Eric Miller
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emillerphx.bsky.social
Eric Miller
@emillerphx.bsky.social
Engineer | Writer | Business Owner | Mentor | more...
Phoenix, Arizona

Find all my links at https://www.linktr.ee/emillerphx
Do you have a piece of music that has been there your whole life? A song or a suite that doesn't just move you, it feels like home? In this week's UWTO, I take a look at my auditory safe place, performed by a specific artist and penned long ago by my favorite long-dead European guy.
I Listen to Dead People
Thoughts on My Relationship with One Bit of Music
open.substack.com
August 10, 2025 at 1:17 PM
When I became a man, I put aside childish things… who am I kidding, not me. I kept the good stuff and let what remained morph and evolve as I did. Core to that are LEGOS. This week’s UWTO recounts a recent reengagement and some rumination on flow states.

emillerphx.substack.com/p/my-love-af...
The Allure of LEGOS
On Little Plastic Blocks and Flow States
emillerphx.substack.com
July 13, 2025 at 3:02 PM
I've struggled with eating my whole adult life, and now that it's impacting my health, maybe it's time to talk about it. This is a tough one to share because it's such a loaded and complicated topic, and 600 words just scratch the surface, maybe just enough to open some wounds for others.
I'm Tired of Being Overweight
Musing on body image, weight, weight loss, and health
open.substack.com
July 6, 2025 at 1:17 PM
We all have pain we are coping with. This week's UWTO gets a bit personal. But if you are a caring person, which most people are, you may also be feeling a bit numb these days.

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The Pain Underneath
I'm tired and overwhelmed and becoming numb.
open.substack.com
June 29, 2025 at 4:04 PM
My recent post announcing my plan to bake Focaccia elicited a lot of excitement. Why? What is so special about this Italian flatbread? In this week's Substack post, I take a stab at why Focaccia is the superstar of Mediterranean loaves. I also tossed in a few pictures along with the recipe I use.
Focaccia!
The power of the flat Italian loaf and my recipe for it
open.substack.com
June 22, 2025 at 1:03 PM
One of my goals is to someday describe what I like about the desert. As the summer heat reminds us where we live, this is my latest attempt to put it into words, and it gets a bit closer. How do you feel about our arid corner of the biosphere?

open.substack.com/pub/emillerp...
The Whole Desert Thing
It’s hard to explain why I find the desert inspiring
open.substack.com
June 15, 2025 at 4:47 PM
I keep forgetting things I would have never forgotten just five years ago. Turns out it has a name, and it's normal. I'm getting older. Give my latest weekly meandering a read or a listen. If you are over 50 and you are seeing your short-term memory fade, share how you feel about it in the comments.
Crap, I Forgot Something Else
On the reality of age-related fading memory and constant ball-dropping
open.substack.com
June 8, 2025 at 1:11 PM
I adore podcasts. This week I share why and also list my current 5 favorites. And, since I'm talking about audio content, the episode has an audio version, so you can listen to my thoughts and observations instead of reading them. Don't worry, it's not my voice.

open.substack.com/pub/emillerp...
Revealed: My Love Affair with Podcasts
The good kind of voices in my head, and my five favorites
open.substack.com
June 1, 2025 at 12:58 PM
This week's UWTO is a bit of digging deep into an internal struggle I deal with constantly. It's more personal than usual, but hopefully helpful to others who are always questioning themselves.
open.substack.com/pub/emillerp...
A Recent Battle Self Doubt and Impostor Syndrome
Swatting down internal demons with two lies and a truth
open.substack.com
May 25, 2025 at 1:45 PM
I've been staying in a lot of short term rentals over the past couple of months, and it got me thinking. What do I like and dislike about the whole AirBnB experience?

What are your thoughts on staying in someone else's house?

#travel #shorttermrental #airbnb

open.substack.com/pub/emillerp...
I've Got AirBnB'ing on the Brain
A tree in the kitchen, koi, and parking on a steep hill
open.substack.com
May 18, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Maybe I’m getting a little too introspective these days. I had a small epiphany the other day about how grime builds up. It was another reminder about how things are rarely as clear and sharp as we expect them to be and what I can do about it.
I Should Clean My Glasses More Often
When the grime builds up slowly, it's hard to notice
open.substack.com
April 27, 2025 at 1:49 PM
When did it become OK to not show up for a meeting or an event?

I'm not sure what changed, but it's a trend I'm not a fan of. In my latest post in the Phoenix Business Journal, I take a look at when it's OK to skip and when you should show up.

www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news...
April 23, 2025 at 2:14 PM
This last week, I visited one of my favorite places in Arizona, Lee's Ferry and Marble Canyon. This is where the Grand Canyon begins. Words don't do justice to what makes this seldom-traveled spot so special, so this week's UWTO has lots of pictures.

open.substack.com/pub/emillerp...
Visiting Where the Grand Canyon Begins
Lee’s Ferry and Marble Canyon are Worth the Drive
open.substack.com
April 20, 2025 at 3:32 PM
I just spent the majority of last week at the annual Space Symposium, and I came away reminded that our country can do amazing things. We can dream and accomplish the difficult and do things that are awe-inspiring.

open.substack.com/pub/emillerp...
Thoughts on Doing Great Things
Reflections after the 2025 Space Syposium.
open.substack.com
April 13, 2025 at 2:23 PM
This week, I go out on a limb and share some of my fiction with a short story about two scientists who have to make a decision.

Would you click the button?

open.substack.com/pub/emillerp...
The Antimatter Tunnel Reactor
Some short fiction for your distraction
open.substack.com
April 6, 2025 at 3:00 PM
There is a lot of change going on, and the pace keeps picking up. It's hard. But I keep talking to people who are working to try and avoid complaining (like me) and well... read the article and then share with us how you are trying to find ways to adapt.

www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news...
April 6, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Having a tough time seeing the positive side of things lately? Me too. This week, I take a look at Pooh’s friends and how I need to be less like one and more like another.
Which friend from Hundred Acre Wood do you identify with the most?

open.substack.com/pub/emillerp...
Less Eeyore, More Tigger
Some Tail Contemplation
open.substack.com
March 30, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Not a lot of deep thought or introspection on this week's UWTO. More a data dump/fact check on some of the justifications for the current non-strategic reductions in the US Federal workforce and possible play to shift tax revenue to the oligarchy.

open.substack.com/.../wait-a-s....
March 23, 2025 at 5:07 PM
A chance discussion yesterday reminded me of why taking time to listen to those with enough years to not care can be so rewarding.

open.substack.com/pub/emillerp...

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Listening to the Wonderfully Aged
Rediscovering the joy of talking with people who are too old to care
open.substack.com
March 16, 2025 at 7:33 PM
It's been a week since I got back from Star Trek the Cuise XI.
Here are my thoughts on why it means so much to me:

open.substack.com/pub/emillerp...

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#startrek #vacation
After a Week of Boldly Going
Thoughts and Observations From My Fifth Star Trek Cruise
open.substack.com
March 9, 2025 at 3:03 PM
I don’t know about you, but I’m having trouble letting things go.
On the Difficulty of Letting Go
I should be giddy with anticipation... but... and no, don't sing the song
open.substack.com
February 23, 2025 at 3:47 PM
February 20, 2025 at 4:01 AM
When put into a position where I had to be honest with myself, I had to admit that the primary reason why I write is I want to be heard. But do I take the time to listen to others who want to be heard? Or are we all just shouting louder?

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#writing #listen #uwto
We All Want To Be Heard, but Are We Willing To Listen?
We need to get our reading on.
open.substack.com
February 16, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Share this everywhere you can.

If anyone still thinks he is not destroying the rule of law, here is proof from him that he doesn't care about our laws. That he is above the law.
February 16, 2025 at 12:47 AM
This last Friday I went downtown with friends for First Friday. It was fun and it was packed and there were protests, waffles, and a lot of young people. In the midst of so much disruption, I'm still not sure what to make of it all.

#firstfriday #DTPHX #uwto

open.substack.com/pub/emillerp...
Noise and Normalcy, Protestors and Waffles
I'm not really sure what to think about things these days
open.substack.com
February 9, 2025 at 4:22 PM