Issue #24: June 2026 Congratulations to this month's sponsored giveaway winners: Charlie Y., Andrew K., another Andrew K., and Mandy R. Life We just wrapped up a family road trip through California. We flew into LAX and out of SFO, racking up 994 miles on our rental minivan along the way. Our route took us from Inglewood through Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks, Monterey and Castro Valley, with plenty of quick pitstops mixed in—including Bakersfield, Visalia, Mariposa, Fresno, and Gilroy....
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Issue #23: May 2026 Congratulations to this month's sponsored giveaway winners: Jenny H., Shi C., Alfred T., and Rachel A. Life We sold our house a few weeks ago and have been staying at my parents’ house while they are traveling. We’ve started looking at homes again and recently applied for a mortgage, but honestly, the idea of taking on another large mortgage has been bothering me more than I expected. Part of me wonders whether a little more space is really worth another long term...
3 months ago • 5 min read
Issue #22: April 2026 Congratulations to this month's sponsored giveaway winners: Tim A., James K., Jeannie P., and Eugene K. Life I’m finally sitting down to write this month’s newsletter. Staying consistent isn’t easy, and it’s kind of wild to think this marks 22 straight months of hitting “send.” I don’t take it for granted—thank you for following along. And as always, thanks to Sylvia for continuing to sponsor the newsletter. We Sold Our House! The past few weeks have been a blur. We...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Issue #21: March 2026 Congratulations to this month's sponsored giveaway winners: Alden E., Jaewon P., Ho K., and Manny L. Life In Season: Real Estate, Work, and Baseball All at Once Real estate season is picking up—I'm working on 4 listings (Springfield, Arlington, Fairfax, Chantilly) and 2 buyers (Arlington, Ashburn) (one just closed and one under contract), plus a number of other buyers still looking. At the same time, I’m still working my government job full-time—taking advantage of the...
4 months ago • 3 min read
Issue #20: February 2026 Congratulations to this month's sponsored giveaway winners: Sue K., Hannah P., Sam K., and Samantha C. Life Two Birthdays and Two Florida Trips We celebrated my son’s 11th birthday last week, and my wife turns 40 next week, so it’s been a fun run of family celebrations. February is always a busy month, but having these moments mixed in with the early spring real estate rush has made it feel like a good kind of busy. We took a Disney cruise last month, and we’re...
5 months ago • 4 min read
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...
6 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,...
7 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...
8 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...
9 months ago • 4 min read