I write at least one post about gratitude per year, and each year I find the task a little bit more difficult because I have even more to be thankful for and narrowing it down to just one part is hard. This year, though, my family is top of mind. I think about and appreciate… Continue reading Gratitude 2021
Vermeer Quest Complete!
In either 2013 or 2014 I decided to see every Vermeer painting in the world. I’ve always been drawn to his paintings, and when I found out that there were only about 36 (two are disputed, one is stolen and most likely destroyed), it seemed like a reasnable goal to go see them all. Many… Continue reading Vermeer Quest Complete!
Beethoven’s 10th Symphony
Apparently this blog is now about me reading random articles on the internet and then going to Germany because of them. Luckily it’s not always about getting Covid while I’m there. This time around I read an incredible article about how AI researchers and music experts were using AI to complete Beethoven’s unfinished 10th symphony.… Continue reading Beethoven’s 10th Symphony
My Experience Getting Covid
I tested negative in Germany, and boarded my flight. I felt great. When I woke up on the plane I noticed that I had a slight runny nose and just felt a bit “off”. I figured that the runny nose was probably just caused from the humidity of wearing a mask for so long and… Continue reading My Experience Getting Covid
A Day or Two in Dresden
I woke up to an email from my mom with a link to a story about the restoration of the Vermeer painting, “Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window”. You may remember that I’m trying to see every Vermeer painting in the world, and this one was one of the final four that I… Continue reading A Day or Two in Dresden
Moving Away from Weekly Posting
I can’t remember or easily find when I started writing weekly posts, but I think it’s been something like 5-7 years. Since committing to doing so I haven’t once missed a week, although my post time did gradually shift from Thursday morning to Sunday evening. At this point I realize that I’m posting weekly only… Continue reading Moving Away from Weekly Posting
Negative Cash
Up until about a year ago I was against debt. Most debt I had encountered was opportunities to buy things one couldn’t afford, which didn’t appeal to me, or situations I couldn’t make use of, like borrowing to finance business activities that would return a profit. Recently, though, interest rates have dropped so low that… Continue reading Negative Cash
How I Evaluated Risk During Covid
I like to talk about EV and risk management a lot, but most of my examples are finance based, as the math is the clearest in those cases. Covid, however, presented a unique situation for risk management. Because the way I manage risk is unique to my own situation and I don’t want to offer… Continue reading How I Evaluated Risk During Covid
Back in Europe After Covid
As I got off the plane yesterday, I kept saying “wow…” underneath my mask. Going to Europe was more or less part of my monthly routine two years ago, but thenCovid kept me out for a year and a half. Even though I had double-checked the requirements and filled out preclearance forms, I was still… Continue reading Back in Europe After Covid
My First Time Playing Poker in 5 Years
My friend Todd was visiting Vegas from Japan for the past few weeks. When I asked if there was any Vegas stuff he wanted to do while he was here, I was surprised to hear him say that he wanted to play poker. I hadn’t played in about five years and hadn’t really even thought… Continue reading My First Time Playing Poker in 5 Years