2026.01.14

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 traveled to the US, then Poland, then back in Amsterdam where I’ve stayed put for the whole of December. Feeling a bit tired at the moment so being extra cautious of where my energy goes. I traveled for 19 weeks last year and I’m still ready for a break from movement. In other news I injured my rotator cuff doing my least favorite workout on the planet: front squats… so now I’m going through fysio attempting to do simple things like “touch my other shoulder without wincing. This whole “turning 40 thing” hit me like a ton of bricks.

• In some very positive news, I had a couple family members with major health issues this past year that seem to be doing very well and we’re optimistic. Always good to end a year on a positive note like that.

• Currently Reading:

  • Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio

    • Imagine Dune-scale ambition with a more personal voice, written as a confession by someone who knows the universe will judge him as either a monster or a savior.

  • Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

    • This is the third time I've read this one and each time I get something a little different from it. This one I'm finding inspiration - and justification - in my lifelong pursuit of what the author calls “fiddling”. To be clear, the author also mentions the value of deliberate practice, but he acknowledges that deliberate practice on a single thing is much more valuable when done after much more exploration and experimentation than is normally encouraged.

• Recently Completed Reads:

  • The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More by Jefferson Fisher

    • Admittedly found him through youtube and loved what he had to say. I think you get 80% of the value of the book from his podcast interviews but i still enjoyed reading this one

  • Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson

    • Climax to part 1 of the Stormlight Archives, and book #20 in the Cosmere. I absolutely love the worldbuilding in this universe, which spans eons and galaxies.

  • Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

    • Heartbreaking and optimistic in equal measure. Roughly split into two parts - part one was his account of his time in the concentration camps and part two about his experiences with logotherapy, I highly encourage everyone to read this book at least once in their lives. You need the first part to appreciate the second part.

• Books On Hold / Next Up:

  • The Algebra of Happiness by Scott Galloway

  • 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

  • Fulfilled: How the Science of Spirituality Can Help You Live a Happier, More Meaningful Life

    • Recommended to me by a friend, and very excited to learn more, even if on the surface it’s not something I’d typically be into, the first few lines of the book have me hooked.

    • I had to pause on this because my audible account stopped letting me read books purchased in the US. Will resume on kindle when I’m done with the Black Prism series

  • HBR Essays On Strategy - Paused because I forgot it while traveling and then lost my copy.

• Current Exercise Routine:

  • Gentle strength training. My wrist is mostly back to health, but my rotator cuff prevents most heavy lifts, so my main focus is on targeted lightweight strength training with some mobility in.

• Current Diet:

  • Post-holiday recomp time! Been keeping my diet pretty simple mostly out of laziness, but admittedly my uber eats budget is out of hand and needs to be dealt with.

• Currently learning:

  • Passive

    • Deep into my A2 Dutch lessons. Still don’t feel very far. Doesn’t help that i’m in France where opportunites to immerse are even fewer than the already-very-english-fluent Amsterdam.

  • Skill-Based

    • N/A, thought Hermanos Gutierrez has inspired me to pick up th guitar and fiddle around with it a bit more.

• Side Projects:

  • Fractional Leadership

    • I’ve identified that one of my strengths comes in the form of operational process and organizational design so I’ve offered my services to a few friends managing startups and am testing the waters. So that this doesn’t interfere with my main employment, I work with them during the evenings 2 days per week each, which works well because they’re based in the US. Still very fresh to this, but i’m loving the impact it has to be immersed into a team.

• Recent Travel (since the last update):

  • Helsinki, Finland

  • Los Angeles, CA, USA

  • Denver, CO, USA

  • Warsaw, Poland

  Upcoming Travel:

Updated 14 January, 2026 (for past editions, you can find them here)