Souls aren't boring, Greg

A few memories and a bit of sunlight

I finally moved into my office earlier this month. After about a year, the white walls got to me. I brought in a few books (The Technological Republic, The WEIRDest People in the World, etc.), hung a few things, bought a lamp. Kept it simple, but it’s so much better.

My company has a place on Music Row, which my window overlooks. It’s a great view most of the day; until the sun starts attacking my screen. The glare mostly is annoying, but sometimes I love it. Because it’s my sun, on my screen, in my space.

I unknowingly filled the office with tokens from other spaces I once loved—two from my time in Nebraska. One of them is a card from my high school English sub, Carrie Allen. The other is a letter written on the back of a poster from an old mentor and friend, Christopher Jacoby.

Carrie’s Card

The face of her card reminds me of where I’m from. It shows the old Brownsville Village Theatre, where she sat on the board for many years. Inside, it says: “I will always remember you as the young man who got me started on the internet.” She doesn’t know it, but the internet introduction stuck with me. She’d bought an iPad, and I would visit her beautifully lived-in home to help her post on Facebook or enlarge her text. Pretty sure we’ve all done something like this before.

Jacoby’s Poster

The front of this poster was the intended gift, but I’ve always admired the back more. It reminds me of who I am. After a few summers with Chris in his luthier shop, he left me with a handful of tools when he and his family moved. The shop days were hot, spent in his little dream of a shed, where he showed me how to sharpen knives and bend cello ribs. We talked about art and immortality. Occasionally we drank wine, and he’d introduce me to whoever was visiting that week - there was always someone from the coast.

Carrie wouldn’t love some of the work I do, nor would Jacoby. But they’d appreciate my new space, and how they fill it. It has a soul now—stitched together from the memories of two progressives who championed me early on.

There’s a great scene in Succession where Tom asks Greg if he wants to make a deal with the devil. Greg shrugs and says, “What am I going to do with a soul anyways? Souls are boring. Boo, souls.” Hilarious writing. And for a long time, I think I agreed. Not seriously, but part of me thought it wasn’t cool to care.

I do care and souls aren’t boring.

Thanks for reading — or for mega scrolling all the way down here.

The internet is an overwhelming mess of headlines, ads, and mid takes from the worst people you know. Big Tech owns our attention spans. Everything is content. Nothing makes sense.

We’re not here to “fix discourse” or “build a better internet.” Relay is just our attempt to riff on what we’re already talking about at happy hour without feeling like we’ve been hit by a content truck. Some analysis, some memes, call it a day.

You might like it. Tag along.

We also have Quick Reflections you can check out:

• Who you choose to move forward with

• Refusal to quit

• Requiem for Travel

• On Forward Momentum

Subscribe and leave us a comment so we know you’re out there.