Life of Bryan

About

Hello, fellow wanderer. I’m Bryan and this is 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 improvements, 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 site is hosted on Micro.blog and uses a modified version of the Berlin theme.



Currently Reading:

I read to my kids every night and just started tracking the books we’ve read from our local network of libraries. My 5-year-old son is really getting into graphic novels.

Cover for Adult Children of Emotionally Immature ParentsAdult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents
by Lindsay C. Gibson

Cover for Love in the Time of Cholera (Illustrated Edition)Love in the Time of Cholera (Illustrated Edition)
by Gabriel García Márquez