About

Hello, fellow wanderer. I’m Bryan and you’ve stumbled on my blog.

By day, I'm a planner working with space and place, obsessed with how the built environment impacts our daily lives. The way I think is framed by deep interest in the fields of environmental psychology, urban design, landscape architecture and transportation planning. I am fascinated by maps and data. I write about these topics sometimes.

My worldview has been shaped in a significant way by growing up in poverty. As a result, I spend a lot of time thinking about housing, healthcare, and environmental justice. I volunteer for causes that align with my beliefs.

At my core, I enjoy creating. Whether that be writing, making music, practicing photography, gardening, cooking, learning web development, or making home improvement, I like to express myself through making things. I consider myself a hobbyist in most of these areas, and a master of none.

Originally from the Great Lakes Region, I’ve called the Pacific Northwest home for going on 10 years now. I'm fiercely proud of my Midwest roots and sometimes suffer intense pangs of nostalgia and longings to return, especially after doom scrolling Zillow listings for a bit. It's the cities, the streetcar suburbs, the cultural institutions, the people and the lakes that I miss so much. If you know, you know.

That said, I do enjoy the climate and landscapes better here on the West Coast. I like to get outdoors with my young family, so there are a lot of photos of our adventures on this site.

I enjoy sci-fi and fantasy movies, but I have a terrible mind for titles and names, so don't ask me which ones I've seen. I also like geeking out about guitar gear and recently built my own Telecaster.

In 2020, I became an Italian citizen through jure sanguinis (right of blood). What started out as a genealogy hobby turned into a decade-long education in Italian bureaucracy. My wife and I sometimes daydream about a part-time life abroad , so I'm interested in connecting with Italians and expats in Europe. I'm also always happy to discuss the process with anyone who might be interested in applying.

This blog is built on Ghost and self-hosted on a Mac mini in my living room. The theme is based on both Casper and Edge, which I modified to better serve photo and micro blogging. I'm not a professional, so some things might be broken at times.

If you see something you've enjoyed here, or if you’re just feeling generous, buy me a coffee!