Roads Less Traveled.

Monday Mutiny | March 30th, 2026: Happy Monday. Below are five things that challenged, motivated, or entertained me this past week — hopefully they will do the same for you.

(1) I’ve been “hiking” around my house lately. I put that word in quotes because what’s considered “hiking” in Los Angeles is vastly different than the hiking that I did as a kid, growing up with the Uinta Mountains as the backdrop to every weekend.

Anyway, last Tuesday, I decided to take a new route — a much longer trail than I normally take. I had the time, the sun was hot, so I figured, “Why the hell not?”

About two hours in, I decided to start making my way back to my truck when I was quickly passed by a mountain biker hauling ass down the adjoining trail saying, “My girlfriend crashed, my girlfriend crashed.”

I shouted, “Where?!”

“Back that way, I’m trying to get cell reception.”

That was it. He was too panicked for anything else. So, I decided to turn back and run up the other trail in the direction that he had pointed to see if I could find her, not knowing how bad it was. In my mind, I pictured a woman bleeding out all alone while her boyfriend was racing for help.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. I found her about a half mile up the trail where she was lying on her back with a pretty fucked-up elbow. The olecranon tip of her ulna (the head of the bone that creates the elbow itself) looked to be sitting about two inches too high and rotated forward a bit. (It was hard to tell with all the swelling.) She was in a lot of a pain, but in good spirits. I sat down with her, introduced myself, we cracked some jokes, and by the luck of the cellular gods, I had a single bar of reception — but only in the exact spot where she was resting — twenty more feet in either direction and the signal would drop. It was obvious she didn’t want to try hiking herself out, so I got the fire department on the phone and they sent out a helicopter to pinpoint our location. Then, after a bit of convincing, I was able to get her on her feet and under a tree for shade and water while I moved her bike and backpack off the trail, awaiting the telltale whoosh-whoosh-whoosh of blades chopping through the air.

The boyfriend returned around this time so I took off before the chopper arrived. I turned back once when I finally heard the blades come over the mountain, and as I walked the last mile or so back to my truck, I thought, “Huh, had I not taken the long trail today, I wouldn’t have been there.” So, I don’t know, maybe I was drawn to walking an extra few miles that day for some reason.

Now, being the (perhaps overly) introspective individual that I am, I can’t help but apply this thinking to other areas of my life. I’ve taken the long road more often than not, but I do believe it’s continually put me in places where I’ve been needed, or where I’ve received something that I needed (even if only a lesson).

---

(2) On a slightly similar note as above, I had a phone call about a potential project that ended up being a total letdown. Honestly, it put me in a mental rut for a few hours. Then, later the same day, I had two different people — both of whom I hadn’t heard from in six months or more — reach out to me about other gigs. Completely out of the blue. I guess, sometimes, you really don’t know what’s waiting for you. All you can do is keep walking the path that you’ve chosen and never stop walking until you reach your destination. And, the way I see it, the only destination I’m walking toward is death. That’s the only thing that I know for sure is coming. So, until then, I’m just going to keep on walking and see what I find . . . or what finds me.

---

(3) I think about these three lines often. There’s a reason this particular passage has withstood the test of time.

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.”

—Robert Frost

(4) I had lunch with a friend that I hadn’t seen in a while. We caught up on everything about family, career, and just life in general. We chose to meet up at the particular spot that we did because the parking is free for ninety minutes with validation (the price of parking in some areas of Los Angeles is simply ridiculous).

We ended up talking for three hours and paying for parking anyway. Totally worth it. You can’t put a price on a much-needed conversation.

---

(5) Lastly, if you need a recommendation for something to watch, I really got into the new Amazon series Young Sherlock. I don’t have too many dude-crushes, but I’ll watch pretty much anything that Guy Ritchie touches. That guy has the golden eye.

Thanks for reading.

As always, I appreciate your time, support, and attention.

—KC

---

** STRANGER DINNER ROUND TWO IS OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS.

Here’s what STRANGER DINNER R2 will consist of:

• I’ll fly you out to Los Angeles (where I currently live), or cover any other form of transportation to get you here: train, Uber, bobsled, hang glider, etc.

• I’ll put you up in a nice hotel for a night or two (don’t worry, I’ll pick something historic or simply fucking cool — trust me on this, I know what I’m doing).

• We’ll meet for dinner at a restaurant of your choice, or one of my own — it’ll be up to you (obviously, I will cover this as well).

This dinner will allow us to spend a few hours together, talking about anything and everything that comes to mind. If you have something you’d like to ask, just ask. If you just want to hang out, we’ll hang. This will also be my way of saying “Thank you” for all the support that I’ve continually received over the years.

HERE’S HOW TO ENTER:

1. You must be a paid subscriber to this Substack (you can update your subscription at the button below). If you’re already a paid subscriber, you’re good to go.

2. Send an email to STRANGERDINNER@SGRSTK.COM with the following information:

• A bit about yourself. No more than 100 words. Anything more than that and we are no longer “strangers,” which kind of defeats the purpose.

• Answer this question: If you could have dinner with any person (alive or dead), who would it be, and why? I know this is a common, and perhaps even cliché question, but I do believe there’s a lot revealed about an individual by those chosen to sit at their table.

That’s it. Once you’ve done that, you’re officially entered. You have until THE END OF APRIL to send your email. I will read through every entry, contact and announce the winner by the end of May, then fly them out shortly after (if you’re selected, I’ll work with you to see what works best for both of our schedules).

I’m looking forward to reading through all of your emails and getting together soon for some good food and good conversation.

Thanks again,

—KC