Author: Travis

Greeted by a balmy Tuesday morning and 6 hours of sleep, I decided to forego watering the grass and slip right into an espresso and some light reading about firewall control planes. It’s been daunting to get back into the swing of things since coming back from the beach. The trip was altogether too short and loads of fun. The little one unlocked a few core memories which was the whole point anyway.

Something that always happens to me during these getaways which I think is probably also the point of a vacation is that I find a moment of clarity. It usually happens when I’m not looking out for it and usually it hits me in the most unexpected places. This time it was while I was waiting in line for a coffee and some gelato.

Throughout my time on Earth I’ve spent a good bit of effort in resistentia to the things happening around me. It’s hard to explain but when I tried to my therapist some time ago I think I framed it as the feeling of a constant whirring of a buzzsaw in my head — my proverbial Matthew-esque “gnashing of teeth”. This feeling kept me in a constant state of fight or flight (spoiler alert: I fight), significantly affecting how I handled my emotions and eventually manifesting physically as a constant tightening in my throat.

But standing in line at that coffee shop I came to the realization that those outside stimuli only act in accordance to the natural order of my environment and to constantly be in passive opposition of those things is to exist in a constant state of stress and anxiety. I determined that from that point forward, I would focus on acting in alignment with that natural order. Some folks might say going with the flow. A very Daoist principal to be sure.

And you know what? It’s working.

Stay off of social media. Talk to your friends and family. Practice effortless action. And, yes, drink lots of water.

Yesterday was an absolute blur. Lots got done, but don’t ask me how or when. I looked up and it was 6pm and I was exhausted.

Tomorrow I will head to the beach with the family for a bit of a recharge. I’m actually very excited to take my daughter on her maiden voyage somewhere farther out than 100 miles or so.

Today will be a day of wrapping things up or getting them to a state of manageability that will allow me to get away without anything exploding.

I’ve been filling notebooks this week, but with all of the wrong kind of notes. This made me come to the realization that I know how to use my brain and how to logically process information, but I don’t know how to think. Will use some of my time away to explore how I can unlock some introspection.

Any other remaining time will be dedicated to finishing up The Three-Body Problem and listening to this:

Enjoy one another. I’ll see you on Monday, reader.

Good morning from South Texas. I’ve limited myself to two coffees this morning because I drink entirely too much of the stuff and I am entirely convinced that the acidity is having an effect, albeit indirect, on how swollen my stomach feels most of the day. Going to have a tea later this afternoon to see how I feel tomorrow.

Inbox at zero. To-do list at five large items.

Three quarters of the way through The Three Body Problem. Many thoughts, which I will write later. All in all, I am enjoying it and it’s sparked some curiosity in me about different concepts, but mostly it got me thinking about the differences in Newtonian physics and quantum physics, and now I can’t stop trying to understand concepts that I never thought I would.

Going to table that hyper-fixation until after work. Diving in.

Good morning from South Texas where this morning was a brisk 57 degrees and it’s going to get into the triple-digits later this week. The weatherman said on Wednesday our city will be one of the hottest places on Earth that day. Luckily I am headed to the coast a day or so into the fever-pitch so that my bones can rest for a bit, and I will narrowly escape this oppression because it will be a beautiful 83.

Weekend was lovely. On cup of coffee #3 at the moment. Inbox has been tamed. Escalations can been addressed. Now to fit five days worth of work into four.

Been on the road for work the past two days which means I’m both a very sleepy boy and also pretty behind on some major projects. This morning I was able to get my inbox under control and now I need to consume more coffee and gather my notes from the road meetings.

Currently halfway through The Three Body Problem, by Cixin Liu.

Will be taking some much needed time off next week. But for now it’s headphones and deep work.

Be kind to one another.

Over the past week I’ve been very intentional about staying away from social media and staying close to my family, my interests, and authors, artists, and musicians that I enjoy. To nobody’s surprise, I’m much happier than I otherwise have been. Nothing major, mind you – just a little lighter than before. It’s worth it.

Inbox is clear. Music is playing. New cup of coffee has been poured. Time for some deep work.