the month in me: Februaryish 2026

Mar 14, 2026

life

The big thing happening in my life is that I left home a month ago. I’m coming back, but not yet. Here’s where I’ve been so far.

Copenhagen

My first stop was in Copenhagen for the Copenhagen Light Festival, which commissions artists to create light-based art (projections, sculptures, etc.) all over the city in the dead of winter. Lots of cities have these festivals; this is the one I fell in love with on Instagram in 2021, and have been trying to get to ever since. As is often the case with a long-distance romance, it was both better and worse in person – better because you’re actually seeing it in three dimensions! Worse because of all the ways reality is more humdrum, dysfunctional, and annoying than social media. I’m glad I went, and glad it wasn’t the only thing I flied across the Atlantic for.

Wireframes of people carrying their possessions on foot glow blue against the snow. — Displaced by Alexander Reichstein.

My other main reason to go to Copenhagen was to bike in one of the world’s great biking cities. I took a bike tour early in my visit, to get the hang of local bike culture (and laws), and then rented a bike and rode it around a lot. The light festival only makes sense at night; I biked around during the day (and also home from the graveyard at night). Unsurprisingly, I loved it. Despite some stress over left turns and navigation, I felt very safe and it was a great way to get around the city fast.

Maybe 100 bikes parked tightly on a plaza, with snow in the background. — So many bikes! Most of them not locked to racks.

Amsterdam

Then to Amsterdam for Impro Amsterdam, Europe’s biggest and oldest improvisational theater festival! Impro Amsterdam is different from other (American) improv festivals I’ve been to, primarily in the shows they book. Where a typical festival runs the gamut from dramatic comedy to comedic comedy to experimental comedy, Impro Amsterdam features many shows that are purely dramatic. To be honest, I struggled a bit with that. Some dramas were fantastic, but I guess for me a “pretty good” drama is harder to enjoy than a “pretty good” comedy. I saw some wonderful shows, though (some comedic!), took some workshops, and really enjoyed volunteering and getting to know some of the festival staff and attendees.

High angle photo of a stage, with four actors on a simple living room set, and a musical accompanist. — I’ve never seen improv from a balcony before!
(More and somewhat better photos on Instagram.)

Amsterdam is another one of the world’s great biking cities. As in Copenhagen, I took a bike tour and then biked around a fair bit on my own. Surprisingly, I didn’t love it. There are even more bikes (I think) and a lot of space is shared between drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. It felt more chaotic than my delicate American sensibilities could handle. That said, it got less stressful each time I did it, so maybe there’s hope.

Also, the STRAAT Museum is awesome.

Glasgow (and Edinburgh)

Now I’m in Glasgow, my home base for most of the trip. I attended screenings at the Glasgow Film Festival and shows at the Edinburgh International Improv Festival (short review: consistently funny, mostly game-based, very fast-paced), but mostly I’m here to, well, be here. I’ve loved previous vacations in Glasgow, and one of the reasons for this trip was to see what it feels like to be here when you have to do everyday things like wash laundry and buy groceries. I’ll add “bug the landlord” to that list. It’s about as annoying as it is in the US.

A subway station. Signage indicates the station is named Cowcaddens. The curve of the walls mimics the two subway tunnels in the background. One of the ads that line the walls says 'Hello Glasgow.' A single passenger approaches from the other end of the platform. — Glasgow has the cutest subway!

Unlike in Copenhagen and Amsterdam, I haven’t jumped right into biking. One reason is that it’s not world-renowned as a great place to do it. The main reason, though, is that my instincts about which direction cars come from are wrong for UK streets. Yesterday I went for a group ride with experienced cyclists, who could point out the hazards and opportunities. It felt great to be back on a bike, after a couple of weeks away.

At night, a canopy of lights stretches from the neoclassical Gallery of Modern Art across a walkway to the building next door. — And sometimes it’s quite beautiful.

Glasgow often appears on lists of the world’s friendliest cities. I think it’s silly to try to rank cities that way, and also in my experience it’s absolutely true. So many interactions are marked by a kind of casual openness and, often, kindness. The driver who took me to the airport this morning said he moved to Glasgow 15 years ago and would never leave, and it’s because of the people. Except, he said, “landlords, police, and politicians.” And then he backtracked and told me how lovely the police have always been to him.

code

Although I’ve done some work with Vue and Astro, I’ve spent most of the last six years working on the same React/Next.js app. I have my laptop with me, and I’m spending some of my time coding for myself. I made some necessary updates to this web site (and found some issues I’m trying to ignore). And I’ve been picking out a project and platform to play with. I think I’ve got something doable that will let me learn Solid, and also bring some of my musical self to it.

arts

I’m consuming a lot of art (shows, movies, museums) and not making much. I brought some music gear with me, but I haven’t unpacked it. Maybe next month!

onward

Two’s Company is playing at Oslo’s Short Notice Improv Festival! Once I’d decided to try to spend some time in Europe, we applied to every festival around, and this is the one that found space for us. I’m very excited to experience the festival, play with Chris, and throw pine cones in the lake. I’ll also be the musical accompanist for some shows!

Aside from that, and a trip to Berlin to see friends, it’ll be a pretty low-key month, at least compared to the month behind.