2024.12.31

People often ask what I’ve been up to… This is what I’m doing right now:

(This is a Now page. If you have your own site, you should make one, too!)

  • Since my last update, I’ve been seeking stillness by staying in Amsterdam and reflecting on the trials and triumphs of the last year. This, being the last day of the year, is a special one. If you’ve read my past posts you’ll know that New Years is a foundational moment for me, because I believe there is power in both beginnings and endings. Tomorrow I will spend time contemplating how I want to use the frenetic energy that new beginnings tend to have, and as I spend this last day in reflection what comes to mind is time dilation.

    Each year I spend a few weeks going through my calendar, my photo album, and my journals and dissecting the highs and lows of each part of the year to see what they have in common. For me, the highs always accompany a sense of time dilation (or cause it, as may be the case). So I will be spending some time over the next few weeks seeing how I can do more activities that expand my time.

    Conversely, these past few weeks have actually had the feeling of constricting time, which has been very uncomfortable. Even in seeking stillness, in minimizing plans, I have felt the world rushing uncomfortably toward the end of the year. It was just today that I noticed this and put a name to it. As I “ran” errands (in fact, I forced myself to slow down as I performed them), I noticed the same distant look in the eyes of those I passed. Everyone was looking far into the future, walking quickly, breath shallow. I realized that this was not a phenomenon I must be feeling alone and may in fact be due to the natural course of “endings”. Everyone has some checklist, literal or imaginary, that they’re seeking to cross off before the year ends, and as the deadline looms we all feel a compounding pressure.

    I wish I realized this sooner, but while I still have time (pun?) I’ll spend it moving slowly, thinking deeply, and living as fully as possible.

    I have a lot to be thankful for this year, so I’d like to provide this small incomplete summary with minimal context:

    • 9 of my friends welcomed new life into this world

    • 2 of my friends exited this world.

    • 6 of my friends lost loved ones.

    • I ended a romantic relationship with a wonderful human who I’m lucky to still call a friend.

    • Spent 30hrs in therapy

    • I lost 12kg

    • I gained 8kg back in muscle (and, let’s be honest, probably some fat)

    • I travelled to 9 new countries this year, spent time in 5 continents, and did a polar plunge in the Antarctic circle

    • I read 34 books

    • I walked 2,766,335 steps (which sounds like a lot, but I barely broke 10k per day)

    • Meditated for 3.8 days

    • And today I’ll be celebrating 8 years (nearly) sober.

  • Currently Reading:

  • Recently Completed Reads:

  • Books On Hold / Next Up:

  • Current Exercise Routine:

    • I’m about 16 weeks into a barbell training program and it’s fair to say that it has reinvigorated my love for the gym. In yesterday’s session I lifted a total of 6604kg during the session (across all exercises and reps)

  • Current Diet:

    • 40g protein shake in the morning (whey isolate), 40g protein shake before bed (casein), and whatever the heck I want in between

  • Currently learning:

    • Passive

      • Deep into my A2 Dutch lessons. Still don’t feel very far.

    • Skill-Based

      • N/A

  • Side Projects:

    • fromany.country

      • 2 years ago I had the notion that I wanted to create a space for my fellow nomads and pseudo-nomads to find community, but couldn’t figure out a way to do it. Then, as I was trying to figure out my tax liability across all the different countries I lived in and visited this past year, I decided to create this web app. It’s primarily a geo-arbitrage tool that looks to help you assess your potential tax liability when living in multiple countries, but I have hopes of eventually adding in a community element to it.

      • NOTE: I have only just started to build this and it is very much not to a place where I would recommend tinkering, because I’m building this as I learn.

  • Recent Travel (since the last update):

    • N/A

    Upcoming Travel:

    • Istanbul, Turkey

Updated 31 December, 2024 (for past editions, you can find them here)

2024.12.03

People often ask what I’ve been up to… This is what I’m doing right now:

(This is a Now page. If you have your own site, you should make one, too!)

  • Since my last update, I’ve just returned from a trip to Antarctica where I met three species of penguin, humpback, minke and orca whales, and dozens of species of bird (if you want to piss off an ornithologist, ask them “what type of seagull is that?” over and over again)

  • Currently Reading:

  • Recently Completed Reads:

    • The Black Prism by Brent Weeks

    • Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch

    • Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

    • Love Life by Matthew Hussey

      • Recommended to me by a therapist who specializes in attachment theory and relationship health, I found this book to be quite enlightening. Though geared mostly toward women, I easily found myself in its pages and would readily recommend this to anyone navigating their way through love. He also has a long-running podcast and YouTube channel of the same name that helped me come to terms with some recent heartache. One of the things that sticks with me the most is his idea of finding a “builder” in your partner by focusing on things like compatibility and finding someone who wants to build the same things as you.

  • Books On Hold / Next Up:

  • Current Exercise Routine:

    • I’m about 12 weeks into a barbell training program and it’s fair to say that it has reinvigorated my love for the gym. This was impossible to do while at sea on my trip to Antarctica, so I switched to dumbbells while there.

  • Current Diet:

    • 40g protein shake in the morning (whey isolate), 40g protein shake before bed (casein), and whatever the heck I want in between

  • Currently learning:

    • Passive

      • Deep into my A2 Dutch lessons. Still don’t feel very far.

    • Skill-Based

      • N/A

  • Side Projects:

    • GPTs! Chatbots!

      • I’ve created a newsletter that summarizes the top 150,000 news stories of the day into 2 paragraphs and also compares google searches to these headlines in an attempt to identify a business niche that is untapped. It sends me a daily digest, but i’m still working out the bugs.

  • Recent Travel (since last update):

    • Denver, USA

    • Los Gatos, USA

    • New York City, USA

    • Lisbon, Portugal

    • Buenos Aires, Argentina

    • Antarctica

    Upcoming Travel:

    • Istanbul, Turkey

Updated 3 December, 2024 (for past editions, you can find them here)

2024.09.25

People often ask what I’ve been up to… This is what I’m doing right now:

(This is a Now page. If you have your own site, you should make one, too!)

  • Since my last update, I’ve just had a wonderful summer and have just returned from a quick trip to Madrid. I've travelled extensively the last two summers (and this one until July), so being in one place for a bit has been quite welcome. I have a lot of adventures planned for the last few months of the year, so I’m savouring this. As of this moment I have lost 12 11kg since I started to track my caloric intake in April.

  • Currently Reading:

  • Recently Completed Reads:

    • Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch

    • Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

      • Sequel to the Lies of Locke Lamora, I am really loving the worldbuilding here.

    • Love Life by Matthew Hussey

      • Recommended to me by a therapist who specializes in attachment theory and relationship health, I found this book to be quite enlightening. Though geared mostly toward women, I easily found myself in its pages and would readily recommend this to anyone navigating their way through love. He also has a long-running podcast and YouTube channel of the same name that helped me come to terms with some recent heartache. One of the things that sticks with me the most is his idea of finding a “builder” in your partner by focusing on things like compatibility and finding someone who wants to build the same things as you.

  • Books On Hold / Next Up:

  • Current Exercise Routine:

    • After a brief hiatus with food poisoning (yes, again…) I am back to doing yoga, rock climbing and hitting the gym. No specific routine, but consistency is my game. Travel always breaks my routine, though, so i’ve downloaded an app to try and help…

  • Current Diet:

    • Been eating pretty clean lately, but not cooking as much as I should. Down 12 11kg since mid april

  • Currently learning:

    • Passive

      • Deep into my A2 Dutch lessons. Still don’t feel very far.

    • Skill-Based

      • N/A

  • Side Projects:

    • GPTs! Chatbots!

      • I’ve created a newsletter that summarizes the top 150,000 news stories of the day into 2 paragraphs and also compares google searches to these headlines in an attempt to identify a business niche that is untapped. It sends me a daily digest, but i’m still working out the bugs.

  • Recent Travel (since last update):

    • LimosaLimosa, Heeten (yoga retreat)

    • Madrid, Spain

    Upcoming Travel:

    • Denver, USA

    • Los Gatos, USA

    • New York City, USA

    • Lisbon, Portugal

    • Buenos Aires, Argentina

    • Antarctica (not til November)

    • Istanbul, Turkey

Updated 25 September, 2024 (for past editions, you can find them here)

2024.08.26

People often ask what I’ve been up to… This is what I’m doing right now:

(This is a Now page. If you have your own site, you should make one, too!)

  • Since my last update, I’ve been stationary in Amsterdam and have been really enjoying my time here. I've travelled extensively the last two summers (and this one until July), so being in one place for a bit has been quite welcome. I have a lot of adventures planned for the last few months of the year, so I’m savouring this. As of this moment I have lost 12kg since I started to track my caloric intake in April.

  • Currently Reading:

  • Recently Completed Reads:

    • Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

      • Sequel to the Lies of Locke Lamora, I am really loving the worldbuilding here.

    • Love Life by Matthew Hussey

      • Recommended to me by a therapist who specializes in attachment theory and relationship health, I found this book to be quite enlightening. Though geared mostly toward women, I easily found myself in its pages and would readily recommend this to anyone navigating their way through love. He also has a long-running podcast and YouTube channel of the same name that helped me come to terms with some recent heartache. One of the things that sticks with me the most is his idea of finding a “builder” in your partner by focusing on things like compatibility and finding someone who wants to build the same things as you.

  • Books On Hold / Next Up:

    • Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan

      • Waiting for some down time, to really give it the attention it deserves, but funny enough this is item #1 on his list of reasons why people don’t start

  • Current Exercise Routine:

    • After a brief hiatus with food poisoning (yes, again…) I am back to doing yoga, rock climbing and hitting the gym. No specific routine, but consistency is my game

  • Current Diet:

    • Been eating pretty clean lately, but not cooking as much as I should. Down 12kg since mid april

  • Currently learning:

    • Passive

      • Deep into my A2 Dutch lessons. Still don’t feel very far.

    • Skill-Based

      • N/A

  • Side Projects:

    • aWellness.co

      • A site for a lot of the random things I built over the past months, including some chatbots, chrome extensions, and am now working on an app. The site itself was the real triumph, though.

      • If you know anyone in manufacturing and logistics in Europe, send them my way because i could use the help with a couple products.

    • GPTs! Chatbots!

      • Try out one trained on my brain by asking the little bubble down below what you would normally ask me.

      • Made one for my brother that analyses live sports data and gives sports betting recommendations. I’m not a big gambler, so for me this project was entirely to see if I could make a good prediction engine. So far it’s got an accuracy of around 80% across three types of wagers.

  • Recent Travel (since last update):

    • NONE!

    Upcoming Travel:

    • LimosaLimosa, Heeten (yoga retreat)

    • Madrid, Spain

    • Rome, Italy

    • Denver, USA

    • Los Gatos, USA

    • New York City, USA

    • Lisbon, Portugal

    • Buenos Aires, Argentina

    • Antarctica (not til November)

Updated 26 August, 2024 (for past editions, you can find them here)

2024.07.25

People often ask what I’ve been up to… This is what I’m doing right now:

(This is a Now page. If you have your own site, you should make one, too!)

  • I’ve returned from a few weeks holiday where I escaped into the mountains and took my new car on a road trip. I learned that the car is super cool, but far too large for European streets. I’ve recently been attending events hosted by the Offline Club and have really enjoyed making friends and joining this community. As I write this I’m preparing to go to an event, but because of a flurry of recent visitors and my travels I am feeling quite a bit socially burnt out. I’ve also held informal “interviews” with many of my close friends who I respect that have relationships that seem healthy in order to learn more about what it takes to make love last, what to look for in a partner, and have really enjoyed both the differences in answers that so many people have given (like how important is chemistry, and what made you decide to have children), but also the similarity of so many answers. I’m debating on putting my learnings into some form of distillation process if I determine that it might be of use to anyone.

  • Currently Reading:

  • Recently Completed Reads:

    • Love Life by Matthew Hussey

      • Recommended to me by a therapist who specializes in attachment theory and relationship health, I found this book to be quite enlightening. Though geared mostly toward women, I easily found myself in its pages and would readily recommend this to anyone navigating their way through love. He also has a long-running podcast and YouTube channel of the same name that helped me come to terms with some recent heartache. One of the things that sticks with me the most is his idea of finding a “builder” in your partner by focusing on things like compatibility and finding someone who wants to build the same things as you.

    • Lies of Locke Lamorra by Scott Lynch

      • Despite a slow start, I ended up absolutely loving this book and have since moved onto its sequel.

    • The Algebra of Wealth by Scott Galloway

      • More a philosophy book than a financial book, I really enjoyed this read and have taken a few pieces of advice. I have also heard from some close friend through the reading of this that Scott may be considered a bit of a controversial personality. I don’t know much about that, and have had my focus on the content of the book but will look into some of the claims.

  • Books On Hold / Next Up:

  • Current Exercise Routine:

    • Spent a few weeks hiking through the alps, but since I’ve returned I’ve mostly just been walking. My gym is open again so I’ll be trying out some of their new classes very soon.

  • Current Diet:

    • Been eating pretty clean lately, but not cooking as much as I should. Down 9kg since mid april

  • Currently learning:

    • Passive

      • Deep into my A2 Dutch lessons. Still don’t feel very far.

    • Skill-Based

      • N/A

  • Side Projects:

    • aWellness.co

      • A site for a lot of the random things I built over the past months, including some chatbots, chrome extensions, and am now working on an app. The site itself was the real triumph, though.

      • If you know anyone in manufacturing and logistics in Europe, send them my way because i could use the help with a couple products.

    • GPTs! Chatbots!

      • Try out one trained on my brain by asking the little bubble down below what you would normally ask me.

  • Recent Travel (since last update):

    • Bonn, Germany

    • Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

    • Nancy, France

    • Luxembourg, Luxembourg

    • Maastricht, Netherlands

    Upcoming Travel:

    • Madrid, Spain

    • Rome, Italy

    • Denver, USA

    • Los Gatos, USA

    • New York City, USA

    • Lisbon, Portugal

    • Antarctica (not til November)

2024.06.25

People often ask what I’ve been up to… This is what I’m doing right now:

(This is a Now page. If you have your own site, you should make one, too!)

  • As I write this I’m finishing up our annual feedback cycle at work (called 360s for those unfamiliar with the process). I have the next 2.5 weeks off from work and plan to spend as much time as possible in nature, doing yoga and dealing with some unattended grief. I’m very excited.

  • Currently Reading:

    • Lies of Locke Lamorra by Scott Lynch

      • The first 25% of the book really didn’t get through to me, but now I find myself more and more excited by the story. I’m a little over halfway through, and am really loving it now.

    • The Algebra of Wealth by Scott Galloway

      • I am enthralled by this book, which is as much philosophy as it is practical advice on finances. Come for the financial advice, stay for the perspective on how to live a life well.

  • Recently Completed Reads:

  • Books On Hold / Next Up:

  • Current Exercise Routine:

    • Back to able to run about 3km now, so knee healing is going well. My gym has been closed for two weeks so this has been my respite. Yoga on weekends as well.

  • Current Diet:

    • Been eating pretty clean lately, but not cooking as much as I should. Down 6kg since mid april

  • Currently learning:

    • Passive

      • Deep into my A2 Dutch lessons. Still don’t feel very far.

    • Skill-Based

      • N/A

  • Side Projects:

    • aWellness.co

      • A site for a lot of the random things I built over the past months, including some chatbots, chrome extensions, and am now working on an app. The site itself was the real triumph, though.

      • If you know anyone in manufacturing and logistics in Europe, send them my way because i could use the help with a couple products.

    • GPTs! Chatbots!

      • Try out one trained on my brain by asking the little bubble down below what you would normally ask me.

  • Recent Travel (since last update):

    • N/A

    Upcoming Travel:

    • Somewhere with mountains

    • Lisbon, Portugal

    • Antarctica (not til November)

2024.05.25

People often ask what I’ve been up to… This is what I’m doing right now:

(This is a Now page. If you have your own site, you should make one, too!)

  • I am stationary in Amsterdam for a month or two and get to hang out with Sunny for a while. She’s gotten chunky, as have I, so we’re both on diet and exercise regimens. I’m recently single again, and so I have been reflecting on the last year and its many ups and occasional downs with a lot of gratitude.

  • Currently Reading:

  • Recently Completed Reads:

  • Books On Hold / Next Up:

  • Current Exercise Routine:

    • Completed my first short run and have been going to the gym 2-3 times per week. Travel set me back, as usual, but I’m back on track and got my eye on the prize. trying to get that summer bod (if we ever get a summer here in the Netherlands)

  • Current Diet:

    • All thaaa fooood, but less and using the guidance from this site to help with macros and inspiration

  • Currently learning:

    • Passive

      • Deep into my A2 Dutch lessons. Still don’t feel very far.

    • Skill-Based

      • N/A

  • Side Projects:

    • aWellness.co

      • A site for a lot of the random things I built over the past months, including some chatbots, chrome extensions, and am now working on an app. The site itself was the real triumph, though.

      • If you know anyone in manufacturing and logistics in Europe, send them my way because i could use the help with a couple products.

    • GPTs! Chatbots!

      • Try out one trained on my brain by asking the little bubble down below what you would normally ask me.

  • Recent Travel (since last update):

    • Paris, FR

    • Prague, CR

    Upcoming Travel:

    • Madrid, Ap

    • Antarctica (not til November)

Updated Saturday 25 May, 2024 (for past editions, you can find them here)

2024.04.30

People often ask what I’ve been up to… This is what I’m doing right now:

(This is a Now page. If you have your own site, you should make one, too!)

  • I am in between sprees of travel to paris and prague and trying to avoid humans for just a few days to recharge my social batteries after celebrating King’s Day here in the Netherlands

  • Currently Reading:

  • Recently Completed Reads:

  • Books On Hold / Next Up:

    • Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan

      • Waiting for some down time, to really give it the attention it deserves, but funny enough this is item #1 on his list of reasons why people don’t start

  • Current Exercise Routine:

    • Lots of walking, and got the okay from my fysio to incrementally start building up to running again. I will do my first small, short run next weekend.

  • Current Diet:

    • All thaaa fooood, but less and using the guidance from this site to help with macros and inspiration

  • Currently learning:

    • Passive

      • Deep into my A2 Dutch lessons. Still don’t feel very far.

    • Skill-Based

      • N/A

  • Side Projects:

    • aWellness.co

      • A site for a lot of the random things I built over the past months, including some chatbots, chrome extensions, and am now working on an app. The site itself was the real triumph, though.

      • If you know anyone in manufacturing and logistics in Europe, send them my way because i could use the help with a couple products.

    • GPTs! Chatbots!

      • Try out one trained on my brain by asking the little bubble down below what you would normally ask me.

  • Recent Travel (since last update):

    • Valence, FR

    • Paris, FR

    Upcoming Travel:

    • Prague CR

    • Warsaw, PL

    • Antarctica (not til November)

2024.03.15

This is a summary of recent activities from my ongoing Now page.

(What’s a Now page? If you have your own site, you should make one, too!)

I am currently back in Amsterdam and have undergone quite a bit of new furniture building while dealing with some minor health concerns (short story, take your vitamins)

  • Currently Reading:

  • Recently Completed Reads:

  • Books On Hold / Next Up:

    • Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan

      • Waiting for some down time, to really give it the attention it deserves, but funny enough this is item #1 on his list of reasons why people don’t start

  • Current Exercise Routine:

    • Gotten pretty good at going to the gym recently, which is also attached to an excellent spa and have just started going back to yoga after about 5 months of knee recovery

    • Started with yoga again once per week and am seeing great improvement there

  • Current Diet:

    • All thaaa fooood, but less and using the guidance from this site to help with macros and inspiration

  • Currently learning:

    • Passive

      • Just entering my A2 dutch lessons and feeling pretty good about it

    • Skill-Based

      • Javascript, Python, and a few other nifty languages that I’ve gotten rusty at. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out zenbot at the bottom left corner. Its trained off the data on this site and has a nasty habit of lying completely, but it’s been a fun project.

  • Side Projects:

    • aWellness.co

      • A site for a lot of the random things I built over the past months, including some chatbots, chrome extensions, and am now working on an app. The site itself was the real triumph, though.

      • If you know anyone in manufacturing and logistics in Europe, send them my way because i could use the help with a couple products.

    • GPTs! Chatbots!

      • Try out one trained on my brain by asking the little bubble down below what you would normally ask me.

  • Recent Travel (since last update):

    • N/A - been pretty stationary

    Upcoming Travel:

    • Valence, FR

    • Paris, FR

    • Prague CR

    • Warsaw, PL

    • Antarctica (not til November)

2024.02.25

This is a summary of recent activities from my ongoing Now page.

(What’s a Now page? If you have your own site, you should make one, too!)

  • I am currently back in Amsterdam after some recent travels to Rome and London and have undergone quite a bit of new furniture building.

  • Currently reading:

    • Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sandson

    • Million Dollar Weekend by by Noah Kagan

  • Current Exercise Routine:

    • Gotten pretty good at going to the gym recently, which is also attached to an excellent spa and have just started going back to yoga after about 5 months of knee recovery

  • Current Diet:

    • All thaaa fooood

  • Currently learning:

    • Passive

      • Just entering my A2 dutch lessons and feeling pretty good about it

    • Skill-Based

      • Javascript, Python, and a few other nifty languages that I’ve gotten rusty at. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out zenbot at the bottom left corner. Its trained off the data on this site and has a nasty habit of lying completely, but it’s been a fun project.

  • Side Projects:

    • aWellness.co

      • A site for a lot of the random things I built over the past months, including some chatbots, chrome extensions, and am now working on an app. The site itself was the real triumph, though.

  • Recent Travel (since last update):

    • Valence, FR

    • Denver, CO, USA (I officiated my dear friend Brandon’s wedding)

    • Rome, Italy

    • London, UK

    • Paris, France

    • Warsaw, Poland

    Upcoming Travel:

    • Valence, FR

    • Paris, FR

    • Warsaw, PL

    • Antarctica (not til November)