Gray Kimbrough
@graykimbrough.bsky.social
Economist, UNCG PhD, "serial millennial myth debunker," labor, housing and time use researcher, AU adjunct prof. Views are my own and not any employer's.
First of all: what?
Second: why?
Second: why?
December 30, 2025 at 10:29 PM
First of all: what?
Second: why?
Second: why?
Today was the first Christmas morning that my kids haven't been with me. It's definitely different!
But I learned pretty quickly that the way to thrive through a divorce is to value these times to rest, take care of things, pursue my interests... and be able to be a better parent when they're here.
But I learned pretty quickly that the way to thrive through a divorce is to value these times to rest, take care of things, pursue my interests... and be able to be a better parent when they're here.
December 25, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Today was the first Christmas morning that my kids haven't been with me. It's definitely different!
But I learned pretty quickly that the way to thrive through a divorce is to value these times to rest, take care of things, pursue my interests... and be able to be a better parent when they're here.
But I learned pretty quickly that the way to thrive through a divorce is to value these times to rest, take care of things, pursue my interests... and be able to be a better parent when they're here.
This guy sets an example for us all. I hope everyone can find some time to relax over the holidays.
December 25, 2025 at 1:50 PM
This guy sets an example for us all. I hope everyone can find some time to relax over the holidays.
Two years in a row makes it a tradition: Ethiopian food for dinner on Christmas Eve in Silver Spring!
December 25, 2025 at 12:17 AM
Two years in a row makes it a tradition: Ethiopian food for dinner on Christmas Eve in Silver Spring!
For a while I was cross-posting everything on X and here. I finally stopped doing that because I was getting productive interactions here, but only spam and weird comments over on X.
In seriousness X is really bad and a lunatic controls the algorithm and people’s social temperature there. I do not understand why people keep using it.
December 24, 2025 at 9:46 PM
For a while I was cross-posting everything on X and here. I finally stopped doing that because I was getting productive interactions here, but only spam and weird comments over on X.
I needed something wholesome today, and now I'm crying watching a short documentary by Paul Scheer (!).
It's so nice hearing these dads talking about how they've worked to find ways to relate to their daughters unlike anything their parents did with them.
youtu.be/R9XN1iOungs
It's so nice hearing these dads talking about how they've worked to find ways to relate to their daughters unlike anything their parents did with them.
youtu.be/R9XN1iOungs
I Talked To 50 Dads At The Eras Tour
YouTube video by DARK WEB | Paul Scheer & Rob Huebel
youtu.be
December 23, 2025 at 4:06 PM
I needed something wholesome today, and now I'm crying watching a short documentary by Paul Scheer (!).
It's so nice hearing these dads talking about how they've worked to find ways to relate to their daughters unlike anything their parents did with them.
youtu.be/R9XN1iOungs
It's so nice hearing these dads talking about how they've worked to find ways to relate to their daughters unlike anything their parents did with them.
youtu.be/R9XN1iOungs
This is absolutely horrifying shit, carried out in the name of all Americans and reported thoroughly by 60 Minutes reporters.
We all know that Bari Weiss killed this segment for political reasons, but I don't expect to hear the usual "free speech" crowd yelling about it. archive.org/details/60mi...
We all know that Bari Weiss killed this segment for political reasons, but I don't expect to hear the usual "free speech" crowd yelling about it. archive.org/details/60mi...
Pulled 60 Minutes segment on CECOT : CBS : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
This is a screen recording of a 60 Minutes segment about the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT) prison in El Salvador, which was intended to be...
archive.org
December 23, 2025 at 12:19 AM
This is absolutely horrifying shit, carried out in the name of all Americans and reported thoroughly by 60 Minutes reporters.
We all know that Bari Weiss killed this segment for political reasons, but I don't expect to hear the usual "free speech" crowd yelling about it. archive.org/details/60mi...
We all know that Bari Weiss killed this segment for political reasons, but I don't expect to hear the usual "free speech" crowd yelling about it. archive.org/details/60mi...
One underappreciated detail of reporting this year is that even when agency spokespeople respond to reporter inquiries, they refuse to provide a name for the record.
There have been tons of references like "an unnamed spokesperson wrote," which you'll see throughout reporting if you look for it.
There have been tons of references like "an unnamed spokesperson wrote," which you'll see throughout reporting if you look for it.
Reporter: We have 3 videos, 2 breathalyzers, 4 bartenders, and a minivan full of nuns attesting to how the driver was drunk and reckless when he hit the school bus.
Weiss; What did the driver say.
Reporter: He and his lawyer won’t talk. We asked them 5 times.
Weiss: I’m killing your story.
Weiss; What did the driver say.
Reporter: He and his lawyer won’t talk. We asked them 5 times.
Weiss: I’m killing your story.
December 22, 2025 at 1:07 PM
One underappreciated detail of reporting this year is that even when agency spokespeople respond to reporter inquiries, they refuse to provide a name for the record.
There have been tons of references like "an unnamed spokesperson wrote," which you'll see throughout reporting if you look for it.
There have been tons of references like "an unnamed spokesperson wrote," which you'll see throughout reporting if you look for it.
It may be a sign that bluesky could use a Day Without Matt Takes because I definitely had to read beyond the name to figure out which Matt this was referencing.
Bunch of people on this fucking website are slamming Matt because they’re too dense to read the last 11 words of a 17 word post.
Homelessness increased primarily because of immigration (lots of people came to the US without setting up housing).
December 22, 2025 at 1:02 PM
It may be a sign that bluesky could use a Day Without Matt Takes because I definitely had to read beyond the name to figure out which Matt this was referencing.
I guess what I take away from this Washington Post piece on how "Trump broke the federal government" is that the President can simply refuse to spend money appropriated by Congress and fire everyone responsible for carrying out those tasks, then feel no consequences from Congress or anyone else.
December 22, 2025 at 12:12 AM
I guess what I take away from this Washington Post piece on how "Trump broke the federal government" is that the President can simply refuse to spend money appropriated by Congress and fire everyone responsible for carrying out those tasks, then feel no consequences from Congress or anyone else.
There are largely-ignored sites in Rome that you should go to instead of the usual busy sites. My recommendations of near-empty places include the Baths of Caracella, the Aurelian Wall museum, Centrale Montemartini, and Abbazia delle Tre Fontane. www.dw.com/en/rome-to-i...
Rome to introduce entry fee for historic Trevi Fountain – DW – 12/19/2025
Rome's mayor said tourists will have to pay to get close to Trevi Fountain, one of the Italian capital's most popular monuments, starting in February.
www.dw.com
December 20, 2025 at 9:32 PM
There are largely-ignored sites in Rome that you should go to instead of the usual busy sites. My recommendations of near-empty places include the Baths of Caracella, the Aurelian Wall museum, Centrale Montemartini, and Abbazia delle Tre Fontane. www.dw.com/en/rome-to-i...
She's learned the trick of covering a vent from the other cat in the house.
December 20, 2025 at 8:59 PM
She's learned the trick of covering a vent from the other cat in the house.
I have been meaning to get around to my own analysis of this for weeks.
But I'll say: While I don't really believe the NAR numbers, what we do know is that homeowners are staying in their homes longer. So the average homeowner can be older without large shifts in the age of the average home buyer.
But I'll say: While I don't really believe the NAR numbers, what we do know is that homeowners are staying in their homes longer. So the average homeowner can be older without large shifts in the age of the average home buyer.
Remember that there are multiple datasets with "age of first time home buyer".
The one diverging from the others is the one where the data is not accessible to the public.
(Graph from Connor O'Brien)
The one diverging from the others is the one where the data is not accessible to the public.
(Graph from Connor O'Brien)
December 20, 2025 at 2:50 PM
I have been meaning to get around to my own analysis of this for weeks.
But I'll say: While I don't really believe the NAR numbers, what we do know is that homeowners are staying in their homes longer. So the average homeowner can be older without large shifts in the age of the average home buyer.
But I'll say: While I don't really believe the NAR numbers, what we do know is that homeowners are staying in their homes longer. So the average homeowner can be older without large shifts in the age of the average home buyer.
I think that home prices are the #1 driver of this feeling that things are much harder than they were for previous generations.
The homes that many young adults easily purchased in the 60s and 70s are now out of reach for people in their 20s and 30s with significantly higher salaries than they had.
The homes that many young adults easily purchased in the 60s and 70s are now out of reach for people in their 20s and 30s with significantly higher salaries than they had.
Americans in their 20s and 30s may not feel that they’re richer than their equivalents 60 years ago, but they’re objectively wrong.
It’s fascinating how important it is to some people not to say “I’m struggling, it’s hard” or “I need help”—objectively true—but to instead insist they have it worse.
It’s fascinating how important it is to some people not to say “I’m struggling, it’s hard” or “I need help”—objectively true—but to instead insist they have it worse.
December 20, 2025 at 2:39 PM
I think that home prices are the #1 driver of this feeling that things are much harder than they were for previous generations.
The homes that many young adults easily purchased in the 60s and 70s are now out of reach for people in their 20s and 30s with significantly higher salaries than they had.
The homes that many young adults easily purchased in the 60s and 70s are now out of reach for people in their 20s and 30s with significantly higher salaries than they had.
RFK Jr. wants to bring back chickenpox, and make other diseases kill more kids.
December 19, 2025 at 10:42 PM
RFK Jr. wants to bring back chickenpox, and make other diseases kill more kids.
This seems right in line with David Brooks's primary expertise: getting himself into messes and suffering no negative consequences.
December 18, 2025 at 8:40 PM
This seems right in line with David Brooks's primary expertise: getting himself into messes and suffering no negative consequences.
I'm old enough to remember that David Brooks wrote an entire book called (incredibly enough) "The Road To Character," divorced his wife, and married his assistant on that book. She happened to be 23 years younger than him.
December 18, 2025 at 8:25 PM
I'm old enough to remember that David Brooks wrote an entire book called (incredibly enough) "The Road To Character," divorced his wife, and married his assistant on that book. She happened to be 23 years younger than him.
The kitten got spayed today, and is quietly recovering while dealing with the shame of The Donut.
December 17, 2025 at 1:18 AM
The kitten got spayed today, and is quietly recovering while dealing with the shame of The Donut.
With hiring and quitting rates as low as they are now, it's a particularly bad time to lose a job or to be stuck in a job that's a bad fit for you.
It's also a very bad time to move to a different place and try to get a job there!
It's also a very bad time to move to a different place and try to get a job there!
With the unemployment rate at the highest in four years, laid-off workers describe their job search as “disheartening.”
The US Jobs Market Is Stuck in the Waiting Place
Laid-off workers describe their employment search as “disheartening.” Plus: 50 Companies to Watch in 2026.
bloom.bg
December 17, 2025 at 12:35 AM
With hiring and quitting rates as low as they are now, it's a particularly bad time to lose a job or to be stuck in a job that's a bad fit for you.
It's also a very bad time to move to a different place and try to get a job there!
It's also a very bad time to move to a different place and try to get a job there!
I am so tired of @mcgexec.bsky.social using the county news blast emails to make political arguments.
Is any part of the Montgomery County government willing to check his use of public resources to campaign in this way?
Is any part of the Montgomery County government willing to check his use of public resources to campaign in this way?
December 13, 2025 at 2:05 AM
I am so tired of @mcgexec.bsky.social using the county news blast emails to make political arguments.
Is any part of the Montgomery County government willing to check his use of public resources to campaign in this way?
Is any part of the Montgomery County government willing to check his use of public resources to campaign in this way?
Stephen Miller continues to make an excellent case for Worst Duke Graduate Ever, even with such strong competition.
“…And yet there are Republican lawmakers who eagerly facilitate the disinheritance of their own children.”
That right there is some dark, disturbing shit.
That right there is some dark, disturbing shit.
December 12, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Stephen Miller continues to make an excellent case for Worst Duke Graduate Ever, even with such strong competition.
This kitten is getting ready for the holidays.
December 10, 2025 at 2:37 AM
This kitten is getting ready for the holidays.
One thing I think about a lot is that when I was born in 1981, more than 80% of full-time workers at large employers had a pension.
Now just about everyone is on their own for retirement savings. It's worked out okay for those of us who can dump a lot in defined-contribution plans though.
Now just about everyone is on their own for retirement savings. It's worked out okay for those of us who can dump a lot in defined-contribution plans though.
December 9, 2025 at 2:30 AM
One thing I think about a lot is that when I was born in 1981, more than 80% of full-time workers at large employers had a pension.
Now just about everyone is on their own for retirement savings. It's worked out okay for those of us who can dump a lot in defined-contribution plans though.
Now just about everyone is on their own for retirement savings. It's worked out okay for those of us who can dump a lot in defined-contribution plans though.
MCDOT Traffic Chief Michael Paylor attended a meeting in my neighborhood tonight and reiterated his earlier comments.
He blamed the driver, absolved the street design, and said he wouldn't support any four-way stops on Sligo despite its heavy pedestrian use. bethesdamagazine.com/2025/11/19/e...
He blamed the driver, absolved the street design, and said he wouldn't support any four-way stops on Sligo despite its heavy pedestrian use. bethesdamagazine.com/2025/11/19/e...
Residents of East Silver Spring neighborhood demand pedestrian safety improvements
Community's pleas follows a February incident involving a Takoma Park middle schooler struck by car at a local intersection.
bethesdamagazine.com
December 9, 2025 at 1:50 AM
MCDOT Traffic Chief Michael Paylor attended a meeting in my neighborhood tonight and reiterated his earlier comments.
He blamed the driver, absolved the street design, and said he wouldn't support any four-way stops on Sligo despite its heavy pedestrian use. bethesdamagazine.com/2025/11/19/e...
He blamed the driver, absolved the street design, and said he wouldn't support any four-way stops on Sligo despite its heavy pedestrian use. bethesdamagazine.com/2025/11/19/e...