the main thing the main thing (KTMTTMT)

Jalen Hurts' now famous phrase.

No, poetry.

"Keep the main thing the main thing": direct, focused, no-nonsense yet light — mirroring its meaning. Poetry!

It's so easy to get off track from our own best interests and pursuits — our would-be and so-called life journeys. Discouraged by normal challenges and hardships, or pulled away in other directions by criticism, entertainment, or others' visions for us. It's easy to lose focus and direction, and even if recognized in time, to get back on track. This happens constantly.

For QB1 Jalen Hurts, despite winning game after game, the media and some fans were hellbent on doubting him — specifically him. That same media praised less winning QBs consistently, even after walloping losses. What's that about?

QBs are traditionally judged by personal stats like yards thrown. True, Jalen Hurts doesn't rank high on many of those lists — but that's by design. Personal stats are a distraction. Throwing a lot of yards is impressive, but it doesn't equate to winning. A game is won by many means, and any means necessary. The only stat that matters at the end of the day is winning. Despite winning all games he started and finished all season, he was publicly doubted in a way no other QB was.

Jalen Hurts is now a Super Bowl champ. Super Bowl MVP. He played one of the best games of his life in SB59. Without a word, he proved every critic wrong beyond a shadow of a doubt on the field: "The Dagger" throw, zero fumbles, beast runs, flawless play-call changes. Elite athleticism, and mature football IQ.

Hurts won big because he never lost sight of the real goal at any point in the season — and knew the only way to get there was to focus and grind. The real work is tough, detailed, ego-less, and relentless. From season footage, the whole team's mindset reflected that. Resetting mentally after each play, successful or not. Unwavering belief in oneself and the team to adjust and get it right after setbacks. The Chiefs fell apart at SB59 in this mental and social game — it was clear as day on TV from their faces and interactions. There is no room for ego, only what it takes to be excellent, and every '24 Eagle is a powerful example of the results that come from that process.

Keep focused on you and what you need to do to get where you want to be. Everything else, praise or criticism, is an empty distraction.

The Eagles started the season shaky, and intentionally adjusted major aspects of their game. Hurts got "put in a straight jacket" (his words) to eliminate turnovers. Mailata and other O-liners advocated for a play style change to take advantage of new team talent.

KTMTTMT reminds me to keep my voice and my goals center stage. The way Jalen Hurts lived the past few seasons carves a clear example: when you're prepared, put yourself in the face of opportunity, and apply yourself, the results will come. Jalen and the Eagles inspire me to be more dedicated, consistent, persistent, and tough in how I navigate challenges in my life's areas of focus.

In my corner of the world, I both need and appreciate reinforcement to turn back to myself and my personal missions. Under 1000 hot lights, the '24 Eagles and especially Jalen Hurts lived and proved a system that works.

You can't be great without the greatness of others

Football is called the ultimate team sport.

I've learned enough to agree. It's physical, and every one has a critical role in a play. If the offensive line protecting the QB is shaky, it doesn't matter how much raw talent a QB has — he will not look good. There can't be one weak link in the line on any play.

Jalen Carter, on the defensive line, is such a threat that other teams are forced to block him with two players, which frees up other Eagles D-linemen to attack and shine.

Saquon Barkley will be remembered as one of the best football players of all time because of this season. He's no less talented today than his six years prior on the Giants, but he was able to have an NFL record shattering season because the Eagles coaches and his fellow O-line designed a run-game around him and he executed.

Mekhi Becton was on a one-year prove-it deal. A former first-round draft pick labelled a "bust" with the Jets, Becton had his NFL career and his self-belief shaken. He said that the Eagles team camaraderie and acceptance was something he hadn't felt since high school. He gave the season his all, grew beloved by Eagles fans, and walks away from the seasons with a SB ring, a renewed career, and his self-confidence back.

Being in the right environment amplifies performance and talent, and can breathe new life into someone. Camaraderie and chemistry on a team cannot be underestimated. Don't lose faith in yourself when you're not in the right situation. Look for a different environment and try again.

The art of communication

I've loved getting a peek into the world of football communication — the how of communication, not the terminology. I'm sure there's overlap between sports, but I'm here to talk football.

Coaches: They have a way of motivational speaking that is so specific to their role, and doing it right is an art. Motivating without preaching, criticizing while building camaraderie. Speaking in anecdotes and catchphrases. Coaches are well represented in media so I'll end there.

I love listening to mic'd up videos from games. Trash talking is psychological warfare, and no one does it better in the NFL than Eagle Brandon Graham. BG's trash talk always sounds positive. He always talks with a deep belly laugh and a smile. He's having fun and sometimes, so is the other guy. His trash talk gets into opposing player's heads without being mean spirited — it's good sportsmanship. BG's talk constantly reinforces a mood of confidence and dominance, and befriends refs while he's at it. I will sorely miss BG trash talking: I find it so dang delightful.

A new-to-me element of football communication is what happens pre-snap. Coaches call most plays during a game, but QBs have final say on the field and can change plays based on their read of the defense. They use verbal code words and subtle body language to communicate, and teammates are trained to read them and adjust on the fly. According to what I've read, Jalen Hurts has really improved his read and play calling, and its made a noticeable impact on the team's success. I don't mind not knowing what the signals are — it adds a magical element to the game.

All players communicate on field, often via subtle body language. This takes strong trust, awareness, and understanding among the team. Sometimes it's just quick eye contact or a hand wave. In a viral mic'd up moment, Jalen Carter thanked longtime teammate Nolan Smith Jr. for trusting his on-field signal, and Nolan barked back — "If you see that shit, call that shit! Don't thank me!"

Unity

"Party on Broad!" is Philly code for a championship win. After a title (baseball or football only), Philadelphians famously pour out onto Broad Street to celebrate, filling the four-lane throughfare for miles. After a Super Bowl win, the City throws a parade. This year over 1 million people attended — in a city of 1.5 million. That's insane! Gathering on Broad holds huge cultural value.

So do other public shows of Eagles love. During the season, it is friendly, common, and perhaps superstitious to exchange a "Go Birds!" with anyone you pass on the street wearing team gear. Normally, people keep to themselves, but during football season, a chant of "E-A-" will be met quickly and passionately with "G-L-E-S, EAGLES!" from strangers. While hugely beloved, the Phillies don't inspire similar cultural norms.

That shared joy and shared language builds bonds. Like when a baby mirrors its caregiver’s facial expressions, or when you sing in harmony with a choir — there is a physical, emotional connection. Sharing joy and passion with your neighbor in Philly (or anywhere the Eagles are playing on a TV) feels like something — and it bonds us.

This easy way to break down walls and connect with strangers safely is therapeutic.

Partying on Broad lets us have fun together, without the usual dividers like age, class, race, gender, or social convention. We can let loose with joy in public without fear of being misread as a threat by police. Law enforcement relaxes during Eagles wins, and we feel safe expressing joy: shouting, twerking in the street, drinking in public with friends, setting off fireworks, and yes — climbing greased poles.

In a time when it feels like we’re more different than alike, the Eagles give us a container to prove otherwise.

The Intangibles

A lot of what makes a football team great comes down to what the industry calls “the intangibles” — soft skills, emotional intelligence, personalities, and mindsets that elevate the team.

The Eagles invest in what they call “difference makers” — not just raw on-field talent, but people who are leaders, team fits, and cultural glue. After the 2024 season, they had tough staffing decisions. Cash-strapped and near the salary cap, they chose to extend contracts for AJ Brown, Saquon Barkley, Lane Johnson, and Zach Baun. All elite talents and serious leaders.

They’ve done this before. For example, they brought back CJGJ for his fiery passion — even when it occasionally gets him into trouble — because it ignites the team. The Eagles have passed up trades and drafts for lack of character or personal fit, even declaring that anyone with a history of domestic violence is not of interest to the team.

I love this. It recognizes how real life works. The interpersonal dynamics happening daily won’t necessarily get picked up by media and they certainly won't show up on stat sheets.

I’ve been on many teams — social and professional — and reviewed hundreds of job applications. I can vouch: if that “special people sauce” isn’t there — the mindset, communication, attitude — the hard skills barely matter.

Football is an Analogy for Life

I've seen and felt so many lessons on how to approach life from the 2024 Eagles (and 2022, 2023 teams). It feels wholesome and grounding, especially when so many powerful people seem untethered from reality, morally bankrupt, cheat the system and get ahead.

There is no shortcut that exists — like wealth, fame, drug, or technology — that changes what it takes to play a physical team sport well. And there never will be. (Steroids are a non-argument — without the work, a player is toast. And football players get drug tested regularly.)

Sports are pure, basic, and human. You have to lift weights, practice, sweat, struggle mentally, ache, eat healthy, kill your ego, day in and day out. You have to form a brotherhood/sisterhood with the people standing shoulder to shoulder with to you. There's no compartmentalization, no putting on a "work self". It is totally embodied. It is your whole body, mind, past effort, present moment, and future — all at once. To stay in the game and be great, you must evolve in all aspects.

And it shows in many of the 2024 team's stories: Jalen Hurts, Brandon Graham, AJ Brown, Zach Baun, even staff like Coach Nick Sirianni and General Manager Howie Roseman.

Until September 2025

The 2024-2025 postseason was all-consuming. For weeks, I was constantly planning the next Eagles watch party. As much as I’d love to watch this team forever, I was also happy to reclaim my mental attention when the season ended. Time to get back to keeping my main thing the main thing.

At the same time, I'm still hovering in the air. I haven't fully come down from the emotional high of Super Bowl 59 or the celebrations in Philly. I smile everytime I see someone wearing Eagles gear — which, in this town, is every day. It's baseball season, but, emotionally, I'm still with the Birds. I swear the whole city feels happier. We have the psychological buouy that is the Eagles season to thank.

Except for newly retired legend BG, my new role models will still play in the league for years to come. I will cheer for Big Play Slay on the Steelers, CJGJ on the Texans, Sweaty on the Cardinals, but most of all for my Eagles. In these dark and dividing times, I'm grateful for the bright, burning light of the Eagles.

Can't wait for the 2025 season!

Prompt: Write a 55 word story about clothing

Way out

She shook her pouch like a maraca and adjusted her coat. Crunch. Warm and dry. She rigged it from thread, tape, and space blankets littered after the city’s marathon last month. The garment looked silly but soon produced local envy and the start of a little business. Jingle. These coins would be her way out.

Every month my writing group convenes for 90 minutes. 30 mins of shooting the breeze, 30 mins of creative writing, and 30 minutes of sharing. This is the result.

Prompt: Write a story that includes 3 sounds I hear around me

Kkkkk...kkk...kkk... 2 weeks away. Week over week, the familiar static had become a pavlov's bell for a little snooze as she lay heavy and horizontal. Today, though, sleep was chased just out of reach by a spike of anxiety.

"Aww. Look at her little toes." Sure enough, all 5 on each foot: a relief for her dark imagination. Kkk...kkk...clang! She flinched. The sticky wand just slipped from the doctor's hand onto the metal cart.

"Well, everything looks great Hannah. That's it. Your last checkup before delivery. If you have no further questions, I'll leave you to get dressed and wish you luck!" After a few exchanged thanks, the door clicked close. Hannah and her forever companion together, alone.

I wrote this short story on the back of a receipt in a bustling bar with a record player. It was inspired by an extended family member that was due any day.

I wrote this poem for the Heritage Dance Project with Group Motion Dance Company in late 2020. At that time, as for many, I felt broken. My body, my identity, creativity, all felt so foreign to me. I struggled with the project's prompt to explore my heritage through dance, song, and text. Still, with encouragement, I forced myself to try. To attempt moving and expressing again, and see what happened. Within those awkward attempts, I found some simple truths I could write about honestly: how dancing/moving feels to me and how the process of doing improv dancing had wider wisdom and questions for me. 3 years later, I find the strong visuals in this text force me into breath and movement as I read it. I hope it can help you find the same.

A Dance Meditation

When I shut off the mind voice,
the devil,
the angel on my shoulders,
the worried idle prattle,
I breathe into my body.
Feel the cool air flow into my nasal cavity,
slide down and warm into my lungs.

Breathe out.

I picture the air radiate outward into my lowering shoulders,
through my biceps,
down my sinewy forearms,
and finally swirl into my fingertips.
My wrists flick.
I am an empty cavity and playground for the breath's path,
finding its way like slow pinball to my extremities.

My body is moving with.
The movement of air is energy,
and it is generous.
I breathe in slowly,
my scapula sink
into a stretch that it feels tense
but welcome.
Untensing, I breathe again,
the feet steeled to the ground,
and the knees find some bend.

I am dancing.
A dance of listening and spontaneity.
Of no purpose.
No agenda.
A slow dance that finds aches and tension in hiding and brings them an oxygenated massage.

It costs only a willingness to be open,
listen and respond.
To hold discomfort.

For in the process, the muscles will stretch and perhaps they will tear.
But the body is built for this ritual.
It will sew new strength between the muscle fibers,
building new bends and new possibilities.
Prepare you for the next.

How are you filtering out the noise and building your strength?
How are you inviting discomfort and healing it?
How are you listening?
How will you respond?

Thank you endlessly to my late and great dance mentor Manfred Fischbeck for seeing and encouraging the creativity in me, even from his hospital bed. This was/is by some magic a self-regenerating gift.

Prompt: Write about the kyptonite of the super power shapeshifting

Transcript from a Super Powers Anonymous meeting

"Hello, my power is shape shifting, and I don’t know who I am.

Everything was going fine enough until 2020. As of 2020, I can’t enter a chatroom without being asked to give a little speech about who I am – Greek, male, he/him, lactose intolerant, son of Zeus and Hera. The last part is true, but I could drink as much milk as you weigh if I turn into a baby elephant right now, and then I wouldn’t be Greek either. But really, every new social gathering I go to I’m asked to give a little bio of myself these days. And it feels like a lie, it feels like I’m constantly lying to everyone. My super power might be better said: pathological liar, founded in 2020. Good name for a speakeasy. I feel I am as much that baby elephant as a centaur as the son of Zeus. And I feel just as much that I am none of those things. I hate these chats. I eyeroll at giving these bios. I hate channeling myself into a few words that people are going to interpret wrongly anyway. Somedays I just want to be an asshole (not literally) and what am I going to introduce myself as, then? Can’t I be an asshole for a day and live in peace? It used to be fun and carefree, shape shifting. I could be spontaneous to suit the moment, shape shift from my joy or anger. But these new norms that ask me who I am at every turn…they have me feeling like a liar. I’m not a liar, not in most of my forms, and I don’t think of myself that way. I fundamentally don’t and can’t know who I am. I can be anything. But I can’t be who you want me to be, when you want it. Where among mortals can that be alright?"

Every month my writing group convenes for 90 minutes. 30 mins of shooting the breeze, 30 mins of creative writing, and 30 minutes of sharing. This is the result.

I visited Echizen, a small city in the Japan countryside, famous for a long history of crafts. Echizen has a unique, little-known, and growing tourism program. To help future English-speaking tourists, I made public resources that map program locations to Google Maps. Use and copy freely!

The resources: spreadsheet, google map.

Off the Beaten Path

I made pilgrimage to Eiheiji Temple, the great granddaddy temple of Zen Mountain Monastary, in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. To make the most of a trek into the countryside, I looked for nearby entertainment. Inspired by this blog post, I did a day-trip to the neighboring Echizen, an ancient crafts town. 1500 years ago (!), great quality water was discovered in Echizen and it became the home of many water-reliant crafts. Today, masters of pottery, knives, washi paper, soba noodles, and more are still active.

As of 2023, Echizen has designed a unique tourism program that made traveling in an off-the-beaten-path rural area very accessible and inexpensive. It is still a work in progress, but I was impressed: it was clear, user-friendly, has a lot of potential for other rural towns who want to grow tourism.

Note: I didn't take any photos and only thought of writing this after the fact.

I did not organize my visit to Echizen well at all. There are many sights sprinkled across a ~10 mile (~16km) radius. I didn't know where to go, or how to get there, until I showed up at the Echizen Tourism Office. On top of that, I don't speak any Japanese and only had 1/2 a day to explore because I missed an infrequent village bus (which had cascading effects on the schedule).

Transportation around Echizen:

1. Rent a car
2. Rent a bicycle
   Bike rental is available through the tourist information center at Takefu Station. The bikes looked new and comfortable, but are more of a leisure bike than a sports bike. Echizen is pretty flat, so this is probably fine, and it would be a 20-40 ride between some main destinations, possibly longer. The roads would be mixed between rice fields and highways. Bike rental info is missing from Google Maps, and I didn't see other bike rental shops. You must have a form of identification to rent a bike.
3. 500 yen taxi
   This program is so awesome. Echizen provides heavily subsidized taxi rides between any program-approved sites. The list includes shops, restaurants, museums, temples, hotels, and train stations, but notably (at the time of writing) is missing lacquerware and pottery sites. Planning an itinerary requires some type of map. The program has some cutesy printed tourist maps but it takes work to match sites to their anonymous map marker. The text spreadsheet of sites rarely matched to Google Maps' data. I took one afternoon to translate the spreadsheet into this Google map for public use: spreadsheet, google map. Back to the taxi program...if paying by taximeter, Washi Village to Tafeku Station would be over 3000 yen! This is 500 yen per taxi, not per person. Using the taxi service requires you pre-planning your route because you must purchase vouchers at a tourist information center ahead of time. Taxi drivers seemed happy to participate. I did not have a working phone in Japan, and shopkeepers helped me call a taxi: they are well aware of the taxi program, so it did not require any explanation. Taxis arrived within 5-10 minutes of a call. One of my taxis was an old (but pristine) Nissan, which felt like tourism in and of itself to see.
4. Walk
   Some sites are very close together or close to the train station, in which case I just walked between them.
5. Bus
   Infrequent and, as far as I searched, geared toward locals and not tourism. Buses did not stop at or near main tourist sites.

--

I visited on a Monday. All day I saw < 15 tourists and, except for me, they were all Japanese or spoke fluent Japanese.

First, I needed lunch. On my way to the soba noodle restaurant, I wandered the "downtown", which was quiet and pretty desolate. Some buildings were properly old, abandoned, and somewhat interesting to look at in contrast to Kyoto which was old, but actively-maintained and dense. The restaurant was in a properly old building and the vibes, food, and inner courtyard were excellent and left an impression, 10/10.

I then took a taxi to the Knife Village. The location contains a little museum, store and the active workshop of a cooperative of knife makers. Makers were all men, and varied in age (many quite young! The craft is alive and well!). My favorite part was watching the craftsmen forge, pound out and polish their products. The store sells knives with more unique (prettyyyy) handles than I've ever seen. The museum was small, and low in information. I would have liked the opportunity to talk to an artisan, and have more information about the knives for sale and their qualities. Unfortunately (for a tourist) the knife shops around town are scattered, so the Knife Village is the most concentrated place to go. While overall I was pretty underwhelmed, I'd still recommend a quick stop if you're in Echizen.

I really enjoyed the Washi Paper Village, which has a DIY workshop, professional workshop, shop and museum. I'd never seen paper making before. The highlight for me was watching a young craftwoman (26 y.o.) make washi paper and chatting with her about her life. At the Washi Paper and Culture Museum, I saw the artistic potential of washi paper and learned how printmaking with wood blocks works via a video that was offered in Japanese or English. The museum was small but I enjoyed it thoroughly. I have new respect for paper! Arrive before 2pm to have enough time to do everything.

--

When planning a trip to Echizen, here's my advice:

1. For crafts workshops, plan at least a month ahead. Some workshops require prior reservation. The soba workshop was booked out 1 week. Knife workshops are once in a while. The washi paper workshop (@Papyrus) is walk-in for individuals/small groups, but it closes at 4:30p (so arrive before 3pm).

2. Get started early (9A, when businesses open). Craft businesses do close between 4-5pm, mindful of last entry time (30 min before close). If you, like me, prefer unhurried travel, consider visiting for 2 days.

3. The taxi program is a fantastic deal for 1-4 travelers. The only downside was being locked into fixed locations. No stopping for cool looking things on the side of the road.

4. Visit Monday, or W-F; craftspeople enjoy the weekend too and many sites close on Tuesday.

Prompt: Write a story backwards that contains a plot twist

No Cameras

Two people sitting next to each other accidentally bump their forearms, and it’s sticky. Now this, but times 30. The bus’s air conditioning has broken, and outside is a hot summer rain that fogs up the windows. People fan themselves and repeatedly glance at their watches with disappointment that more time hasn’t passed. A 6yo and an 8yo are draped over one another, learning the virtues of stillness and patience. This is not the summer vacation moment anyone hoped for. The tour guide gets up to announce arriving shortly, and that cameras are absolutely and strictly prohibited. The kids wipe the windows with their hands and peer out to see an open field with neat rows of figures. The 8yo squints and her attention is drawn in by one in particular. It’s bent over, as if getting up from the ground. The guide explains this is a memorial of statues honoring fallen soldiers. The bus halts at a stop sign. The 8 yo lifts her camera and finds the figure through the viewfinder. Shocked, she gasps and drops the camera. Once out of sight of the lens, the figure stops lifting its head.

Every month my writing group convenes for 90 minutes. 30 mins of shooting the breeze, 30 mins of creative writing, and 30 minutes of sharing. This is the result.

Arts Festivals have overlapping events. Meanwhile information about shows, artists are often non-existant, limited, or obscure.

Every year for 6 years, the Fringe Festival passed me by. I never got ahead of planning and by the time I heard word-of-mouth recommendations, tickets would be sold out.

Last year, Year 7, I said no more! I massively upped my game for attending last year's Philly Fringe Festival and it's still paying off. I saw/participated in 13 events over the 5 weeks. My success rate was 77%, meaning I'd recommend them. And, I have developed a set of local artists whose work I see all year long.

The 2023 Philly Fringe is coming September 7-24, and I offer you my planning spreadsheet and approach. Don't sleep on it! Your future self will thank you!

How to plan

1. Pore over the catalog (1 hour)
   The month before the Fringe begins, get a copy of the festival catalog. Free hard copies are well distrubuted at all kinds of local arts venues too. I prefer a hard copy where I can leave post-its and dog-ears. It was relaxing/fun to set aside a weekend morning to thumb through a magazine with some tea and mark everything that looked even a little interesting.

2. Investigate and narrow list (time tbd)
   Google your selected artists. Best case they will have an Instagram with some video snippets of past shows. Performance or artist blurbs are often very cryptic and don't provide much information. I want to see if I'm remotely attracted to their past work. I circled probably 30 shows, and narrowed it 50%.

3. Attend Fringe Previews (optional)
   These shows are free but require reservation because of limited seating. I attended just one, but would go to more of them next time. I was exposed to shows I didn't necessarily mark in my catalog but then wanted to see. Plus, watching the preview put me in the mood to see more performance art! Doubled down.

4. Make your time matrix spreadsheet (30 mins)
   Listing out all possible showtimes in a matrix makes it obvious when you can see each show. There's usually enough showtimes to make it work. If you've got a Fringe friend crew, you can cross check calendars.

5. Buy your tickets online (10 mins)
   Shows definitely sell out. I like committing myself to the Fringe by buying my tickets early in bulk. This puts my laborious planning into motion and saves me from my future self who often tries to make excuses. Just do the thing and fogeddaboutit!

Lasting Impact

For the rest of the year, I regularly saw performance art. The Fringe exposed me to local artists whose future shows I attended in Philly and virtually.

In particular, I found out about artist Alexandra Tatarsky. By planning, I caught their early Fringe show that only had 3 viewings. I loved their absurdist solo act which I can best describe as exploring the edges of what it means to be a clown. I sheepishly introduced some friends to Tatarsky's future work, because how do you casually explain a 1-woman demonic jewish clown show? To my delight, their passion matched mine and one of my pals Talya even did this amazing interview with Tatarsky for The Jewish Daily Forward, afterward. Spreading the love!

If you're raring to nerd out on the Philly Fringe this year, don't be shy to hit me up to see some shows together!

While I was traveling recently, I encountered an interesting technical problem. As someone who likes to travel light, I consolidated all of my cords and plugs into the fewest types that in shape would work across all of my smaller devices. Specifically, I packed a USB C-C cord and a USB-C adapter plug. This was not necessarily the usual setup I had for each at home.

During my layover, I tried to charge both my phone and my watch using my charging dock, which has a C port. To my surprise, I couldn't get any juice! I wondered if it was just the janky, wobbly airport outlet, but fortunately, a kind passenger lent me an A-C cord, which worked perfectly when plugged directly into an A outlet. Phew! I was able to charge my devices briefly before boarding the plane.

But when I tried to use that same A-C cord on several seatback A ports on the plane, it didn't work at all. I was puzzled, but I just brushed it off as the outlets being fickle. After all, I was trapped on a plane, and there wasn't much I could do about it.

Up until now, I've always thought of USBs like a kid's block toy. If it fits, it should work, right? But the evidence was showing me that maybe it's not so simple.

I had the impulse to throw the problem away and start fresh – I searched online to buy a new dock. However, I was pretty sure the dock itself was not broken since it worked well at the airport. I suspected this was a solvable technical problem. I removed the item from my cart.

Isolating the problem

First, I needed to verify that my tools were not broken. I tested the C-C cord and C adapter on my laptop, which charged successfully, although slowly. I confirmed that the cord and adapter were functional.

Next, I needed to determine whether my dock had compatibility issues. I dug deep into my Amazon order history for the item listing. I checked the device documentation and specs and noticed that the dock came with an A-C cord and a 15W USB-A adapter. These are what I used at home without issue until the day before.

I double-checked the C adapter output and saw that it was ~15W.

So each component was functioning and appropriate, just not together for some reason.

A Brief Deep Dive into USBs

The Universal Serial Bus (USB) was created collaboratively by major computer companies to standardize connecting peripheral devices to a computer. Before USB, there were too many options of connectors that peripheral devices could use, and some required manual configuration on the computer. This was especially cumbersome for end-users like you and me.

Nowadays (in 2023), there are many types of USBs available. The most popular ones are A and C. Additionally, there are B and micro versions of A, B for the smallest single-board computers like Raspberry Pis and Arduinos. The standards governing body for USBs, the USB-IF, upgrades the USB build specification over time. As of 2019, the version is 4.0.

Newer versions are speedier (in terms of data transfer and charging) by using more modern hardware and/or adding pins, but all versions remain usable. I should note to myself to consider replacing my USB cords with those supplied with newly purchased devices.

While the USB's wide adoption by device manufacturers changed the game for consumers to "plug and play", it turns out that not all USBs are made equal. While USBs have a specification, manufacturers can interpret it differently. Additionally, there is no product compliance body that quality checks if USBs are made equally. This can lead to behavioral inconsistency and the ability to cut corners in the hardware.

USB-C is on track to become the standard USB type. In 2022, the E.U famously passed a law mandating companies (such as Apple) to switch to USB-C on technically-compatible devices starting in 2024.

Power can flow either way between devices connected via USB-C, with the important caveat that the devices themselves must decide which will act as either the power source or sink. This is a crucial communication step that is largely automatic via the USB hardware and relative level of device charge (if both devices have batteries). On some devices, the direction of power flow can be chosen by the user. For USB-A, power flow is automatic and unidirectional from the A male plug as part of the spec.

In the case of my charging dock, I noticed that no power was drawn when using the C-only setup. Charging was successful using an A-C cord direct to socket. My dock was cheaply manufactured and was supplied with an A-C cord, so I suspect that it lacks the C hardware that declares itself the power sink. An electronics hobbyist on Reddit reported solving this with a simple solder job: soldering 5.1k resistor pulldowns onto both pins labelled "CC" on the C female port of his sink device (in my case, the charging dock). This fix was corroborated by descriptions of USB-C boards for sale.

Resolution

I went to the store and walked away with an A-C cord and an A-C female to male adapter. This way, I could still use my C adapter plug. Now my devices are charging perfectly, so I'm happy with my solution.

The only mystery left unsolved is why my devices didn't charge on the plane. I think it might have been due to low voltage, but I don't have enough data to support this hypothesis.

I find communication fascinating in all its forms: between people, between the brain and body, among animals, and, in this case, among technology. I’m glad to have gained this new understanding of an otherwise invisible part of our daily lives.

Prompt: Write in short clear sentences and avoid using adjectives/adverbs

The Broad Street Run

Jenny waited for the train to Olney Station.
She wore sneakers, tights, and a trash bag.
Some people on the train also wore sneakers and tights.
Other people wore shorts.
“Are you Neta’s Mom? I thought so! Patrick is in her class. I was in your house, once.”
People looked at their watches.
“When the train arrives, start running,” someone said.
After 10 minutes, the train restarted.
“Yay,” the crowd groaned.
Balloons spelled “BROAD STREET RUN” on the Olney platform.
Jenny followed the crowd to the corral.
It was not yet raining.
The Rocky Theme song played from a loudspeaker.
Jenny danced briefly.
The crowd started to run, so Jenny started to run.
Some neighborhood residents cheered and watched from their porches.
Some DJs and Emcees set up booths along the way.
“I like them shoes!”
After 2 miles, it started to rain.
It rained for 8 miles.
Jenny glanced down only to avoid puddles.
Her concentration broke when hearing the Temple University marching band.
It rained on the band.
Her concentration broke again when hearing “You Can Call Me Al” on Church speakers.
It rained on the Church members.
A neighbor held a big sign: “Slap this sign if you have to poop”.
Jenny slapped the sign, but did not have to poop.
“If my concentration is broken for these reasons, I can’t be mad,” she smiled.
At mile 9, Jenny thought, “You are nothing if not a strong finisher” and sped up.

Every month my writing group convenes for 90 minutes. 30 mins of shooting the breeze, 30 mins of creative writing, and 30 minutes of sharing. This is the unedited result.