iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

SamUpstate (he/him) @samupstate.hachyderm.io.ap.brid.gy · 08/10/2026

I'm now at my favorite part of my work trip*: a martini at The Irish Exit in Penn Station on my way home. I love the energy, and the fact that since everyone is traveling, there's a constant churn of new people. Plus, the bartenders have been invariably […] [Original post on hachyderm.io]

A martini in a glass with a twist of lemon on a bar. Various bottles and cups and paraphernalia are visible out of focus in the background.

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SamUpstate (he/him) @samupstate.hachyderm.io.ap.brid.gy · 05/10/2026

The morning sun lights up the new Tappan Zee Bridge, as seen from #Amtrak Yes, I know that's not the official name of the bridge, but I refuse to use the name given by our nepo-baby disgraced ex-governor. #HudsonRiver #TappanZeeBridge

A bridge over grayish blue water. Its white concrete pillars are lit up by the morning sun. Blue sky is behind with a few small fuzzy clouds.

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SamUpstate (he/him) @samupstate.hachyderm.io.ap.brid.gy · 03/10/2026

My rest and relaxation for this afternoon (while the pizza dough is rising). It's a gorgeous early autumn afternoon in upstate New York. I'm just starting the book today. I'm not Jewish, but it was recommended by a rabbi on Bluesky in response to a theological […] [Original post on hachyderm.io]

A small table outdoors with a martini glass and a book. It's surrounded by green grass, a weathered wooden Adirondack chair behind it.

The book is Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity by Abraham Joshua Heschel.

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SamUpstate (he/him) @samupstate.hachyderm.io.ap.brid.gy · 26/09/2026

Not as much rise as I'd hoped, but it still tastes good. #Baking #Bread

Two loaves of bread on a wire cooling rack. They have dusted flour tops but are relatively flat loaves.

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SamUpstate (he/him) @samupstate.hachyderm.io.ap.brid.gy · 26/09/2026

We're into stroopwafel season now in upstate New York. It's not very chilly this morning, but it is a dark and dreary autumn morning—perfect for a little treat with a cup of coffee and a book ☺️ #Stroopwafel #UpstateNY #hygge

A coffee mug on a leather coaster on a wooden windowsill. The mug is reddish brown on the bottom but mostly off-white with black specks. Black block letters spell out "UPSTATE OF MIND" across the side.

A stroopwafel—light brown disc with a waffle texture—rests on the top of the mug.

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SamUpstate (he/him) @samupstate.hachyderm.io.ap.brid.gy · 20/09/2026

I'm at an organ recital this afternoon in the Round Lake Auditorium. It's a delightful, quirky little venue about a half hour north of Albany. Semi-indoor: sheltered from rain and wind (if the windows and doors are shut) but no heat or insulation. There's an […] [Original post on hachyderm.io]

A large room with a high slanted ceiling with visible rafters. A line of windows is high up near the ceiling.

A collection of large organ pipes above a wooden case. The organ console is beneath them in the center, barely half the height of the tallest pipes above it.

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SamUpstate (he/him) @samupstate.hachyderm.io.ap.brid.gy · 20/09/2026

This passage, quoted by bell hooks in *the will to change* (2004) feels applicable more broadly to rank and file members of the MAGA movement.

Photo of text in a page of a book.

As their pain intensifies, so does their need to do violence, to coercively dominate and abuse others. Barbara Deming explains: "I think the reason that men are so very violent is that
[this text is highlighted]
they know, deep in themselves, that they're acting a lie, and so they're furious. You can't be happy living a lie, and so they're furious at being caught in the lie. But they don't know how to break out of it, so they just go further into it."
[End highlighting]
For many
men the moment of violent connection may be the only inti-
macy, the only attainable closeness, the only space where the
agony is released.

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SamUpstate (he/him) @samupstate.hachyderm.io.ap.brid.gy · 16/09/2026

I ran some errands on my bike yesterday. I definitely need to write up a blog post about bike parking. Only one of my three stops had a bike rack. And one of the others didn't allow me to fully lock the bike at all—just the frame. I'll note that I live in […] [Original post on hachyderm.io]

A bicycle locked to a sign post in a parking lot. The base of the post is surrounded by a plastic covering whose diameter keeps the lock from being used low enough to pass through the front wheel.

A bicycle locked to a bike rack in front of a grocery store.

A bicycle locked to the frame of a shopping cart corral.

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SamUpstate (he/him) @samupstate.hachyderm.io.ap.brid.gy · 13/09/2026

[Alcohol] It's been a while since I shared a #cocktail here. This afternoon's cocktail is a Gibson: 1 oz Tanqueray gin 1 1/2 oz Blue Coat gin 1/2 dry vermouth Add to a mixing glass with ice, stir, and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a couple cocktail onions. Cheers 🍸

A martini glass on a windowsill, mostly filled with a clear liquid. A metal cocktail skewer with two white round cocktail onions rests in the glass.

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SamUpstate (he/him) @samupstate.hachyderm.io.ap.brid.gy · 12/09/2026

It's the first morning that's really felt like the beginning of fall. I have a time for a quiet morning at home with my books and pens, so I thought fully caffeinated coffee was in order ☕️ #Autumn #AutumnVibes #Coffee

An espresso cup in sunlight on a clear plastic coaster on a wooden windowsill. The cup is ceramic with three horizontal colored layers, light blue, golden brown, and beige with tiny black speckles (bottom to top). It's full of a brown liquid that in the sunlight reflects the window screen behind it.

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SamUpstate (he/him) @samupstate.hachyderm.io.ap.brid.gy · 03/09/2026

My favorite part of any work trip to NYC is the drink at The Irish Exit in Penn Station before catching my train home. #Amtrak #PennStation #MoynihanTrainHall

A martini in a clear martini glass on a well-lit bar. A long, curly twist of lemon rests on the rim of the glass. In the background, out of focus, are a number of bottles of liquor, all gently lit from below.

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SamUpstate (he/him) @samupstate.hachyderm.io.ap.brid.gy · 25/08/2026

It's cold enough that I broke out the sweatpants this morning. But not so cold that I didn't still make cold brew coffee. We generally keep the windows open at night if the temperature is forecast to be between about 50°F and 75°F. It's actually in the sixties […] [Original post on hachyderm.io]

A metal mug, washed copper in color with a metal handle sits on a window sill. It's full to the top with ice and a dark colored liquid. A few bubbles float on the surface amidst the ice.

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SamUpstate (he/him) @samupstate.hachyderm.io.ap.brid.gy · 08/08/2026

Pizza at Lou Malnati's was decent, but I hope it's not Chicago's best. #Chicago #Pizza

A table at a restaurant. It has a yellow plate with a slice of deep dish pizza on it. A mostly empty coupe glass and a water glass are on the table behind it. A deep dish pizza pan is on the table behind that with half the pizza still in it.

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SamUpstate (he/him) @samupstate.hachyderm.io.ap.brid.gy · 07/08/2026

I was not fully prepared for how immersive the Cloud Gate sculptor is. It really draws you in and makes you part of the art (connecting you to everyone around you in the same way). #CloudGate #Chicago

A photo of the Cloud Gate sculpture in Chicago. It's a giant silver bean-shaped object, maybe thirty or forty feet in height and twice that in length. Reflected in its shiny curved surface are some blue sky and white clouds, some buildings of downtown Chicago, and the plaza in which it sits including dozens of people.

More buildings are in the background behind it, as well as a blue sky with a few clouds.

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SamUpstate (he/him) @samupstate.hachyderm.io.ap.brid.gy · 06/08/2026

I'm taking the train from North Dakota back east. While waiting in the Minot station, I found this little guy nestled on a ledge under a poster.

A wall with wood paneling. The edge of a window fills the right side of the image. On the left are the corners of two framed posters. On a ledge, nestled under the frame of the upper poster, a small figure is barely visible.

A photo of a tiny plastic army man figure on a wooden ledge. He's kneeling with a shoulder mounted weapon pointed away from the giant poster that looms over his shoulder (out of the image).

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SamUpstate (he/him) @samupstate.hachyderm.io.ap.brid.gy · 02/08/2026

I've been reading Dante's Divine Comedy this summer, as part of my church's "Summer of Dante" program. This blurb, from between the 8th and 9th circles of Hell, seemed rather salient to today's world.

Photo of text from a book. At the top of the page it states: "Canto XXXI"

The remaining text is:

And then he turned to me: "His words accuse him.
He is Nimrod, through whose infamous device
the world no longer speaks a common language.
But let's leave him alone and not waste breath,
for he can no more understand our words
than anyone can understand his language."

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SamUpstate (he/him) @samupstate.hachyderm.io.ap.brid.gy · 02/08/2026

This is Minerva, one of my mother's cats. She's a troublemaker. A play in four acts 😸 #Caturday

A view of a kitchen sink, from slightly below the level of the counter. A white and orange cat is peeking out from the sink, just the upper part of her face visible.

The same view of the kitchen sink. Now the orange and white cat is looking straight at the camera.

An orange and white cat is climbing out of a kitchen sink, preparing to jump down.

An orange and white cat caught as she jumps down from the kitchen sink. It's slightly out of focus due to the motion of the cat.

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SamUpstate (he/him) @samupstate.hachyderm.io.ap.brid.gy · 23/07/2026

I didn't get to see much of it, but Rutland looks like a fun town. We had dinner at the Vermont Tap House, and it was excellent. The concert was at the Paramount Theater, which was a small but ornate venue. This painting was on the ceiling above the stage.

A somewhat faded painting on a pink wall. It shows three women sitting on a cloud. One is playing a lute. Another holds a white mask in her hand.

A picture of a side box seat in an old fashioned theater, viewed from seats in the main part of the theater. The ceiling is pink, and the wall is a pastel red color. There's ornate gold trim highlighting the columns and arch around and over the box area.

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