---
type: "article"
title: "A Week of Being Kin Lane - September 1st, 2026"
summary: "An amazing summer in NYC, doing exactly what I wanted, and finding the balance I so needed."
newsletter: "Kin Lane"
newsletter_handle: "kinlane"
newsletter_url: "https://usecommune.com/n/kinlane"
author: "Kin Lane (@kinlane)"
published: "2026-09-01T22:38:20.554Z"
canonical_url: "https://usecommune.com/n/kinlane/a/aizXqmVY"
markdown_url: "https://usecommune.com/n/kinlane/a/aizXqmVY.md"
chat_url: "https://usecommune.com/n/kinlane/a/aizXqmVY/chat"
body_source: "native"
likes: 0
replies: 0
body_words: 1737
---

# A Week of Being Kin Lane - September 1st, 2026

I haven't really felt like writing my personal newsletter for the last half of summer. I just wasn't feeling like I needed to document and share my world. Part of it was I am deep in the Claude Mines working on my business, but mostly it is just summer and I was taking things day by day, and a weekly recap didn't really serve any purpose in my world. But I'd like to get back in the groove now that we've rolled into September and begun the slide into winter and the New Year.

![Steve and Audrey at Frena in Hell's Kitchen](https://fmxorstnlyoqpqdftivs.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/b5b20b52-814d-4df4-b9cd-8194e82ae3b2/4272f84e-6910-4437-a064-355ef272baf5/1788301013158-oo3s1fjq.jpeg)

Audrey and I went to dinner with my partner in crime Steve Willmott last night at Frena in Hell's Kitchen. I had met with Steve earlier in the week for a walk in the park to talk about our collaboration on [APis.io](http://APis.io), [API Commons](https://apicommons.org), and [APIs.json](https://apisjson.org). But it has been quite some time since Audrey and Steve and I have hung out, so we made time for dinner on his way back through. We are all getting a bit older, and it's nice to sit out on the street and talk about APIs, AI, and other non-technical real life things like books and marathons.

![The meat chandelier at the Calabria Pork Store.](https://fmxorstnlyoqpqdftivs.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/b5b20b52-814d-4df4-b9cd-8194e82ae3b2/4272f84e-6910-4437-a064-355ef272baf5/1788301088472-bon23rcv.jpeg)

One of the big milestones from August was Audrey's 55th birthday. She chose for a day trip up to [Arthur Avenue in the Bronx](https://www.arthuravenuebronx.com/). It is a place outside of this time. I looks like something out of a mobster movie with every person in each of the stores and on the streets straight out of central casting. It was beautiful. It is a world full of the best things I've ever had. The best sandwich. The best cannoli. I'm not kidding. It was the best food I've had. We brought home olive bread, raviolis, and other goodies to keep us dreaming about coming back.

![The pond in Central Park in the evening.](https://fmxorstnlyoqpqdftivs.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/b5b20b52-814d-4df4-b9cd-8194e82ae3b2/4272f84e-6910-4437-a064-355ef272baf5/1788301209579-wduq4pv4.jpeg)

In the evenings we talk "fart walks". Otherwise Poppy (not me) is a little gassy in bed. We walk for an hour and half up the Hudson River along the Westside Parkway or we discover entirely new places to go in Central Park. We were doing it just up the Westside Parkway, but expanded this summer to include expanding our "civilization" map of Central Park, exploring the corners of the park we don't see. Audrey and I both do the loop almost every day, but there are walking paths and corners we never venture into and these walks help us get to know the park better.

![Kid trying to get his scooter out from under a taxi.](https://fmxorstnlyoqpqdftivs.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/b5b20b52-814d-4df4-b9cd-8194e82ae3b2/4272f84e-6910-4437-a064-355ef272baf5/1788301263978-io8c070n.jpeg)

As we were leaving for a fart walk one evening we saw a young kid get hit on his scooter by a taxi. He was fine, but seriously shaken up. Both the kid on his scooter and the taxi stopped at the cross walk, but the taxi decided he had right of way and gunned it, just as the kid pulled out. He flew up onto the hood with his scooter getting lodged under the taxi. The taxi driver was an asshole, and Audrey called 911, with police, fire, and EMT arriving quickly. I have no grace for taxi drivers from my time riding around the city. They are aggressive and hold no quarter for anyone, so of course I'm supportive of the kid who we gave our cell phone in case he needs us.

![The farmers market on the Upper West Side.](https://fmxorstnlyoqpqdftivs.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/b5b20b52-814d-4df4-b9cd-8194e82ae3b2/4272f84e-6910-4437-a064-355ef272baf5/1788301320594-udnpcdr4.jpeg)

The walk up to the farmers market on the Upper West Side on Sunday continues to be the higlight of our week. The walk up there. The sitting and waiting for it to open. The visiting of each stall. And the walk home. Just make for a bright Sunday morning. The food has transformed our diet. The pig ears, chicken feet, and bison bones have spoiled Poppy. It is something to look forward to when it comes to both ending and starting the week. It just sets the right tone and balance for our world right now.

![Poppy ride up 6th Avenue from downtown.](https://fmxorstnlyoqpqdftivs.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/b5b20b52-814d-4df4-b9cd-8194e82ae3b2/4272f84e-6910-4437-a064-355ef272baf5/1788301347552-t84d1euo.jpeg)

Of course, the rides on the bike with Poppy in the park and throughout the city continue to be the magic in each of my days. We've missed a few rides due to extreme heat or rain, but we are rolling over 2000 miles on our second bike. Poppy continues to thrill her fans, and I absolutely love the smiles we get while rolling around the park and city. The turning of frowns into smiles and the excited exclamations in a variety of languages just makes it so much fun. I continue to get so lost out there each day forgetting about being online, while Poppy is absolutely lost and obsessed with Squirrel Patrol (TM).

![Pork and street corn is the best!!](https://fmxorstnlyoqpqdftivs.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/b5b20b52-814d-4df4-b9cd-8194e82ae3b2/4272f84e-6910-4437-a064-355ef272baf5/1788301405219-6ohknbgp.jpeg)

Some Saturdays or Sundays when we are rolling down 7th Avenue or back up 6th Avenue, coming or going from the park, and as we make our way to and from downtown we'll encounter street fairs. Poppy has become familar with smell of the barbecues cooking meat and vegetables and will begin nudging me with her nose when we roll by one of the street grills selling pork skewers and street corn. They both are her favorite, and as we eat the pork from skewer and she grinds away on the corn with her teeth we'll accumulate lines of people taking her picture. She loves the attention and the stops have become a regular occurrence in our wanderings.

![New machinery in midtown.](https://fmxorstnlyoqpqdftivs.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/b5b20b52-814d-4df4-b9cd-8194e82ae3b2/4272f84e-6910-4437-a064-355ef272baf5/1788301446472-g68wzb4q.jpeg)

My systems brain was captivated by some new machinery going into a new skyscraper the other day. We were rolling by on the bike path and I pulled over to inspect the machinery. There were three or four of these units being unloaded from a truck, inspected, and then quickly lifted by the crane to the top of the new buildings. I have no idea what they do, but they look impressive, and will come in handy as one of my Algorotoscope photos for use in my storytelling.

![Racoon family.](https://fmxorstnlyoqpqdftivs.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/b5b20b52-814d-4df4-b9cd-8194e82ae3b2/4272f84e-6910-4437-a064-355ef272baf5/1788301467054-a4pt1dh0.jpeg)

There is a family of five raccoons in the park lately. We've seen them four or five times. Sometimes they are all together and sometimes they are separated. They've been crossing the street and up in trees looking down at us. Poppy is excited by raccoons, but she has a different response than she does with cats and squirrels. She is a little more reserved. We think it is from her time in Oakland scrapping with the raccoons who were pretty large and intimidating.

![The Spelling Bee (We get there early)](https://fmxorstnlyoqpqdftivs.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/b5b20b52-814d-4df4-b9cd-8194e82ae3b2/4272f84e-6910-4437-a064-355ef272baf5/1788301503243-ulp0yo5x.jpeg)

We went and saw the Spelling Bee in the theater recently. It was delightful. I love getting lost in theater. The production had Jon Cryer of Pretty in Pink and Two and a Half Men fame. The actors were very entertaining as kids, with one of the leads absolutely nailing her character. In this online world we live in I am thankful to be in New York and have access to such world class theater, as it allows me to be transorted away from anything digital to a more meaningful space and time that I wish I could get more of.

[![Leaving Naftiko for APIs.io and API Evangelist](https://fmxorstnlyoqpqdftivs.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/b5b20b52-814d-4df4-b9cd-8194e82ae3b2/4272f84e-6910-4437-a064-355ef272baf5/1788301563229-ctjgi0ju.png)](https://apievangelist.com/2026/09/01/leaving-naftiko-behind-to-focus-on-api-evangelist-and-apis-io/)

[I published a blog post today about leaving Naftiko](https://apievangelist.com/2026/09/01/leaving-naftiko-behind-to-focus-on-api-evangelist-and-apis-io/), which I did June 1st. I told my co-founder I'd wait until the end of summer to formally anounce. I know how my audience works, and I got a lot of people who had missed the signs and I hadn't seen in person anywhere. I shared simply that it wasn't a fit for my vision, and outline how my [APIs.io](http://APIs.io) and API Evangelist work is what mattters right now. More than Naftiko. More than Bloomberg. More than Postman. More than any job, paycheck, or investment. I'm pretty obsessed with getting my Kin Score out there right now, and the discovery work on [APIs.io](http://APIs.io) and governance work on API Evangelist is finally able to make this happen.

![](https://fmxorstnlyoqpqdftivs.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/b5b20b52-814d-4df4-b9cd-8194e82ae3b2/4272f84e-6910-4437-a064-355ef272baf5/1788301722478-og0ssh5s.png)

Two non-fiction books I digested in August was [Enshittification by Cory Doctorow](https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374619329/enshittification/) and [More Everything Forever by Adam Becker](https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/adam-becker/more-everything-forever/9781541619593/). Both books reframed my perspective of what is happening right now with technology, with Enshittification leaving me with core tenants of my Kin Score work and the importance of interoperability, competition, and regulation when it comes to balancing things right now. More Everything Forever just showed me how absolutely batshit crazy the people are who lead the whole AI conversation right now, and how we need to reign things in before they absolutely fuck over the planet and humanity for their little boy scifi fantasies from the 1950s.

[![The Broken Earth Trilogy by N. K. Jemisin.](https://fmxorstnlyoqpqdftivs.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/b5b20b52-814d-4df4-b9cd-8194e82ae3b2/4272f84e-6910-4437-a064-355ef272baf5/1788301900199-k355dyvt.webp)](https://nkjemisin.com/series/the-broken-earth/)

[I an just about to finish the 3rd book in the science fiction series by N.K. Jemisin](https://nkjemisin.com/series/the-broken-earth/). The first book The Fifth Season, and the second one The Obelisk Gate were beautifully written. I am eagerly consuming the last half the third book, The Stone Sky right now. She is an amazing world builder. I love the attention to detail she gives her work. I love the perspective. I've learned a lot about fiction writing from this series. Bonus is that the world she's build reminds me of eating LSD back at my best friends house, where I'd spend all night lost inside of many different crystals and stones, thinking about the energy and power that aligns and fragments our world.

![](https://fmxorstnlyoqpqdftivs.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/b5b20b52-814d-4df4-b9cd-8194e82ae3b2/4272f84e-6910-4437-a064-355ef272baf5/1788302113500-e6iowjix.jpeg)

It was an amazing summer. I am super thankful for having been able to walk away from Naftiko and spend it with my girls and working on exactly the projects that I feel are needed when it comes to technology right now. Of course it went by too fast, but I spent it exactly as I wanted. I worked on [APIs.io](http://APIs.io) and API Evangelist, rode my bike with Poppy around the city, listened to jazz with Audrey, got lost reading in fiction and non-fiction, and even spent time working on my own fictional storytelling. I am very thankful to be living in New York right now, and have my API Evangelist business. My work life balance right now is perfect. I just need to find a way to keep it this way.

***

“And the summer came, the New York summer, which is like no summer anywhere.” - James Baldwin

***

## Discussion

No replies yet.