These are my Momentos, short personal diary entries I write daily – since 2013 – and publish monthly. Some links are affiliate links.
1
Always interesting to ask folks back home if there’s much buzz about AI. Looks like it’s catching on among non-techy people. My brother, for example, has started using it to help write emails. I wonder how long before he’s talking with it every day.
2
I come into the store, out of the rain. There’s a woman delivering eggs. I recognize the label, so I say a few words to her in Spanish, make her smile, which makes me smile. Then I walk to the back and finally find what I’ve been looking for, clear out their whole supply.
3
I have a few minutes so I sneak into a cafe, stand in line, order an espresso, grab a newspaper and sit by the window. I try to make sense of the headlines, using my phone when I get stuck. Stories about the war in Ukraine, an election in Poland, new tech in Catalonia.
4
Apparently, in San Francisco, Waymo has surpassed Lyft and is on track to pass Uber in the next 12 months. I agree with the commenter who wrote…
humans prefer robots doing stuff for them to humans doing stuff for them
the impact of this should not be underestimated
5
It can seem like nothing is going all that great on a day-to-day basis, but then you look back and realize that several wins have been slowly unfolding. That became apparent for me today, finally seeing breakthroughs on a couple of projects we’ve been working on for a long time.
6
Jumping out of my seat this morning watching Haliburton hit that game winner. He’s having the most clutch playoff run in the history of basketball. Have to keep my cool later on a call with my Cuz. He hasn’t watched the game yet. I pretend nothing crazy happened so he’ll enjoy it more.
7
One of those evenings where the moon rises right outside my office window. I’ve been busy all day with my silly human tasks, stuff that feels so important in the moment. And that big bright rock suspended in the sky reminds me that it’s all kinda pointless. But I’ll keep doing it anyway.
8
Not going to send out an update for my personal newsletter this month, too busy with other things and nothing all that interesting to say. Some people will miss my latest batch of Momentos, sorry about that. But I’m trying to be okay letting a few of my spinning plates fall.
9
Procrastination is strong today. It’s become more of an issue lately. Probably because my work is tougher these days, more uncertain, more tempting to fall into distraction. I can easily spend half an hour mindlessly watching YouTube.
10
This guy is impressive. Super friendly, energetic, genuine, unrushed. He and his wife are opening several clinics, business booming. They have two kids. He speaks several languages. And he’s about my age. I don’t come away from the interaction feeling great about myself.
11
Uncertainty is scary. Lots of uncertainty around AI and the impact it will have. Therefore, AI is scary. Hard to prepare for a world that could look completely different in 2-3 years. Makes me even more nervous when I hear mega-rich people worrying about it. Nobody feels safe.
12
An entrepreneur writes…
I used to earn $20,000 a year and now I earn millions. My happiness hasn’t changed much.
Nothing profound there. When you’re young with few responsibilities, $20K/year is plenty. But try earning that much with a family, see how happy you are.
13
The Impossible, incredible movie. Weird how little attention I paid to that tsunami news back in 2004. Never even thought about it several years later when I was in Thailand. I’ll probably look back at some of the shit happening today and wonder why I wasn’t paying attention.
14
It’s hot at night but I have to close the windows because of the cows ringing their bells in the field at all hours. Funny to think: If there was a man standing in that field all night ringing a bell he’d be arrested for disturbing the peace. But so long as the bell is around a cow’s neck, it’s fine.
15
Seeing a friend back in Ireland started a podcast about his hometown, interviewing people from the area. It’s a beautiful thing, capturing those voices and stories for future generations. All the more poignant when you hear that two of their guests have passed away since recording.
16
New cafe open in town. Already has a few negative reviews. Amazing how intolerant some folks are, ready to talk shit publicly after one experience. I get the impression these people have never built or run a successful business, no idea how hard it is.
17
Watching Schindler’s List for the first time, sobering. I wonder if antisemites ever ask themselves, what if I had been born a Jew? Because a lot of the hate seems to come from a lack of empathy, people who can’t imagine being born into a different race / class / culture.
18
Sitting in the shade at the Camp, reading quotes on my phone. Viktor Frankl, Dostoevsky. There is only one thing that I dread: not to be worthy of my sufferings. She told me not to watch but I’m glancing up every now and then to see how she’s doing, and she’s doing well.
19
My idea of hell is a day of doing nothing, letting it go to waste. Even when I’m feeling burned out, like I am today, I still want to do things, ideally non-thinking things. Put out the rubbish, tidy up the apartment, go for a walk, try to set myself up for a better tomorrow.
20
One-day road trip to meet up with a good man I haven’t seen in nine years. We were best buds for a while there, back in my basketball- and alcohol-obsessed days. A little surreal seeing him again, reminders of a whole other life I used to live.
21
The last NBA Finals Game 7 was in 2016, coincidentally the last time I was in New Orleans, for my buddy’s wedding. That game was on in the background at a friend’s house party, remember catching glimpses of it between chats and snacks, realizing some significant shit was going down.
22
Down by the river, talking to himself. Starts to drizzle, duck under this tent they’ve put up in the new car park where the blue lines are already fading. People are out walking their dogs. A little one comes up to me barking. A bigger one comes up to me wagging.
23
Driving into town when a crazy hailstorm hits, windscreen takes such a pounding I’m worried it might crack. Eventually make it to an underground car park and wait it out. Later online I see there were flash floods and people had to be rescued from their cars.
24
Had to stay up late last night, plenty of noise from the village as they celebrated San Juan. They set off firecrackers and fireworks for hours, light a big bonfire, dance to live music. Some people love the whole thing, some people (and all animals) hate it.
25
Last few weeks and months have been hectic. Have a little bit of a respite now, a few days of relative calm and space, staying home a few days and getting things done. I like life (and myself) much better this way, when I’m not trying to wade through the overwhelm.
26
Watching Spotlight for the first time. Reminds me of a guy back home, seemed harmless, used to help out with the basketball teams. Turns out he molested a bunch of young players. I never got too close to him, but that was probably just luck. How different things could have been.
27
I’m probably in the top 5% of people when it comes to keeping up with tech, advancements in AI, etc. And yet I often feel like I’m falling behind, especially when I browse YouTube. I believe the antidote is to spend more time interacting with people locally.
28
My last business wasn’t future proof, got hit hard when Google made some changes. I want my next business to be more resilient. Which is why a local marketing agency appeals to me. Local businesses will always need help marketing their services.
29
I used to wake up buzzing about work. Not so much anymore. Often takes a big effort to sit down and get things done. Not sure if that’s a temporary thing, a natural energy downswing, or something more significant. But all I can really do is keep going, keep trying.
30
Words from Ray Dalio…
What is good advice for people in their 40s? That’s your midlife… When you look at happiness, that’s measured as the toughest part of life… It’s difficult because you have to juggle your work and your family… You’re trying to be successful in life and you find out maybe that life is tougher than you expected.