Category: Random

A Month of Intention

Last year during July, I read a classic: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. To be honest, during the first read-through, I didn’t really get it. But then I watched a video from Ryan Holiday (of Daily Stoic fame), who mentioned that the Gregory Hays’ translation is the modern translation for those wanting to get into Marcus Aurelius. I know that I subscribe to stoicism as a philosophy, and wanting to really understand this Stoic stalwart, I decided that this July I would re-read Meditations…but this time using the Hays translation. I’m glad I did. It’s worth the hype, and at less than $8 on Amazon, it’s a worthwhile buy.

But my July plan didn’t stop there. I resolved on July 1 to make July a “month of intention”. Every day, I would read a passage from three books: fiction, non-fiction, and the Scriptures. I’ve been reading Asimov’s Foundation series, and I also decided to start the month with a read through of Ecclesiastes and reading Psalms 134-140 everyday.

By the end of the month, I had read Foundation, Foundation & Empire, Meditations, Ecclesiastes, Nehemiah, Obadiah, and Habakkuk. I’ve also started reading Robert Greene’s The 48 Laws of Power (I’m now on Law 11), and I also added a fourth category of reading: something work related (code or startup).

I also resolved to write everyday: code and prose. To date, I’ve committed some piece of substantial code to Github every day this month as well as working on a creative writing project that I’ve had in my head for years.Tracking was simple: I added todos in Things for Reading and Writing with subtasks for each thing I wanted to read. Those are set up on a daily recurring basis, with a noon reminder. Some days were tough, with some reading sessions occuring at 11:30p before the next day, but overall I got it done.

Overall, this month of intention has been a wild success. I’ve enjoyed the discipline, and while I’m not sure I’ll be as strict about the discipline moving forward, I’ll definitely do it again next year…including another read of Mediations.

Random

The Beauty of Music

Some theological scholars believe that the Adamic language spoken in the Garden of Eden was musical in nature; the words recorded in Genesis between Adam and Eve are essentially poetry. One could also take this thinking a step further and assert that communication in Heaven is via song as well. While many would frame the Book of Revelation as science fiction, as written, it’s much more akin to a giant musical, complete with choir-driven numbers and solo acts.

Music is a near universal art and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who “doesn’t like music”. So what is it about music that so captivates human nature? I think it’s quite clear: music is the intersection of mathematics and the mind. The artful collision of objective truths (in the form of chord progressions, mathematical pattern, and vibrations through a medium) and subjective interpretation (emotional resonance, life circumstance, and personal preference) produces a form of expression that is simultaneously accessible and individual.

One of the great debates in 21st century philosophy (and indeed culture!) has been the dichotomy between absolute and relative truth. In the court of public opinion, music itself is Exhibit A that this dichotomy among modern philosophies may actually be a false one. We don’t have to choose between absolute truths and subjective truths: both can peacefully co-exist. There can be a universal reality that is locally (or personally) interpreted.

Where math meets mind is the truest expression of what it means to be human…dating as far back as human existence.

Random

Quarantine Culture

This note is coming to you straight outta Kenwood, California. Decisions are still hard, product-crafting is still hard, building a company is still hard, and living with 3 people that you’re not related to remains hard. That said, a lot of things have made this journey quite a bit easier. Thought I’d take the time and share some of the off-beat and downright weird things that we’ve been consuming lately as we try to maintain some level of normalcy during quarantine. Below, in no particular order, you’ll find some oddities of quarantine culture.

Food

Takis & Sour Cream: This strange concoction was dreamed up by one Elijah Elazarov, who has one of the most over-the-top and often disgusting palettes I know. There’s nothing he won’t put Nutella on, and the man drinks Arnold Palmer like it was water. That said, he’s directly responsible for two culinary curiosities in the house: a newfound love for Tate’s cookies and the combination that is Takis and sour cream. Most of the house having spent some amount of time in a NYC bodega, we all love Takis. Dipping them in something dairy was a revelation.
Crystal Hot Sauce: I’m a hot sauce fanatic. Seriously, when living in Brooklyn, one of my favorite trips was to Heatonist in Williamsburg. Regularly. I have anywhere between 4–10 hot sauces in my fridge at all times, including during quarantine. But one of my biggest accomplishments during the we-mote period of Bunches has been introducing the team to Crystal. It’s a mild, classic Louisiana hot sauce that goes on everything. Seriously. It’s delicious on fish, french fries, rice, salad, a burger, the list goes on. It’s not quite as good on ice cream as Tabasco Chipotle, but it’s still quite good there too.
Safeway Soleil Sparkling Water: I felt extraordinarily judged, rightfully so, by one of our investors who commented “that’s a lot of water” to the 7 cases we were going through a week of La Croix. Not wanting it to be a line item on our P&L, we switched to the off-brand, and I’m honestly glad we did. The flavors are slightly more exotic and include pineapple, blood orange, and apple alongside the traditional lime, lemon, and grapefuit. Apple’s a house favorite. Plus, a caffeinated version is a great afternoon pick-me-up for an increasingly diet-conscious team that’s growing weary of all the sugar-free Red Bull that’s been fueling our product & brand development efforts.

Sports

Cowboy Channel: Just because the big 4 are off the TV right now doesn’t mean that I haven’t gotten my sports fix. At the last house, the satellite provider carried the Cowboy Channel, which was an absolute gem of a channel. Constant bull riding, steer wrestling, and some of the best Made for TV commercials you’ll ever see. Steer wrestling was a household-favorite. Seriously. Go watch some if you don’t believe us.
World Chase Tag: Rounds are over in less than 15 minutes, it’s easy to grasp and understand, and it’s essentially competitive parkour. Phenomenal. There aren’t any real stars yet, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if this became a thing over the next few years.
Soapbox Derby: Red Bull sponsors a global tour of soapbox derby races, and each one is fantastically entertaining. Consisting of a performance score, a creativity score, and the actual race itself, it provides for 45 minutes or so of great content one way or another. Old men racing at 20+ miles per hour, the absolute catastrophic wrecks, and the absurdity of it all makes for a fun watch. Recommendation? Start with Japan. Always.

Tech

Apps Hardly Used Anymore: Google Maps. Lyft. Anything public transit related. Including scooters. OpenTable/Resy/Tock. Venmo/Cash App. Dark Sky.
Apps Used More: Pocket Casts. Sudoku. NYT Crosswords. Instapaper. Kindle. Marvin. AllTrails. TestFlight. Bunches.

Personal Random

Paying Down Debt

First let me be crystal clear: I’m fortunate enough to be in a position where I’m employed for the foreseeable future, working on something I enjoy, with people I’m (mostly) fond of. I completely understand that most people do not have the luxury that I currently have, and that the circumstances surrounding the COVID–19 outbreak are not pretty for many people in the US and abroad. That said, I’m not only trying to be grateful for the circumstances I’m in but also to make the best of it. The Bunches team and my family are living together in a quarantine house in Napa Valley, CA. Yes, I know. Things could be worse. We’ve cut salaries across the board and moved in together in order to get our MVP out the door. But in the meantime, I’m taking the opportunity to pay down some debt.

Financial Debt

Of course, when most people think of debt they think of financial debt. Which certainly applies. In my younger years, I didn’t always make the best financial decisions…even when I had money. Early in my career, I wasn’t making that much which meant that when I started to make a bit more, I had no idea how to be responsible with it. No savings, too much discretionary spending, etc. I was completely irresponsible, and I’m certainly paying for those decisions now. Literally.

That said, I’ve been working quite hard over the past couple of years to pay down debt, and I’m getting close. From credit card payments to a moving loan to a car payment, we’re building our savings and slashing debt across the board which is a very good feeling. The current situation hasn’t changed that fact, and is one of the many things for which I’m very thankful. But I’m equally as excited about the paying down of informational debt as well.

Informational Debt

I’m an informational fiend. Honestly. Podcasts, blogs, books, Twitter, longform writing, newsletters, music. The list of mediums is long. If it’s value-driven content, I’m into it. Which is one of the many reasons I love building Bunches. But it also means that my Pocket Casts library is constantly full (and growing!), my Instapaper backlog can get out of control, and I’m constantly checking Feedbin for the latest posts from the 100 RSS feeds to which I’m subscribed. I know, it’s absurd. But I love it. It’s my hobby. Some people knit. Others devote their basements to model railroads. I consume and learn. Sue me.

But the past few weeks have meant that I’m paying down this debt as well.

I’m reading more books. I’m listening to more podcasts. I’ve reduced my Instapaper backlog to a single page. And I’m very thankful for being able to “pay down” this debt as well. I’m learning a ton, enjoying my time, and catching up on things that I’ve wanted to for some time. Without the distractions of “normal living”, it’s been much easier to do so. The trick will be keeping the debt down in the future.

Wish me luck.

Personal Random

An Update, Part II

My, how things change in just a month. According to my last update, we were supposed to be preparing for a move to Los Angeles right about now. Instead? We’re holed up with the rest of the Bunches team at a home in Napa Valley. This post was supposed to be a deep dive into Bunches (it’s still coming, I promise!), but instead it’s been sidetracked into an update on where we are due to COVID–19.

On Bunches

Bunches is my latest startup, and the first one that I’ve started from scratch myself. After years at larger companies, and after leading Exeq through an acquisition that culminated last year, I finally feel ready to lead my own from start to finish. Hopefully, this is the big one. What we’re building sounds quite simple, but also has the flexibility and opportunity to grow into something huge, which is exciting.

Simply put, we’re building the easiest way to create a paid group chat. With the rise of the Passion Economy, more and more people are looking for ways to directly monetize their audiences and creations, so we’re creating a way for them to do that.

We raised a pre-seed round last November, closed it in December, moved to the SF Bay Area in the beginning of January, and have been working with our investors since then. I’ll go into a bit more details in the next post.

Basing the company in Los Angeles makes a ton of sense for us, considering our target audience and preference for sun and a food scene. But then this little thing called a coronavirus happened.

On COVID–19

Thankfully, we saw the writing on the wall fairly early, and were in a position to make decisions freely. We decided to isolate as a team, and booked a house in Calistoga, CA. I’m not going to lie…it’s a dope house. Jacuzzi, pool, a grill, a yard, and plenty of space for everyone. After all, there are 8 of us living in one home. But we are still living together.

Right now, we’re making decisions to preserve four things:
1. Our health & neighbors’ health.
2. Our cash.
3. Our productivity.
4. Our vision.

As of this writing, we’re all healthy and asymptomatic (knock on wood!), we have enough runway for 18 months or so, we’re still cranking on the product, and we’re still excited about what we’re building. So far so good…we’re four-for-four.

What’s Next?

Frankly, I don’t know. As I wrote in the last post, we do plan on moving to Los Angeles, but with the pandemic throwing a wrench in those plans, who knows what the coming weeks hold. I do know that I’m with my family, building something of value in one of the most beautiful areas of the country. I couldn’t be more fortunate.

Stay tuned for the next update!