Issue #19: January 2026 Congratulations to this month's sponsored giveaway winners: Joseph S., Julie H., Julian K., and Cathy C. Life Disney Destiny 2026 I feel like I’m always writing these newsletters at the end of the month now. Life has been full lately — real estate is picking back up, I’m settling back into my old job, and I’m trying to protect family time in the middle of it all. We also just got back from a cruise on the Disney Destiny with friends. I think this will be our last...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Issue #18: December 2025 Congratulations to this month's sponsored giveaway winners: Stephen K., Michael H., Jen B., Chuck K. There are two Stephen K.'s subscribed to my newsletter. The other one already won, so it's not a repeat! Life Winding down my travel business This is my last month as a travel advisor at Fairy Godmother Travel. It's been a fun two years, and I learned a lot. I booked trips for people to Spain, Portugal, Norway, Costa Rica, Croatia, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates,...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Issue #17: November 2025 Congratulations to this month's sponsored giveaway winners: Vynn H., Tian B., Bo K., and Jae Y. Life Back At Work Thanks for your patience with this month’s newsletter! Getting back into the swing of things at the USPTO has been a big adjustment. Between the commute and nine-hour workdays, it’s been a tiring transition—but also a refreshing one. I’m enjoying being around a diverse group of colleagues again: people of all ages, backgrounds, and corners of the country...
4 months ago • 4 min read
Issue #16: October 2025 Congratulations to this month's sponsored giveaway winners: Eugine P., Melissa L., Thomas C., Jenny W. Life Unretirement: Back at the USPTO This week marked my first week back at the USPTO. I “retired” (or really, resigned) back in January 2025 after more than 16 years of service—just before the DRP was offered. In some strange way, I actually missed being a patent examiner. Like Venus Williams, my main motivation for returning was health insurance. The marketplace...
5 months ago • 4 min read
Issue #15: September 2025 Congratulations to this month's sponsored giveaway winners: Morrison M., Angela L., Willis P., Paul K. Life Turning 40 and a couple big career changes This month I celebrated my 40th birthday, and in just a couple of weeks my wife and I will celebrate our 13th anniversary. I was fortunate to sneak away for a couple of weekends in Las Vegas and Deep Creek Lake with friends and my twin brother. We had a great time, made some memories — and got very little sleep. A big...
6 months ago • 4 min read
Issue #14: August 2025 Congratulations to this month's sponsored giveaway winners: Yuri K., Stephen K., Hyun K., and Joshua C. Life The kids are officially back in school, so I finally have some time to write. These summers are going by faster and faster as I get older. We took a few small trips this summer: Virginia Beach, Kent Island, and Dewey Beach. I think we've been to Virginia Beach every year now for the past 4-5 years. We stay at the Hyatt right on the beach and use our Hyatt points....
7 months ago • 6 min read
Issue #13: July 2025 Congratulations to this month's sponsored giveaway winners: Tae K., George H., Jae L., and Harry O. Life TTB Update It’s been just over a year since I joined TTB (The Tuesday Bros) — a group of dads who meet at 5:00 AM at least twice a week to lift heavy things and hold each other accountable. We focus on the classic SBD lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. If the sum of your squat, bench, and deadlift exceeds 1,000 lbs, you join the elite 1,000 Pound Club. I started...
8 months ago • 7 min read
Issue #11: May 2025 Congratulations to this month's sponsored giveaway winners: Jiin S., Rebecca N., James K., and Pat C. Life I'm going to keep this short this month. I know they've been a little long lately, and most people only want to see who won the gift cards :P It's been a lot of kids activities this month, from soccer to baseball to piano and birthday parties. Two of my kids have late May birthdays, so we'll have a couple more celebrations. Let's jump right into the newsletter....
9 months ago • 3 min read
Issue #12: June 2025 Congratulations to this month's sponsored giveaway winners: Kendra S., Tony C., David J., and Jejin A. It looks like last month's newsletter went to everyone's spam folder, so I'm going to trying to minimize outbound links this month. Check your spam folder to see issue #11. It's probably in there! Life This past month was a busy month of kids' activities and finishing up the school year. And LOTS of birthday parties. Two of my kids have May birthdays, and a lot of their...
9 months ago • 3 min read