John Vantine (he/him)

@w00t.bsky.social

1682 Followers 382 Following

Trail runner, ally 🏳️‍⚧️, live music aficionado, SEO OG at GoodRx, occasional van adventurer, full-time life enthusiast in hot pursuit of the perfect slice 🍕 Santa Cruz-based. Blogging since '98, today I write words at https://j0hn.com.

Hail coming down on the GR5 in the French alps
Black Rock Pass in Sequoia National Park, overlooking Little Five Lakes
Trail running in Big Basin State Park, “Twisted in the Road” by The Disco Biscuits from 5/22/26
Sun showers at sunrise in Felton, CA
Trail running in Garapata State Park in Big Sur with musical accompaniment by the Disco Biscuits, the greatest abyss into spaceBirdmatingcall on 3/5/2009
Strava stats from Trail running the Ohlone wilderness Trail, from Del Valle to Rose Peak, through Sunol, and ending after climbing Mission Peak in San Jose
A discussion of metal bands on Reddit.
Trey Anastasio of Phish discussing the beautiful simplicity and power of emotional sobriety on The Small Bow podcast.
Poison oak rash on face/eye. So much fun.
Registration confirmation for Saddles 50 mile race in Prescott, AZ
Bob Weir and Wolf Bros playing “Estimated Prophet” at the Greek in Berkeley in 2001
ChatGPT says that wegovy is not available as a pill, only as an injection.
A baby mushroom grows out of a massive redwood tree stump in The Forest of Nisene Marks in Aptos, CA
Next year is 2028, according to Google AI Overview.
A grey Cybertruck with an “anti Elon tesla club” sticker.
About.com redirects to a 404 page on people.inc
CDs by coheed and Cambria, the Smashing Pumpkins, slipknot, Faith no more, system of a down, Nine Inch Nails, Deftones, Type O Negative, Gorillaz, Opeth, and Korn
An audio clip of Aron Magner from The Disco Biscuits leading a “I Melt With You” tease during a jam in the song “Cyclone”
Google AI Overview claiming that Kenny Hickey is dead.
Jay Lane (Dead & Co., Primus), Michael Travis (String Cheese Incident) and David Phipps (STS9) playing improv dance music at Moes Alley in Santa Cruz on 11/16/25
Google mobile search results for the query "one battle after another runtime"
Minami Deutsch opening for Earthless at the Santa Cruz Vets Hall 10/22/25
Screenshot of a playlist of gloomy, moody songs to get you into the fall/halloween spirit. Links provided for Apple Music and Spotify.
Trail running / fast hiking around Timberline Trail on Mt Hood in snow and rain, October 2025
Trail running Little Lakes Valley to Gem Lakes in Inyo National Forest, October 2025
Autechre at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on October 9, 2025
Supermoon rising over Tioga Road near Lee Vining
Air playing their song “cherry blossom girl” at the Cal Coast credit amphitheater in San Diego last night
Air playing “Sexy Boy” as the silhouette of an unfortunately-positioned security staffer not-so-subtlety picks his nose. I’m not in the business of posting videos of strangers online without their consent, but you cannot see who this person is.
BrightonSEO attendees after a 5k run along the marina in San Diego
Sunrise along the water in San Diego
Waiting for the Lopez Island ferry at sunrise
Bike waiting for the Orcas Island ferry
Epic views along the PCT in Washington
Kendall Katwalk, PCT, Snoqualmie Pass Washington
Santa Monica pier with mountains behind
Tool’s “Stinkfist” plays in Alien Earth
Sun rising over the San Lorenzo Valley from Bonny Doon, CA
Deftones playing a very sold-out show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on July 28th, 2012
Glass beams performing at the catalyst in Santa Cruz
Homemade pique hot sauce
SFGate with blatant clickbait in many article titles
Camping in Desolation wilderness
Fall creek trail in henry Cowell State Park
Aging isn’t just loss. It’s also revelation. And like most revelations, it doesn’t arrive all at once. It comes in fragments—conflicting, converging. I hear two voices: One is light. Fiercely alive. It reaches for meaning. It insists: “We’re still here.” The other voice is quieter. Harder. It doesn’t argue—but it doesn’t lie. It says, “You’re aging. Your body is shrinking. The world outside is burning. Stop pretending you can charm your way out of this.” These days, they don’t take turns. They sit side by side. One writes novels. The other deletes lines. Most days, I let them both speak. That’s what aging is, I think. Not choosing between hope and despair, but learning how to live with both in your chest at the same time. If you’re young, you may think old people are wise, bitter, or foolish. The truth is, we’re all of the above. And more: We’re resilient—because we’ve had to be. We’ve failed, adapted, loved again. Buried people we couldn’t live without, and kept living. We’ve learned to live with regret without being owned by it. To find joy in what’s now. To sit still without feeling worthless. To wait. To listen. To love people who can no longer say our name. What I didn’t expect about aging is how much room it makes. You begin letting go of the things you once clung to—status, productivity, who you were. And in that clearing, something quieter arrives. A kind of humility. A different kind of presence. You don’t need to make a mark. You want to make a moment. Yet, let’s not sugarcoat it. Aging strips you bare. Your world narrows. But here’s what I’ve learned: Don’t fight the tide, even when it hurts. Laugh at your limitations. Mourn your losses. Then stand again. With sticks, if you must. Upright, still. Talk to people. Be curious. Show up. You don’t need to be needed to be present. Laugh whenever you can, with whomever you can, as often as you can. (Truncated)
A handful of concert tickets for metal shows in fall of 2013
Google News search results for "goodRX"
Running on trails into the foggy redwoods with a group of other trail runners
Memphis, a bulldog boxer on a trail in the santa cruz mountains
Workday asking if I want to use the HTTP protocol for a link. Why?
Painting of a river waterfall in the redwoods