June 16th 2026,

my essay: (written March 24th, 2026)

Public Dining

January 2nd 2025 I started my first full time job. I was making more money than at any other time in my life. Living alone, I was forced with the daily choice of waking up early to pack a lunch, or spending $15+ for food at lunchtime, sometimes I chose neither and snacked until dinner. In July I recorded a video with an idea,

“The only way to consistently get food is buying from a grocery store, restaurant, or some type of food service, all of these options are privatized. Everyone has to eat everyday. There’s public transit and housing, why not dining?”

Food banks and food waste statistics are proof that extra food is available. The things that aren’t available are a sizable dining location, tables, chairs, utensils, and staff to prepare meals. I pitched this idea to a non-profit organization Healthy Hood Chicago. I’ve worked with Healthy Hood to distribute free groceries before so I know they have these resources. After sharing this idea I’ve been told that they are going to create public dining but they don’t have a date yet as their resources are limited. Public dining should be a daily thing in every urban environment because this root nutritional solution will solve multiple societal issues.

Along with the rising cost of food, two important issues we face today are inaccessibility to proper nutrition and social isolation. Hunger and an unhealthy diet lead to mental health issues due to a lack of nutrients to our brains and bodies. Everyone becomes a happier, more capable member of society with a good diet. The privatization of food has led to fast food companies being the most affordable option adding to obesity and creating more inhuman transactions. Instead of working a cash register or serving factory style slop every day, employees of public dining would be given the ability to learn new recipes guided by nutrition instead of a corporate brand. If public dining received city, state, or federal funding enough for all the meals to be free then it would avoid all financial transaction friction. The whole experience would be focused on the consumers’ wellbeing. Public dining employees would practice positive social skills professionally and connect with their community. Regardless of funding, public dining could easily offer the cheapest healthy meal in the neighborhood using a membership format or public transit style debit cards. The food stamp program has already created infrastructure public dining could tap into. Public dining would also reduce overall waste as the destination for all leftover food/ingredients. Public dining should not need to purchase food if part of the project is retrieving excess food/ingredients from grocery stores and restaurants. Food banks and public gardens could be the perfect locations for public dining to be included. Restaurant owners shouldn’t feel like their business is threatened because they could advertise their products and discount opportunities through coupons and free samples at a location they know they can reach people.

Nowadays it’s too easy to spend time alone and most public spaces are difficult to start a conversation in. As an event curator with House Party Hotline (an event promoting service in Chicago) I see first hand how Gen Z’s lack of real social interaction is a serious problem. Anxiety is too common and everyone seems crazy if we just read the internet. Genuine interactions with strangers is a root solution. When people know their neighbors it creates community and safety for all. Public dining would create a social setting for anyone to connect positively as they satisfy their hunger without breaking the bank. There is no limit to the joy and future community infrastructure these connections would build. One of Healthy Hood’s Crime Drought activations was a form of public dining. I witnessed a friendly day in West Garfield Park seeing people laughing and smiling over shared free hot food, some people refuse to go to this neighborhood out of fear.

If public dining exists we need to make it as clean and healthy as the faucet for food. I anticipate society giving it a negative conation as something to relay on. This is another reason why public dining will work, we don’t need to feed everyone every day, just the people who need it. The moments and connections made at public dining will cause more people to choose public dining when they’re hungry, making our society healthier and happier.

June 15nd, 2026

It happened, the Castle Kid book will soon be live across Amazon, B&N, and the Author House website. Plz buy off the AH website so I can earn more money plz, Amazon takes 80%. Digital copies are available, physicals too ofc, hardcover and paperback. We have to announce this officially and properly but I just have to say this today. HPH has important stuff going on too, I'll lyk on Instagram. I wish I could write something better today but frankly, I'm enjoying life. Saturday I'll be recieving an award for an essay I wrote about my Public Dining idea.

June 2nd, 2026

Ok so big FYI, while the Castle Kid book has been funded by the CK community, I'm obviously still an unknown author, so we're using the hybrid publishing model. We paid for professional editing but before we finally sign off on the design, one of the main guys in the CK community (Jed, dope dude) is doing a final edit read through. So alas, we all continue to wait.  It'll be worth it, and now I've documented one reason why this project has taken so long, because we care about it. 

UDDERDENDAT

There's other stuff going on... I think I'm throwing a party in June just because that's what I do and what needs to be done. 

I gotta make more videos, and more music. I also gotta write more. I hope this is a constant in my life.

May 12th, 2026

I just submitted what I believe is the final design for the Castle Kid book, interior and exterior. Now they just need to send me the final mock up for final approval then we are printing. Exciting stuff.

May 11th, 2026

I GOT WORK TO DO. Castle Kid discord was fine btw, so I'm feeling good. The most noble fight is for connection and I battle very often. Lack of connection with some people really confuses me sometimes and dwelling on it leads to 0 helpful thoughts so you just gotta accept stuff. THERE'S STUFF TO DO and very cool people that deserve gratitude. Onward.

May 8th, 2026

Ok I'm feeling dope rn. Ironically dealing with a little logistics issue for the Castle Kid discord but I'm not too worried. Before I noticed that though, just super dope, is all I'm feeling.  Got some good ideas with good people, I hope they can continue to grow.

April 17th, 2026

Damn ok so I guess keeping up with a public journal is pretty hard. Especially since I don't even keep a personal journal. HPH is doing it's thing, constantly looking for cool events in Chicago or asking myself if I have enough energy to put on our own event. Castle Kid book is coming!! Final manuscript is finished and as I type this I have a format/cover design to intently review and approve. There will be a party when that is done:)

Life is decent, man I really can't complain. That doesn't mean there aren't a million issues in the world to address and solve but I can say I'm grateful for a lot. All of the tools available are mind blowing, being born in 1999 there's so many things I've seen become easier. It's interesting though because "easier" does have a cost. So you gotta do a cost/benefit analysis, and this "cost" I'm referring to is often not money. Shoutout to my friends, that's something I'm suuuuper grateful for right now (my awesome gf Kawai especially). I'm in therapy and as I prepare for an awesome 420 eve event, I've been thinking about a lot of past social relationships that make me angry at other people. I still get upset I was labeled a "bad kid" growing up and therefore wasn't invited to certain people's houses when kids that actually did hard drugs could hangout there all the time. It is what it is though, I don't need any conciliation, I prefer the friends I have now. I'm a healthy person compared to the majority of my country and I spread positive energy more than negative. As time goes on I hope that becomes more evident. Is there a point to this entry? Not really I'm just kinda rambling. Yanno, not a single person has brought up the writing on this website to me yet so, if you're reading this lmk. I feel like I should acknowledge the gigantic (self imposed?) chip on my shoulder, as someone once put it. Maybe I haven't been treated unfairly, but I've been let down, I've let myself down for sure. I spend basically everyday writing great lyrics, flowing and singing in a bunch of different beautiful ways, yet, I haven't taken the proper time to package and distrubute that. And I spent A LOT of time thinking that I was doing that proper work growing up. The fact is there's still more work to be done for the art that I want to make, the lack of recognition and my recent output is the evidence. Music people, video people, and social media people are so fucking awful and the worst part of that is how they remind me of myself because I am them. I'm so grateful yet so far from who I wish to be. One day I will be big enough to play at a venue the size of Aragon ballroom. One day I'll write, direct, and act in a comedy feature film. One day I will play a key role in shifting the format of how media is consumed on the internet. When I do these things I will be one of the best people in the world doing it. There's alot of days where I just chill or do something fun, because that's also what I want to do. When you want to do a lot of things, you have to do it sustainably. 

October 23rd, 2025

I thought this website was broken for a second but I think it was just my laptop.  I don't think I'll be able to release music before this year ends:(

I need to focus on House Party Hotline and finishing the publishing process of the Castle Kid book. Both of these things make the world a much better place and they're very relevant right now.

The fact is many Chicago/American residents are being terrorized by our federal government at the moment. Physical harm, kidnapping, harassment, and property damage. This is a chapter in the history books. Years from now I want to be able to say I did something to help my community directly.

August 8th, 2025

I'm so grateful for so many people and things. I want to tell them but time is finite & space is necessary. This is one of the reasons why I know making music is one of my life purposes, I need to preserve these feelings in songs. THEN RELEASE THEM! I will. The publishing process for the Castle Kid book is going to start very soon, I forget how important that is. House Party Hotline constantly needs new events so that's a big thing to maintain. I also feel like I need to make more videos, everyday I feel like my voice is necessary in multiple topics. It feels a bit narcissistic writing that out but I got the proof to back it up, all I gotta do is make the videos conveying my ideas in a digestible way. What I realize is that the most digestible way to express these thoughts is probably through music, then I can just make videos for that music.

I acknowledge there's a lot of tragedy and challenges in this world but my brain is nonstop focused on the wonders of today. Since I created something like House Party Hotline, I am constantly thinking that I don't do enough with the hotline because there's an infinite amount of fun possibilities to do with it. Creating fun & comforting experiences is my life purpose. I feel like I haven't done it enough. I know that creating music will lead me to where I want to go.

Shoutout to everyone in Chicago, you are the largest source of energy contributing to my positive feelings.

One of my favorite recent thoughts was realizing that I should just write songs that describe my life right now and the people that are in it.

July 28th, 2025

I saw a post today where someone asked an AI what it thinks the best human experiences are. The first answer it gave was "falling in love" with a brief description. I thought that was pretty cool because I'm like yeah falling in love is a pretty dope experience, possibly the best, it gave other good answers too. I couldn't help but also think to myself, as I do with any statement, who is the speaker? Since it was an AI, I asked myself what are some of the best human experiences an AI wouldn't think to mention. I thought of so many little sensory experiences. Sitting down after a long day, or just sitting down outside, in July, listening to birds, or whatever it is I'm hearing right now. If you look at the internet you can really only percieve humans from the perspective of their relationship to other humans, the internet is built on human connections so that's what you're percieving. By default we have a relationship with everything in our reality, ourselves included.

Thinking about balance.

July 7th, 2025

Yikes, I think is website kinda looks like crap. I explain the layout at the bottom if you're curious.

LIFE HAS BEEN GOOD.

I feel behind on many things. There will be new music in 2025. I really feel like the world needs it. House Party Hotline has been doing it's thing though. I don't have any pets, but I do take care of the hotline.

January 22nd, 2024

New music is coming, but I have lots of music out already,

Charles Fox Spotify   Charles Fox Apple Music

Foxcudder Spotify  Foxcudder Apple Music

December 12th, 2024

This is a good day, just like the last few. The Chicago music scene documentary "I Found It" played at Art Basel in Miami. You can watch the documentary on youtube here: I Found It

(December 12th continued)

What is even more exciting are the people I was able to spend my time with in Miami, The Left Field! Through the connection of Will Ojeda (same guy who made the final edits on "I Found It" btw)! Gratitude is the emotion I keep returning to. There's so many good things to talk about, my greatest stress is finding the time for everything. I'm so aware of the lucky position I am in. I want to make the most of this. As always, more videos, more music, and more parties coming.

November 14th, 2024

NEW FOXCUDDER!

actually a very old song, was supposed to start "The Monarchy Bubble", an album I thought I would release. So glad this song is out though, it needed to come out.

"Social Approval"

written and produced by Charles Fox

additional mixing by Realxty

mastered by Christian Linberg at College Street Records in Colchester Vermont

November 7th, 2024

NEW MUSIC!

"Perspective"

Written and Produced by Charles Fox

Mastered by Christian Linberg at College Street Records in Colchester Vermont

song is available on all streaming services. New Foxcudder next week:)

October 1st 2024

NEW MUSIC!

"something else FR" by Charles Fox 

"Your Symbols Are Simple" by Foxcudder

Ask your local DJ to play something else FR today.

Both songs were recorded, mixed, & mastered by College Street Studios in Colchestor Vermont. 

Additional drums on "something else FR" by Christian Linberg.

Idk what to say else to say about these except that they're both very good. Listening to them today was a good reminder. Shoutout to Christian for putting that vocal effect at the end of the verse on "something else FR", I love that part. I'm planning on releasing more music soon.

September 26th 2024

On August 16th, House Party Hotline threw a "Speed Survivor" beach party where we had 9 contestants compete in a game based off the TV show Survivor, winner recieved free admission to every HPH event forever. It was pretty great and on October 5th, I'm hosting a reunion party with the cast where we will be screening the video we made capturing the competition. The video, is pretty great. It looks like it will be about 30 minutes long. It often feels like a vlog, shot with 4 different kinds of cameras, but, that is another quality that adds to it's beauty and hilariousness. Will (pictured in the 2nd photo above) is helping edit the content into greatness, he also shot much of the footage including the high quality testimonial interviews. 

ALSO, I've been making a lot of new music, I HAVE TWO NEW SONGS COMING OUT OCTOBER 1st. One by me, the other by Foxcudder. I'm really excited to share more music, these past 3 days I've made a song everyday, I'm going to try to make another song tonight before I go to bed. I really feel like I'm back in that mode that I was in when I was 16 except this time I have more resources and experience. I've been listening to my own music so much. I know there's a lot people who will benefit from listening to my music too. The new culture I've been talking about these past few years is real. It's not that it is more special than anything else, but I know that it is special. The way people cherish any positive human tradition is all validation that people will cherish new traditions. I already cherish everything that's happening right now. I'm so far from where I want to be in so many aspects of my life but as I'm living through some of these moments I know it's a special time in my life that I will cherish forever. It's like when I see old footage or photos of the 2000's capturing the simpliest things, it looks like good times and it makes me feel like I didn't appreciate the era enough. In the future when we look back at the photos and videos we're taking right now, I think they'll look even cooler than previous eras, and I'm confident I'll feel like I appreciated the moments enough while they were happening. Thank you to anyone reading this, I want to write for the rest of my life. 

September 12th 2024

I want to take this moment to appreciate A$AP Rocky. I feel like I haven't had a positive communal music moment in a long time and A$AP Rocky is the person doing that the most for me in this moment. It's nothing like the moments being made in pop music, and it stands apart from any musical moment in my physical domain. I've just been listening to "HIGHJACK" a lot recently, and I noticed like 4 cool people posted that song on their Instagram story. More often nowadays, some of my favorite artists are releasing songs, albums, and I don't even know about it until I just happen to be on their streaming profile and see it. Of course the first thing I notice is that these artists typically did not post about these releases enough, or creatively enough. We can assume I would know about every release I want to know about if every artist releasing posted about these releases as much as they could with creative care because I follow these artists on social media and I am often looking at social media. But I don't follow A$AP Rocky on Instagram. 

I used to follow him a long time ago, in fact I know I used to follow him 9 years ago. I unfollowed him because, as some people may remember, every post A$AP Rocky used to put on Instagram was apart of a larger image that you could only see when looking at his whole profile page. A lot of people had already posted like this and still do it, but no one was doing it like A$AP. I'll never forget scrolling to find the beginning and being satisfied with the complete vision. I can remember the time because I know this was sometime around the release of A.L.L.A. 

It makes sense that there's people I find cool listening to A$AP Rocky's new song, it validates the cool feeling I get when I listen to the song.

This is the sacred timeline. Welcome. I want to centralize everything I post on the internet here. We all need to be using more, different websites, but we also need to centralize things for simplicity sake. 

Currently I am paying for this domain annually and Google allows me to build a site but since the time I started renting the domain, Google sold it to Squarespace. Google also said something like "Google sites doesn't exist anymore" but that's still the same software I'm using to write right now. So, I don't know how long it will remain on this exact domain but, I will keep it consistent no matter what by keeping my own records with files on my computer. 

The reason I am doing this is so that I can have the most control over my digital output. I want to release (more) music, videos, books, and I just want to post my thoughts online. I know people have used the internet like this before, I want more people to do it more. 

The photo above really is a perfect start to what's happening here, this sentence is technically the beginning though. Scrolling up is moving forwards, scrolling down is backwards.