Now

Page last updated: June 2024 | inspired by Derek Sivers and his Now project. 

Key: 🆕 = newest updates

Education and new skills: learning to ride motorbikes, wine and spirits education (WSET Wine level 1 done, possibly the next step in 2024,) lining up additional SCUBA certifications (advanced wreck diving done!,) started windsurfing (I'll continue to take next steps), introduction training for kite surfing (kite only) and definitely pursuing more instruction and capabilities, sailing skills/certification (ASA) AS101 🆕 (achieved! - next steps TBD, either 103 or international cert), and seeking amateur radio skills and possibly license. Also continuing outdoors' training including avalanche terrain travel (through AIARE American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education) (Level I done in 2023 - good to go for now) and wilderness first responder (much more intensive than wilderness first aid) training. I've been distilling the idea of language study abroad, almost certainly Spanish, in small doses - Central America seems like the best option 🆕 with Guatemala and Colombia consistently confirming the best basis (most transportable).

Travel: holistic goal is to have visited as many countries as my age (I have a lot of catching up to do) which is just a simple quantification. The specific goal is a qualitative list of places and activities. To that end, 2024 plans are for more travel abroad and domestically I'm  focused on visiting national parks and monuments and seeking out some classic climbs whenever possible. More at Travel. Also enjoying hosting travelers to Pittsburgh whenever I am home by way of the Couchsurfing platform. 🆕

Climbing: continuing to seek out new meccas of rock and ice (CA in winter 2023 and the Dolomites in 2024) and visit old ones (Red Rock Canyon and Kalymnos happened in 2023). One mountain still of interest: Alpamayo in Peru - ACHIEVED (bonus: summit!) in 2023. Achieved goal of 50 summits in 2022, and a few more on top of that. I'm now content - no more mountains of serious interest, though I'm not ready to stop altogether - there will be more, just not burning desires (Forbidden/Torment Traverse, Mt. Sir Donald, etc.) More at Climbing.

Reading: definitely back into reading now that I'm "retired" (rewired); trying to read at least 15 books per year and exceeding that goal currently. Good balance of fiction and non-fiction. More at Books.

Brainwork: the New York Times crossword puzzles (see 2 news items).

Financial Independence: volunteering with the Pittsburgh ChooseFI network to administer the group, have meetups for discussion, etc. to share my knowledge and learn from others.

Interactive Fiction (IF): finally getting to dive back into this old passion of mine. Playing some adventures, small and large. Watching documentaries, listening to podcasts, coming up to date with the community. Re-developing my own, old adventures in new tools and code such as TAB, Twine, Adrift, and Inform.  My second IF game called Xanadu is available on ThinBASIC Adventure Builder's (TAB) Catventure site. My first game called Palace of the Silver Princess is available upon request. More at Indoors/Interactive Fiction.

Pantheon / Tribe of Mentors:  If I could have regular get togethers, calls, drinks, or conversations with these people, they would be my set of mentors (big/broad thinkers, bright lights, mavens,  polymaths, and modern day philosophers). As it is, I am resigned to virtual relationships by tuning into their conversations and creative work via the many channels available. Derek Sivers, Tim Ferriss, Kevin Kelly, Tim Urban, Ryan Holiday, Rolf Potts, Sam Harris, Oliver Burkman, David Eagleman, Esther Perel, Jamie Wheal, Peter Adeney and a few others living and dead (Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, and Epictetus). Send me your additional recommendations!

For more detailed, blog-like news, see...well...News!