Our son has successfully potty-trained and transitioned to a toddler bed, which was an absolutely brutal adjustment but we survived it. Our daughter is this close to walking. The fall is going to be an absolute zoo around here.
Our son has also just started a new Spanish-immersion preschool and he's excited and nervous. Today is the first day, so we'll get the lowdown after he gets home!
Minimal travel on the horizon and appreciative of that. It's still hot in Austin but fall is approaching and it's a glorious time to be here. We're enjoying the routine, pool time, and quality time with our local friends.
Still doing my best to stay in shape, but slacking off a bit as work has picked up. Hoping to get into a good rhythm as I settle into a work schedule with my new fractional clients.
Reading my way through Joe Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy and absolutely loving it. Brutal and vulgar and dark, but a little funnier and more accessible than other epics like Game of Thrones.
Bought myself a Nintendo Switch 2 and absolutely hooked on Donkey Kong Bananza. Still never enough time but the portability has helped me get a little bit of game time here and there.
Working our way through all of Andor and loving it, even though some episodes have been a little slow for us. Started the new season of Rick and Morty and the new season of Foundation is next on the list, but TV time is as hard to come by as gaming.
Projects
Wrapped up our moonshot aviation idea (Solstice). We spent a year learning from industry leaders and researching how to bring a hydrogen-powered 76-seat aircraft to market... but ultimately concluded there's no viable non-defense path in the U.S. Grateful for the experience and the crash course in hard tech, though, and always happy to share learnings with others exploring this space.
Have formally kicked off my consulting LLC (Anthimeros) and fractional work, starting with two incredible clients: Duckbill (human + AI personal assistants) and Firesale (the fastest way to sell anything—like a garage sale with AI superpowers).
Still tinkering with a few of my own ideas, right now mostly an alcoholic beverage (vermouth!) and some thinking around urban mobility (specifically cargo e-bikes). Lmk if you are interested / knowledgeable about either!
Newsletter continues to wither but will come back around soon enough. Expect another edition sometime in the next month or so, with a little luck.
Thinking
How do I be more present with my children, even as they become somewhat more independent (and sometimes boring)? What are some fresh, lightweight adventures we can go on together, especially my son as he gets a little older?
I remain more cynical than ever about the state of politics and the world in general. I read and listen to more news than is probably healthy and I struggle with the tension between wanting to know less and also wanting to pay attention to history as it unfolds. Part of me wants to bury my head in the sand, part of me wants to fucking run for office.
What is the next phase of AI? I find myself using it all the time but also somewhat disappointed with the latest trajectory and improvements. I'm most intrigued by how AI continues to impact the real world, and what opportunities there are to build interesting businesses leveraging AI and humans-in-the-loop (see Duckbill, for example).
Evergreen: how do I effectively prioritize my time so that I can be successful in work, family, and health, while also enjoying travel, hobbies, and down time? And right now, especially, how do I prioritize my work to include only the highest leverage activities given my limited contract hours and other life responsibilities?
Can we all just agree that note apps are less about revisiting and reading what you write down, and more about just writing them down at all? Get 👏 out 👏 of 👏 my 👏 head! 👏
Life
I'm deep in the early childhood years with my son (3.5yo) and daughter (13 months)—and mostly loving it. There are tough days but they are incredible little humans.
We just returned from two weeks in France, which was lovely. We'll be in Denver and the Bay Area in June, but no other big travel planned for a while. Looking forward to settling back into a rhythm at home.
Training our 18-month old pup, Diggory, who is a little over-protective of the family at times.
Trying to read more with medium-success. At some point soon will build a reading page here.
Falling back in love with video games but failing to find the time. To me, games are playable art and amazing problem-solving practice. Currently playing the single-player campaign of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and a little bit of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
Playing more piano, some jazz and lots of Disney for the kids. I've played piano since I was eight so can sight-read most music, but I can't play by ear.
Watching the tiniest sliver of TV when we need some downtime. Almost through season two of Severance, started season three of The White Lotus, and loved Silo. I watch Archer to fall asleep most nights, which is terrible sleep hygiene but I do my best to get everything else right and my Oura sleep score is usually pretty good. Looking forward to the new season of Rick and Morty.
I've been seeking more opportunities to work with my hands this year. From the playful (LEGOs) to the nerdy (mechanical keyboards), to various projects around the house. It's fulfilling.
Projects
Tinkering with a moonshot idea in the aviation space ("stealth" but will gladly discuss 1-1, please feel free to reach out if interested!). Partnering with a childhood friend. Taking it slow to ensure we get the team + capital strategy right.
Beginning some fractional consulting work to keep myself fresh and bring some structure to my workday (see more here).
Always playing with other ideas in the back of my mind, including one in the finance space, a nonprofit idea, an alcoholic beverage, and a handful of physical products.
How do I show up for my kids while also doing something meaningful, impactful, and interesting in the world?
I think the most public leaders (political and otherwise) on the world stage are unfortunately pretty bad examples to set for our children, and that worries me. I've always believed you don't have to be an asshole to get ahead, but in some of my more cynical moments I wonder if that is really true.
What happens next with AI, and how does that re-shape the world? Will AI make certain kinds of learning obsolete (e.g. foreign languages, coding)?
What happens next with American politics, and how does that re-shape the world?
Will we solve the climate crisis before it's too late?
How do I effectively prioritize my time so that I can be successful in work, family, and health, while also enjoying travel, hobbies, and down time?
What's the right educational model and parenting philosophy for raising happy, successful, well-adjusted children?
Will I ever have a note-taking habit / app / stack that feels like it makes sense? Does it matter?
