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I’m not going to lie – 2025 was kind of a brutal year – on this planet, in my country, in my life, and in my head. But everything didn’t suck. I’m glad I keep a running Word document as well as a happy memories jar throughout the year so I can look back and see the good things that happened. Likewise, I’m glad I have this blog where I can share some of them with you.

Below are my top events from the year, lessons I learned (or re-learned), and things I experienced for the first time. What may…
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It was a busy year with lots of ups and downs. In case you didn’t know, I keep a Word doc going all year and add to it as pertinent events happen. It gives me a richer perspective as I look back on the year, and I’m glad I get to share it with you. Here are some of my top events from 2024, in no particular order:

PR at Mesa Marathon: 4:03:33

When I started running marathons, my goal was just to finish. I didn’t care how long it took me to cross the finish line – but then…
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doesntSigning Off Soon A few weeks more than 10 years ago, I launched MarkRubinWrites with Food Writers Have Foils: barleymash. (My blog site identifies several pre-February 2014 posts. I wrote them and brought them over from some other place, long forgotten.) The guts part of my site tells me I have published 887 pieces, or […]
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It’s been an eventful, and often exhausting, year. I learned a lot about what’s important to me and what it means to be true to myself – hopefully more to come with those ideas in 2024!

Here are my top five events from 2023:

Top Surgery

When my eyes fluttered open in the recovery room as my anesthesia was wearing off after top surgery, I looked down at my bandaged chest and thought “Yes!” with a smile. The next morning was even better when my surgeon’s physician assistant cut off the bandages and put me in the binder I had…
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Brutalizing Times A swirl of emotions. I read a recent David Brooks piece in the Times a few weeks ago. Mr. Brooks published How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen soon before then. He focuses, in the column, the book, and in many columns, on living successfully in […]
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Trump Redux [Note: Looking for a file, I ran across this piece, first posted on July 23, 2016 and titled, then: Superman Trump: Got It All Covered. The essay seems quaint, given its lament for times when our leaders asked us come together for the greater good. Leaders? Kennedy, Nixon, Reagan, Obama, and Clinton. Hardly […]
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Trump’s Trial I hope I can shed some light on legal aspects of Former Guy’s trial in New York, now in its fourth day. We’ll do this Q and A style, and I welcome any additional questions. Q If the loans got paid in full, why are we here? A New York has a statute […]
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My Weekend On Friday, September 22, 2023, I paid $51.71 to fill up my 2018 Toyota Rav4. Last gas purchase for me, for a vehicle I own or lease. On Sunday, September 24, I walked out of Costco and saw a slick looking car. A Kia EV6, on display to promote the Costco auto purchase […]
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U.S.A v. Trump A grand jury indicted Donald John Trump in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Let’s be clear about several thing, straightaway: Everyone is presumptively innocent until a jury renders a guilty verdict. The indictment and the evidence have not been shared by the government. No one – […]
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