Life Update

I’m back at Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, the same place I grew up. I’m entering a new era after living in Kansas City, Montana, and New Mexico for the better part of the past 8 years.

I still have dreams of buying property in rural New Mexico and building it up, but I’m staying in Missouri right now to have some family stability. I have some business opportunities here. I figure a short stint in the Midwest, with its low cost of living, will allow me to grow all of my creative endeavors as well.

Moving every 6-12 months like I’ve done over the past few years takes a toll. Being uprooted drains time, energy, and money. Although I love traveling and exploring, it’s time to sit my ass down for a season.

It’s somewhat boring here at Lake of the Ozarks in early January, but that’s okay. There are no tourists here, and I am isolated from the majority of my friends in Kansas City. I’ve been spending my time either at the gym or working. I’ve put on about 10 good pounds of muscle from consistent weightlifting for the last two months. I’m keeping my nose clean and my head down. I’ll be thankful for the work I put in 6 months from now.

It can get lonely and there are not millions of acres of national forest/state park land to escape to, but I’m managing. Returning to my hometown after a decade on the road has put me far out of my comfort zone, but that’s a good thing. Don’t ever spend too much time in your comfort zone, for it will kill you.

I have a lot on my plate financially. I’m not going out West again until I can make the big splash moves that I actually want to make from a position of power.

I made a big decision to retake the bar exam this July 2026, so I’ve been going over multiple choice questions and familiarizing myself with the law once again. I’ve been out of law school for about 5 years now. Even though I’ve spent those 5 years contributing to different online legal libraries such as FindLaw and LegalMatch, I’ll still need the next 6 months to prepare. By becoming a licensed attorney, I’ll have access to more income in a field that I think is safe from AI, at least for now.

I’m also using my time at the lake to learn the ins and outs of property development. I think by far the biggest problem Americans face right now is the cost of housing. If I can spend my adult life building affordable homes for families to live in, I’ll have done my part to fix the housing shortage. I’ve spent some time on a concrete crew over the last 2 months, understanding how the trade works. Luckily, I have the opportunity to be a part of 2 or 3 new home builds over the rest of this year. That’s a much different type of work than I’ve done before, but I know I’ll become a much more valuable member of society if I can learn some electrical, HVAC, siding/roofing, and plumbing.

It’s so easy for the Internet to suck up my time. Getting out in the world and learning new skills is a better use of my time. I have one year to go until I turn 30, and I’m going to use it wisely.

“New era” is really my theme right now. I’m releasing 13 new tracks through my media platform Duff Radio. You can expect those tracks within the next week. I’m working with some familiar faces and some new collaborators as well. Some of my old friends I will not be working with, but that’s okay. Times change, and people come and go during different seasons of life. I’ll be back to doing mostly remote interviews or solo monologue-type podcast episodes by myself.