At the beginning of 2020.

I've never shared this with oppo.

2019 was an interesting year. I was fired from what I considered at the time to be a good job. What followed were months spent bouncing around.

I apprenticed as a tile guy in a non-union position for a few months. The pay wasn't great, but it passed the time and as I told myself—tiling was a relevant skill. I could renovate my bathroom at long last! Yeah... It wasn't long before 50 mile commutes in the Miata took their toll on me. Between that and the physical demands of the job that I was struggling to keep up with, I had to walk away.

I spent a week washing windows again for my old boss—but I couldn't live with the feeling that I'd just regressed back to six years prior, with little to show for it.

So—with dwindling funds—I purchased a laptop. With an uncharacteristically sunny Seattle June, I spent every day out and about networking. Coffee shops, parks, gyms... Everywhere was fair game. I was a shark, and small business owners my prey. The sweet spot was single crew to three crew operations. These outfits were generally run by an older guy who had done well enough to have a successful business, but didn't have the knowledge necessary to push the company to the next step where growth really takes off.

See, I'd put together three pretty slick advertising packages. Different tiers, if you will.

Cut through the BS, and it was just basic marketing tools. Buy a domain, make a a company email address, create a modern website. Join and be active on social media. Engage with people online. Advertise, advertise, advertise. Automate schedules, maintenance, and every other piece of low-hanging fruit that can push growth and remove the opportunity for human error.

$999.99 and I'd set up the basics.

$1999.99 and I'd do the basic plan plus head a full advertising campaign on Google, and FB, along with design vinyl wraps for company vehicles and more tradition physical advertising methods, such as yard signs.

$3499.99 would get you the premium plan (basic - premium - premium plus. Where's my oppo card?) plus teach an optomized hiring process, set the company up with various timekeeping, scheduling, payroll apps, and create a 5 year plan based on company goals.

Not a single client went with the "basic" plan.

Slightly over two months of this, I walked away with just over $20k. I sold the company to a former employer for half that, and without a career of any kind, flew off to Asia with a friend for two weeks. What I didn't tell him was that I had neither purchased a return ticket, nor was I planning on coming back with him.

Two weeks went by and my friend returned home. I decided to leave Tokyo and head back to Bangkok, where my remaining money would stretch about twice as long.

A drunken hookup led to a relationship of sorts with a wealthy Thai woman. I was deeply entrenched in a for-the-love-of-god-do-not-think-about-the-future mentality, so... I hung out in Bangkok for awhile. Bouncing around between airbnb's and hotels, I spent a lot of time exploring some of the best nightlife in the world with my new "girlfriend". She also paid for literally everything, which uh.... Was equally unsettling and appreciated by my wallet. Somehow in the span of a few months, I'd gone from middle-management, to a skilled trade, to an entrepreneur, to unemployed with a sugar momma. She tried to talk me into staying permanently, getting a job as a teacher. Probably wouldn't have been a bad life...

Alas, I started getting restless and flew off to a tropical Thai island. Hiking, hanging out with wild cats, exploring the reefs... If your goal is to escape, well, everything, you couldn't ask for much more.

Eventually though I ran low on cash, and the part of my brain that I'd been silencing for months broke through—admonishing me to think about my future. The clock was running down and I had no job, no money, a home I hadn't seen in months, and I needed to do something—anything—to progress my life.

I flew home.

Back to the normal life. Depression came roaring back, with nothing but weekly hikes holding the crushing waves at bay. Well, it was more the person I was hiking with. A few months pass, and things went sour between us. Your mind does a wonderful job of smoothing over pain, and for that I'm thankful because the next few months were the lowest point in my life. Motivation and health dropped inverse to depression. I stayed in, saw nobody outside of the few days a week I worked.

Work. My job as a delivery driver was a constant source of frustration. I desperately wanted out, but the fog was thick and I could see no better options.

December, 2019. I vividly recall flipping a coin. Heads, I leave my job and summit Mt. Rainier the next day. While I was a strong hiker, I lacked any alpine experience, let alone gear. Attempting this in the heart of winter... Well. A flip of a coin is why I'm here now writing this.

Tails.

Join the military. The closest thing I could imagine to the fresh start I desired so greatly.

I chose the Air Force.

With help from a fellow oppo, I settled some legal issues and began the application process. For a month straight I trained body and mind—newfound purpose lighting a fire that had been out for far too long.

Character references were contacted without issue. Interviews were aced. Aptitude tests left me with my destiny as an airman in my own hands. I signed, shook my recruiters hand, and walked away with a massive weight off my shoulders. I had a future lined up.

Then came Covid-19, with the first known US outbreak happening in my city, just miles from my home.

I'd transfered to a new group within the overarching umbrella of my greater company, and the shift was huge for my mental state.

With Covid becoming more and more of a problem, the Air Force shut down training facilities. I was still in touch with my recruiter, and one day he sent an email asking me to re-submit a document. A minor clerical issue, but it was apparently enough to keep me out until fixed.

I spent a lot of time weighing my options.

In the end, I never responded to the recruiter.

Mere weeks later I was promoted to junior management following unprecedented growth in the shipping and e-commerce industries. Another two months and senior management was mine for the taking, a full 44 months earlier than the jump would have occurred during normal times.

As the chaos grew, so too did opportunities for advancement.

I still think about the life I would have had in the Air Force, but at the end of the day I'm happy with my choices and the personal growth I've achieved.

I can say with confidence that the loss of a job will never again hurt me in any way other than monetarily, because I've learned that for me at least, the only battle is the internal one, and I can't lose if I never admit defeat.

Merry Christmas oppo. Thanks for all the help through the years. May 2021 be a year full of growth—in whatever way you need.

My methodology on hiring has changed quite a bit in the last six months.

Lately I've stopped doing individual interviews, and instead moved to group interviews. In this setting, I'm not looking for the best candidates, I'm fishing for the worst ones. Weed out the people who I would pay to keep OFF my team, then go from there.

With roughly 20 people a day coming in for interviews, this has been a much more successful way to find good candidates while also minimizing the time I spend dealing with with the entire process. That second point is key, because at one point I was spending 4+ hours a day on hiring. That's 4+ hours a day on something that's not even in my job description.

So, step one is group interviews. All twenty candidates are instructed to meet at a certain location. Said location doesn't plot correctly on Google maps, so it requires a small bit of critical thinking to find the place. If they can't figure it out, they're not the people I want.

Timing is also an easy way to weed out applicants. "Be inside the red tape square at 10:00 am" is the first line sent out in the follow-up email to all candidates. If it's 10:01 and you're still walking up? Hope you didn't drive an hour to get here, because you're not joining the interview. In my eyes, if you can't make an appointment on time you're a child, and I don't employ children. Grow the fuck up.

With that said, I've noticed that the people who do show up on time—or early—seem to really appreciate seeing late candidates turned away. One guy who has been with us for a few months now commented on it recently, saying it made him feel like his time was valued, which it is!

Tying into the above, another big change that's helped reduce time spent on hiring, is removing my phone number from any of the emails sent to applicants before the interview. Before that change, I'd get 30 calls each morning from people who showed up early, people who were lost, and people who showed up late wondering when I'd come get them for the interview. Some people would literally stay outside for hours, calling nonstop. Of all the changes, this is the one that I feel the best about. Make it to the interview and show enough promise to get a new hire packet. Finish the packet and have your background and drug test come back clean. Then and only then do you get contact info. Less wasted time for everyone.

The hiring process is still evolving, but so far it's been paying off. Our 50 man crew is stronger than ever, and they all know they can count on each other. Gone are the days where people call out last minute, or don't finish the job, leaving more work for everyone else. When I joined this company, every single day there would be a no-snow. Every day. People would show up late, without consequence. Quality of work was atrocious. Attitudes were awful. I had people walk off the job in the middle of the day. And nothing was done about it, because we couldn't afford to lose even these shitty excuses for workers. That's how badly Covid-19 upended the shipping industry. We needed every body we could get, and couldn't afford to drop anyone. This went on for four of the longest months of my life.

I remember years ago, the very first time I fired someone my voice was cracking and my eyes were watery. Some goofball—great kid—but he didn't really care about the job and did the bare minimum. I knew it, he knew it. But it was still hard to tell him that he wouldn't be coming back...

But here? After months of employees taking advantage of a difficult situation where they knew they could get away with murder? No such issues. For most, I put together a by-the-books letter of termination that would pass muster under the watchful gaze of even the most diligent of HR reps. Sent the email, blocked their number and email account. Buh-bye.

For the real slimy folk caught stealing, or making the lives of our other employees miserable, do the same but also disqualify them from ever working in the industry again.

Those with good attitudes who just weren't proficient were sent off to other companies for a second chance, which is a common practice in this industry and one that I absolutely love. I myself am a beneficiary of this, as I was shipped off to another group after issues with the first. It's a win-win-win, as the initial company gets rid of someone who didn't fit their structure while gaining favor with the second company, said second company gains a trained employee at a bargain rate, and the employee gets to start over in a position of power, as they understand the industry much better than a fresh recruit.

Anyways... Everything above has led to a new workplace where call-outs simply do not happen. Everybody pulls their weight. There's a constant flux of new employees ready to take the place of anyone who can't stick to our company standard, but that's been primarily a safety net so far.

Because of how well the team has come together, today I get to raise wages across the board. Let me tell you, there is not a better feeling in the world.

As I sit here looking at a forecast that calls for as much as a foot of snow in an area where 3 inches constitutes a state-wide shutdown, I'm surprisingly calm. I know the team will do everything they can to make it in, and if we happen to fall behind, I know we can quickly clean things up when the weather clears up. We've been through a lot worse.

I was perfectly content to bake some chicken, steam some veggies. Maybe throw some chili sauce in for ZEST.

I was happy.

Happy, dammit!

But no. Nooooooooooooo. You just couldn't. Stop. Sharing. Food pics.

Rib roast!

BAM

Homemade ham!

SMACK

Smoked Ribeye!

POW

Well... Fine. I can't take it anymore. I give up. You win. You're all just too damn powerful. I'll save chicken for another night. And you know what they say...

If you can't beat 'em... Join em. [vivid flashbacks to buying a Miata]

Let me introduce you to my first experience with Lamb.

And not just any lamb. A rib roast straight from the butcher, that I frenched myself (that's going to sound a bit off if you're unfamiliar with the practice of frenching ribs...).

"Why lamb?"

Because one of you monsters mentioned it in the comments of another one of y'alls food posts and I said to myself, "why not?" Smh.

"How'd I cook it?"

Like I was channeling all of God's divine power into the singular task of creating the most tasty dish ever to grace this mortal realm.

"No, really. How'd you cook it?"

Okay fine. After frenching—aka removing all the tissue from one section to get those pretty exposed bones—I heavily salted/peppered and let sit on the counter for an hour. ish. I got distracted, okay.

Next up, she went straight into the smoking hot cast iron skillet that had a millimeter or so of vegetable oil bubbling away atop it's scalding surface. (please note, I rode four miles across town to get my 90 year old cast iron treasure of a pan DESPITE having a perfectly serviceable lodge cast iron pan already at home. That's what I do for you, Oppo.)

Once the surfaces were nicely crusty, into the oven with the whole pan! 12 minutes at 450°F (for the metric type, HOT AS SHIT) and out she came. Onto the top went a dollop of the lamb seasoning I put together from fresh parsley, mint, some shaved lemon zest, and a smattering of red chili flakes #livedangerously

How was it?

When I say I don't think I've ever cooked an entrée as good as this... Oh man. I mean it. The outer layer was a perfectly textured crust just dripping with flavor, the interior was a tender-as-can-be medium rare...

I'm hooked.

The best part is, compared to the steaks I spent a good chunk of 2020 mastering how to cook, this lamb was pretty cheap. $9 for 1.2 pounds at the butcher? Yep, I can do that. Now if you'll excuse me... Food coma time. (or maybe I'll cook the other half)

Look at that mirror surface. There's a reason the lodge pan stayed in the cupboard today...

I chopped $60/month off of my phone bill by paying off the phone I bought a year ago, and downgrading from T-mobile's Magenta Plus plan to Magenta. I drop from 20GB Hotspot to 3GB, and I lose the free 3G service worldwide but with international travel off the table... Meh. No big loss.

I know I could cut off the a lot more from the monthly phone bill by switching to one of the smaller providers that uses big three's networks, but.... I really like T-mobile. I've had excellent customer service, I value the add-ons they include, and I reaaaaaally like their checking account service. Worth paying for a bit more imo.

Between the phone, and the loan I'll finally be paying off tomorrow, I'll be debt free and have my monthly expenses dip into the three digit range. 2021 let's go baby!

Makes me feel better about waking up at noon, staying in my bedroom for four hours with the lights off, taking a nap after that, and only now finally making it out to the living room.

Yes, I did finish that bottle of champagne by myself. And yes, I might have brought out the Empress gin after that. And sure, maybe I did unwittingly time my day 2 caffeine withdrawals to match up perfectly with my hangover. But it's fiiiiiiine.

Happy 2021 oppo! Let's get that bread.

vomits

Tell me, do you know what's wrong with this picture?

I can't blame the driver for getting stuck. Despite looking firm, a section of road was seemingly a layer of dirt over a foot of mud, as I sunk down almost to my knee when I stepped towards the rear tire.

He buried the rear tire, couldn't move forward, tried moving back, and went in even deeper. Even if they'd been used correctly, the maxtrax would have been useless here.

All-in-all a good rescue though. No injuries, no property damage, no truck damage, and only 40 minutes from getting stuck to being rescued.

You ever sit in your tub for 20 minutes waiting for the perfect opportunity to ambush your roommate with a nerf gun? Yes, I am a man child.

Traffic cameras. One of those things I never gave much thought to, but it just so happens that one of the the three major cities I dispatch to has public traffic cam access. I was up until 2am checking feeds, seeing what direction the weather was taking. Apparently Issaquah has the best plow service on the Eastside. Who would have guessed?

I'm happy to say that despite a once-in-a-decade snowstorm I got 85% of my routes out and there have been zero accidents on road. Meanwhile... Well. Let's just say that 85% number puts my group in the top catagory. By far. We're also one of the trickiest areas to service, due to rural mountain routes that aren't cleared by any city.

Now the only issue is going to be handling the influx of delivery volume when all the semi's finally make it to our station. That could be tomorrow. That could be the end of the week. I'm hoping... It's the end of the week when I'm on vacation

Do you ever do something, just to say you can? Just to have an arbitrary obstacle to overcome, reaffirming your fortitude?

That was Mailbox Peak for me.

It's been a year since I last hiked. A year of mostly sitting on my ass focusing 100% of my efforts on a career. I wouldn't trade this past year for anything, but suffice to say I'm not in great shape right now.

Which is why I planned to do an easy hike today. I had planned to do so as far back as two weeks. That continued to be the plan a day ago. It was also the plan when I woke up and pulled my gear together, hopping on my bike.

I'm not sure when exactly the plan changed, but at some point I realized that instead of Rattlesnake Ledge—a simple 1.5 round-trip beloved by family's—my brain had become deadset on tackling Mailbox.

Ah... Mailbox. We've got a history. Each time I finish this grueling trek, I swear myself off of ever putting my mind and body through that torture again, for as long as I live. And yet, there I was at the trailhead, 4th notch about to be added to the bed post...

There I was, attempting Mailbox solo for the first time.

There I was, geared up for a light stroll through the woods, with a monstrous elavation gain through terrain befit for none but the mountain goats.

There I wasn't. First steps started out shaky, cadance unused to the foreign poles in hand. It was not long before my heart beat a rhythm against my chest, vying with speeding up with each footfall.

When I say this hike hurt, I don't mean now, as I'm sitting at home resting sore muscles. I mean it HURT, almost from the first near-vertical step, so much energy spent dragging an unhappy body up and over a plethora of tangled roots, shattered rock, and snowfields.

Sweat hot enough to burn holes through the snow as it rained off me, I climbed. At this point the snow was up to my knees outside of the 12 inch wide path that was somewhat trampled down by infrequent hikers.

Mailbox is not renowned as a beautiful journey, with breathtaking landscapes around every bend. If you want hikes that will leave you in awe of their beauty for decades to come, look elsewhere.

The first three quarters of the hike are spent climbing damn near vertical roots and shale, surrounded by trees. It's an old, unmaintaned path, and as such finding the path can at times be... Difficult.

I stopping counted the times I'd lost the trail after 10. All I could think about was how screwed I'd be trying to find my way down this labyrinth at night.

Eventually, you rise above the treeline. Your reward? An avalanche-prone snowfield, buffeted by 50mph winds. Hooray. A glance back and suddenly the tree filled hell is suddenly a mile away...

At this point, the only thing left alive inside of me was a flickering hope that someone had left a snack in the Mailbox anchored atop the peak. Cheez-its were what my mind latched onto, but I would have eaten fried bugs if they were offered to me.

Each step entailed 10 seconds spent sagging against hiking poles, only to lift a heavy foot up and into the next snowy hole. A small plus—my new boots performed great, giving up a bit of comfort for vastly improved waterproofing and stability, compared to my last pair.

The last stretch of Mailbox is... Unpleasant. Extreme steepness gives way to a climb that would be better approached with pickaxes than microspikes. The wind sends an endless stream of ice crystals into every exposed nook and cranny, until your left crawling up the mountain blind, head tucked down to combat the bitter cold.

I made it to the top. Almost got blown off. Found no food in the mailbox, only snow. That, and two other hikers, who chatted with me briefly, yelling against the wind. After three minutes at the peak, I started back down, hands frigid, body drained. Legs quivered, gave out, collapsed. Arms lost the strength to use poles properly. Running on E, gravity was the only thing that got me back down under the treeline.

Where the old trail and new trail meet, I had one last choice to make. In the past I'd always gone up the treacherous old trail, but taken the newer switchbacked trail down to the bottom. While it was three times longer in distance, it was well-marked, and much easier on a body that had given up a quarter of the way up.

So of course, I had to take the old trail back down.

The infrequent diamond markers were my guiding lights, bringing me back whenever I wondered astray.

I made it back down safely, swapped hiking for riding gear, and hopped on the freeway for forty minutes before arriving back to the comfort of my home.

But oppo, let me tell you something.

I will never hike Mailbox again.

Desolate beaches stretching for miles, unblemished mountain-tops begging to be explored, terrifying scrambles up granite, clay, and sand—an insatiable thirst for adventure shooting pure adrenaline through your very being, denying even the slightest possibility of turning back. From elk to eagles to picturesque sunsets—mother nature rewarded the explorers richly as they journeyed across the coast.

A coast that seemingly went on forever.

Long hours on the road were spent debating the strengths of investments. From bitcoin's atmospheric rise and subsequent fall, to property management across a vast array of different markets worldwide. Those hours allowed for an organic deep dive into the intricacies of achieving financial freedom. What do you want your life to look like? What are you actively doing to achieve that life? What is your timeline? How are you setting up passive income? In what ways have you found success in the midst of a pandemic that has fundamentally changed the way we'll work forever?

Bouncing ideas back and forth and sharing insights gained from walking different paths was a real highlight of a trip that was nothing but highlights.

And the food. Good God, the food. Fully-dressed Dungeness Crab caught but a few miles away. Smoked ribeye, the quality of the dish matched only by that of the conversation—compliments to the owners of the diner. Cod, salmon, halibut, rockfish—fried, fileted, breaded, served raw. Enough local beer to sink a battalion matched perfectly with an ever-flowing supply of fine aged cheeses...

Oregon, thanks for the great time. See you soon.

I took ten days off. Driving south along the Oregon coast with a friend. Flying by the seat of our pants, deciding what we want to do one day at a time. It's been incredible. New adventures daily, beautiful roads along the ocean, and sublime weather.

We've been airbnb'ing it, and eating at a ton of little hole-in-the-wall joints. Best fish 'n chips I've ever had were at a food truck in Astoria. Rockfish, of all things.

Due to Covid we've been eating outside mostly. Sometimes on the street, parking lots, waterfronts... And thanks to what appears to be a county-based reopening, even the occasional indoor dining area! 2019 vibes.

What feels like an endless stream of breweries too. I'm amazed at the number of breweries here! In Astoria alone, I spotted no less than 3 cider houses just driving through.

Have some cars for your time.

@taylor-martin don't worry, you'll be doing 20 minute oil changes in no time. If you really want to make things easy, pick up a fumoto oil valve. No more undoing the drain plug or replacing a crush washer. Just flip the switch and it will all drain nice and easy. You can even attach a plastic tube to the drain valve to keep even the smallest drop from spilling. I don't know where your filter is, but if you can install it from the top of the engine bay you may not even need to jack up your car to do an oil change.

Right on!!! Looks well-optioned too, I don't see any button blanks. There are some very unique euro-specific options like rear seat heaters, retractable window shades that roll up inside the door cards, gasoline/diesel powered windshield defrosters, that the US spec cars are in some cases already wired for, so if you ever feel like jumping down the rabbit hole...

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzNKaFUdyMemamxESUVYWl9odlE/edit

Is this a turbo car?

I too had Maxsa boards for a few years. Admittedly a pretty different situation, as I used them for a 2000lb Miata in the snow, but I did rescue a fair number of modern Subarus.

The boards held up well, although if I had any sort of wheel spin with knobby tires I would break off the tips of the traction board surface.

@hammerheadfistpunch ha!

@hammerheadfistpunch sounds like we're in similar situations. From my very unscientific research, I believe people put up with Apple primarily for imessages.

@roadkilled you had me in the first half.

@facw @Just-Jeepin after reading that linked article, I guess there really isn't an industry charging standard within USB-c technology. And it's getting worse, not better. Yikes. And by the time we hit acceptable uniformity rates there will be a new charger style vying for supremacy...

Qualcomm's quick charge is something I've had the most exposure to, and to my eyes is by far the most widespread. It sounds like it's the better charging standard in terms of performance, and I guess that's borne out by the fact that manufacturers pay to license it when they don't need to do so with PD. Power delivery, I'd never heard of until today. Amazon wouldn't even auto-fill when I searched for chargers that met that standard.

@just-jeepin the first issue we had was similar to that. Installed new dash mounted USB ports that had plenty of power... But not the proper certifications that Apple started requiring, so charging speeds were throttled to uselessness.

@just-jeepin are you using Pros? We've had zero issues with our other tablets. And my team is using GPS and data with full brightness. Again, with a modern phone or the older iPads, they can do so all day without needing a charger. Just the pros that seemingly die instantly.

I'm usually a proponent of using the best quality gear (within reason), but I think Apple took it way too far with cables. In my life I have never seen a consumer electronic product damaged due to a cheap cable.

@way2blu just give it the greenhouse of a mid 2000's Subaru Outback. Problem solved!