I am at the Lima airport waiting for my flight back to NYC. It’s been a fabulous 11 days in Peru. I don’t think I got to see a whole lot of places but I did have a fantastic time and I made a bunch of friends. It’s amazing and unexpected how great this trip has been. It seems weird when I say I spent 11 days but didn’t see much....
Cities shape us in profound ways, often more than we realize. I am sure you have heard of the quote that you’re the average of 5 people around you. I can’t say how true that is but I can say that the basic idea makes sense. We are influenced by our surroundings, both consciously and unconsciously. Cities, however, are more than just collections of people. Each city has its own culture and an implicit message, and whether we like it or not we’re influenced by it to a degree....
Do most people seem to have rituals? Do you have one? Like morning or a weekend ritual? I don’t remember having a ritual ever. I have always lived a spontaneous life where I make decisions in the moment. And most of such decisions don’t repeat day after day, weekend after weekend. I just like newness. However, for the last few months I have been following a ritual. I usually go on a run most Saturday mornings, then I get a bagel and sit in this public park....
Yesterday, I went to a dinner hosted by someone running a formation group. I came across it on luma. And I was pleasantly surprised how wonderful it turned out to be. I’d like to think that I am outgoing enough to try out such new experiences but the reality is I rarely venture into such unknowns. So, what’s a formation dinner? It’s a form of community building. Someone organizes a group that meets at some frequency and they get dinner, meditate and talk about their experiences....
My previous manager Pavel used to say that there’s a simple program trying to break free in this complex code. He would say it almost every time he reviewed my code. It’s such great advice that unlike most things, I was able to internalize it. That’s what I advise people now. Thinking back I think it makes even more sense for a couple of reasons. Simple is good. It’s what most people are looking for in their lives....
The view never gets old New York City is fascinating, social, lively and welcoming to say the least. It’s got so much happening everywhere. There are bars, cafes, restaurants and other public places, and all of them are full of people. Although this isn’t a surprise, almost everyone who knows anything about the city knows this. So let me talk about my experiences in the city. I used to live in Seattle and enjoyed everything Seattle had to offer....
Intro I summited Mount Rainier in August 2023, specifically 9-12 August. I started training way too early on November ‘22. Felt like the more I train the more I’d enjoy the trip. You know things are way more enjoyable when you’re not dying. Realistically I started in January then went on a trip in march so I couldn’t train at all that month. My training was anything but planned. Being early made me lazy so I never followed a plan even though I wanted to and should have....