The Thursday Dispatch - 30 July 2026
Where the hell did July go? It seems like I was just running back and forth from Omaha to Lincoln around the time my mom had knee surgery and my brother was in town. As I sit now, I haven’t been back since, so almost a month. Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll be back in the next couple of weeks for my oil change. Yes, I drive 50 miles for oil changes, because when you find something tried, true, and affordable, you keep coming back.
I had a friend ask me this week if I ever think about moving back. The simple answer is yes. Most of my social life is still there. Friends I’ve had for 15–20 years are there. My favorite places to eat are there. It would be very easy for me to recreate the life I had before, but with a better-paying job this time around.
I miss my old apartment. The last place I lived in was my favorite place. Affordable, had a south-facing bay window that the cats loved, and with a chair in the right place, did enough to make me feel like I was on a balcony. That place was next to one of the major bike trails, which gave me quick and quiet access to downtown. Lincoln is small enough that most drives or bike rides aren’t terrible.
I haven’t really recreated much of that in Omaha, so all I mostly do here is work and sleep. I need more than that. I have few friends here, two of whom are exes. Nothing against them, I’m actually good friends with both, but I’d like a bigger variety than that.
I’ve tried exploring Omaha more. I try different coffee shops for my Thursday writing, to get familiar with the area and to feel like I’m at least around people. Thought about getting into craft beer again, but really when I think about it, I don’t need it, nor do I enjoy drinking alone. So yeah, I think about leaving, a lot. Sometimes it’s Seattle. Sometimes it’s Lincoln. The latter would be the safer option.
I came to Omaha in the first place in part because my relationship at the time was here, but also because I felt like I had plateaued at my job and wanted more opportunities. With my company, a lot of the action flows through Omaha. Most of our execs travel through here. Many of the ones who work in Lincoln still live in the Omaha area. It’s only an hour commute at the most, so nothing terrible. I have friends I can get to from where I live in about 40 minutes, in which I have friends on the north side of the Omaha metro that have similar travel times from where I live. But that relationship ended and basically left me on a bit of an island here socially.
I want to give Omaha a chance. I want to give people here a chance. But when you’ve had as much of a sample size as I’ve had, it kind of makes you think that maybe you should start exploring other options.
That’s not to say I don’t like it here at all. There are some cool places here. The coffee shop I’m in is a really cool space, though ironically, they were founded in Lincoln. There are some cool parks and there are a lot more events here. But I think I’m just mostly bored and I know I wouldn’t be bored as often in Lincoln.
I have a lease that runs through November. So I think between now and then, I need to evaluate my options further. This is in part because I hate the actual act of moving. But I also want to make sure I’m doing the right thing. That said, I at least know what I have just an hour away.
Weekly Photo
Some day I’ll use this record player more.
This Past Week
The Listening
I don’t feel like doing full reviews right now, so this is what I’m giving. All links are to Apple Music.
- late pass! Fontaines DC - Romance - ★★★★☆
- The Strokes - Reality Awaits - ★★★★☆
- Syd - Beard - ★★★★★
- Steve Lacy - Oh Yeah? - ★★★★☆
- Thundercat - Distracted - ★★★★☆
Songs in the Chaos
This is my weekly list of songs that either caught my attention or came to mind this past week. I post these throughout the week on a site called Crucial Tracks, where they’re also added to a playlist on Apple Music. Feel free to follow me on either space.
