This is what I'm up to lately. The Now page concept originated with Derek Sivers.
Last Update: May 30, 2019
Current City: Lawrence, Kansas
I currently live with five people and four dogs in a house in Lawrence, Kansas. None of either "belong" to me. Most days I am working from home, working out, playing sports, or spending time with my girlfriend and her kids.
In April 2019 I became a homeowner again. A spacious house in Kansas City, Missouri in need of a little love. The previous owners simply lived in it without maintaining it much. That's ok. They had other priorities. After renovation is complete the extra bedrooms will be rented to roommates.
A few days ago an EF4 tornado grazed just south of Lawrence: 170mph winds, 1 mile wide, on the ground for 35 miles. Check out #kswx for more pictures and video. It was harrowing watching the storm develop on radar and listening to local news meteorologists broadcast updates. I have followed local weather all my life and only been spooked by a handful of storms. This was one. Thankfully only a handful of people were injured, none killed and some homes demolished or heavily damaged. Had it directly hit Lawrence, Eudora or made it into the Kansas City metro, the town would be in shambles. It could have been much, much worse.
I just had a large contract accepted to do more work with a client in biomedical research. Working with great people is a reward in itself. Doing work that helps cure disease at the same time is fulfilling.
I am not currently accepting new software development projects or clients.
Home Renovations; Since April 2019. I have always built software, but it is a different kind of satisfying seeing my first home renovation come together. I am not doing the work myself and instead serving as the project manager: redesigning the spaces, choosing materials, coordinating contractors, money things. These are skills I have spent a lifetime developing, so I let the construction experts do their thing. The biggest mistake new investors make is trying to do all the work themselves. That won't be me. Outcome: Shooting for a move-in ready space in July.
Open to suggestions. What is the best thing you read recently? @johnkary
Grand Canyon, Arizona; April 2019. The vastness of the Grand Canyon can't be appreciated in pictures. It is breathtaking. The best views were along the many look-out points if you hop the guard rails and venture down away from the tourists. We did a longer hike down into the canyon, 2.5 miles down, 2.5 miles up. Seven hours round trip. Everyone said, "going up is harder than going down" but I thought the opposite. Some hardcore hikers do "rim to rim" hikes down the North Rim and up the South Rim in one day. Maybe next year! The elevation changes made the biggest difference. I started wearing a stocking cap, three shirts and a warm coat. Turning around at the bottom it was 25 degrees warmer and I down to one sweaty dri-fit shirt.
Flagstaff, Arizona; April 2019. "Flag," as locals call it, felt a lot like home in Lawrence or Fort Collins, Colorado. Their downtown district has some shops to window shop, quality food at little restaurants, and plenty of breweries. We were blown away by beers from Historic Brewing Company where every beer felt like special. So special we went three times in two days.
Sedona, Arizona; April 2019. Crystals, vortexes, UFOs, aliens and other woo-woo are not my speed. But its majestic red rocks and hiking trails were a welcome change from the steep inclines at The Canyon. Everything closes early (8pm?!) and there wasn't any nightlife.
Columbia, MO; April 2019. Columbia is the arch rival of my hometown Lawrence. The University of Missouri and University of Kansas are rivals, which explains it. My girlfriend and I went to see a few concerts downtown (Brothers Osborne, Kip Moore) and explored the local craft breweries. None of which stand up to those in Lawrence :)
Lake of the Ozarks, MO Memorial Day weekend was spent at a cabin by the lake, lounging in the sun (which has been absent thanks to so much rain in KC the last month), playing golf, and attending a two-day pool-side music festival.
New York City; July 2019. I was going to attend Laracon.us in Times Square but think I will cancel. The big city just doesn't feel like the right kind of exploring I'm craving right now.
Nashville keeps calling. So does Utah. This Fall?