# what i'm doing now _last updated June 14, 2026._ So, yeah, life took a turn this past spring. For several months, my wife had a series of medical emergencies that culminated in the discovery of an aggressive brain tumor. The tumor was removed three weeks ago and we've been in recovery mode since. For several weeks, the days and nights were filled with regular rounds of meds and freaked-out trips to the emergency room. Right now, we're settling into a transition from surgery recovery to preparing for a summer of radiation and chemotherapy, as well as rehabilitation therapy. There will be a lot of appointments with various doctors and services very soon. I managed to get through the school year fairly intact with the supportive help of colleagues. Thankfully, I'm not teaching classes this summer so I'm able to devote my full attention to family and recovery. I've surprised myself by how well I've managed to stay relatively sane and controlled. Living in a purely reactive state moving from one crisis to the next. There hasn't been much time for reflection or personal distractions. When not helping my wife or spending time with the kids or making trips to the store, I've been cleaning the house and working through random piles of physical stuff. Seems like every surface and corner was piled with clutter. I've been bouncing around clearing out the chaos one pile at a time. It is my way of taking control of something. My new normal is pretty chaotic. I'm exhausted and anxious but handling it fairly well for now. --- _last updated January 8, 2026._ Starting another jam-packed semester of creative fun. Continuing the two sections of Digital Media & Design at the Career Prep Center with the same group of students. I'm also teaching two new-to-me courses in Graphic Design Branding and Storyboards & Animatics at LCC. I've been teaching large chunks of the content for years, so I'm more excited than anxious about taking on new classes. In addition, I'm teaching the Digital Photo class at MSU again this semester. Thankfully, that one is a late start course, so I'll have time to get settled at LCC first. As always, I'm hoping to cultivate peacefulness in my life. I know how easily things can spiral out of control, and so I'm hoping to improve the mindful systems I've been trying to build. Minimalism and simplicity seem to help. Plus, the start of a new semester is always filled with optimism. New beginnings and a fresh reset improve the sense of potential waiting to unfold. I love that about the academic cycle. New semesters offer fresh hope. If I ever get free time in the next few months, I'm hoping to build out more content on the website and possibly expand new sections. I have a lot of things that I'm interested in but rarely have the time to explore. If nothing else, I'll probably be making deliveries in Death Stranding. --- _last updated August 17, 2025._ Winding down the summer as I prepare for a full fall semester of school. I'm teaching two sections of Digital Media & Design at the Career Prep Center, an online 2D Design course, and two directed studies in 2D animation at LCC. Also teaching a Digital Photo class and an Animation class at MSU. Lastly, I'm taking a Design for Innovation class as a student. I'm going to be busy. Beyond that, I'm hanging out trying to find joy in the little things. Trying to find a personal balance in a hate-filled country driving toward authoritarianism. There's little I can do to combat the chaos, but I can be centered so I can be there for my students. Many of my students are neurodivergent, somewhere in the LGBTQ+ spectrum, and/or societal non-conformists. They are the weirdos, and it is my job to help them find their creative voices. It isn't much, but it is what I can do to help the world be a better place. On the domestic front, my kids are going back to school as well. One is entering middle school, and one is starting to drive. We have ice skating, cheerleading, and martial arts. I'll be in class during the day and helping with the family taxi service in the evenings. On the weekends, I hope to be sleeping in. --- _This is a **now page** as described by [Derek Sivers](https://nownownow.com/about). It is a simple update of what I'm currently focused on in my life right now. [You should totally make one too](https://nownownow.com/about)._