Optimus Omnium
Premier Boston Real Estate Agent
We're a little past that now, but I thought this video was great. Another perfect example of Land Rover's amazing ability to relate to and build a relationship with their customers. Interesting that it's made by Tavistock Productions.
The Tucson Gem show was in February, and I'm just getting around to posting about it. There were so many photos, I just kept putting off editing them!
The Tucson Gem and Mineral show is an annual pop up market place in Tucson. From what I could tell, it takes over the entire city and lasts for several weeks. I had no idea what to expect. But it was very cool. The convention center was set up with an official show with tickets required for entry. The majority of the vendors took over local hotels. These hotels became shopping malls. And I met a new friend, Sunshine.
This guy hand makes each knife at his shop. He was a pretty chill dude. I think he was carrying. (he was)
I got the impression it was mostly for retailers. Everything was cheap and vendors were constantly asking for Tax ID numbers. But there were all different sorts of vendors from all over the world. Some vendors had little dyed carved chachkis. Others had meteorites, and diamonds. It was a great mix of gem dealers/traders and jewelry makers, with more spiritually and energetically sensitive people.
I don't worry, but when I do, it's about food. I brought so much to the Gem Show. We drove down from LA. But there was this amazing food stand that supplied me with too much jun, and amazing brownies and empanadas. Nice Food really came to the rescue. The girl in the picture's name is Natafreak, like Natalie. I think. She was like "you gotta try the kava, it'll make your mouth go numb." So we tried the kava.
These were some high end pieces. Guys come up from Brazil for this show.
The moon rock in my hand was found in Morocco, the larger one on the plate is from Mali.
I thought that would be a cool tile. And see all that pyrite? It was half off listed prices. I bought the smaller of the spine/skull handles. Gave it to my mom for her birthday. I hope she uses it. If not, I'm going to take it back. That selenite looking bottle on the bottom is hand blown glass made in Massachusetts!
byeeeeeee.
In case you didn’t know, I want my own plane. It’s one way we can buy time, which is priceless. The general consensus is, it makes sense to own if you spend over 300 hours a year in flight. And if I’m going to get a plane, the first thing to do is pick one out. I think I’ve decided on and Bombardier Global 6000. It’s the most recent variant of the Global Express. As far as private planes go, this one is a classic. The only thing it's missing is a washer and dryer. It’s NetJet’s flagship aircraft. It took its first flight in 1996. Although, the version known as the Global 6000 wasn’t announced until 2003. Now let me break it down to you why I’ve gone with this option:
If it's mine, I don't see why I couldn't fill the tanks with Pristine Hydro water.
It holds 13 passengers. That’s quite a few. I don’t think of myself as traveling with more than 9 or so people. I’d put the vacant seats up for sale. I mean it’s big, but it’s not too big. Understated.
The cabin has 6’2” of clearance, which is pretty good for a small plane. I don’t know about the 6000, but I know the 7000, which is coming out next year, can have a full size stand up shower.
It’s got 2 Rolls Royce turbofans, which is very cool. Jet engines are neat. Those engines bring it to cruising speed over 3/4 the speed of sound.
And it can travel 7000 miles on a tank of gas. That’s amazing! I’m lucky if I break 200 miles on 1 tank in my Defender. This is a major selling point for me. Non stop BOS-LAX and back. That's like 14 hours non stop. You never know when you’re going to need to get away. Being in the air could be a good hiding place.
At $45,000,000 new, it’s a good value. You’d be insane to buy a new one anyway! This one for $28,500,000 is gorgeous. Plus, planes depreciate in value pretty quickly. IE you can claim it as a loss. "Fuck, my plane dropped $600,000 last year, it's a loss!" Maybe to the IRS, not to me! Keep in mind, the people that write the tax code fly on private planes. How many people are going to know about "accelerated depreciation?" I don't think anyone that has a plane would complain. If you're smart, you can get in you're own aircraft for $10,000/mo. So I'm told.
Plastic water bottle. Can you believe that?
Now here’s why I want a plane, and I’m assuming the same reasons everyone wants a plane. And I know, it doesn't make sense for everyone to have their own. There’s a reason NetJets and JetSmarter and things like that are taking off. Pun INTENDED. We’re not like the Jetson’s yet where the cars fly.
I hope it's a low VOC interior.
You are on your own schedule. You fly when you want to fly, and if you’re running 15 minutes late, it’s no big deal. And there are no delays, no missed connections.
You can always fly at night. Flying at night is much better for your body. Don’t you feel strung out when you fly? I do. And I blame solar radiation. That, and not being grounded in general.
You can bring whatever snacks and drinks you want.
If you lose a bag, it can only be your fault.
The seats are bigger. And there’s probably a divan.
None of that TSA psyop bullshit.
Parking is free. Just leave your car where the plane was.
Oh the smörgåsbord I'd have.
Very Restoration Hardware-esqu
After writing this, I think NetJets or JetSmarter should sponsor me. Send me your bids here. Or maybe I should get my pilot’s license. Or both! Environmentalists please comment below.
Here is pretty much a documentary on how to choose your plane, and make it more affordable.
“If everything happens for a reason that means you made the right choice even when it’s the wrong choice””
My New Year's resolutions this year are:
So this yurt thing. I love Montana. I’ve been here 8 times in the last 8 years. Can’t get enough of the place. And because I’m always a houseguest, I’m always pushing the mooching/overtsaying limits. My solution is to buy some land and throw a yurt on it. I really don’t know what this entails, but I think that it can all be done for under $100,000.00. The biggest expense is the land. I built a yurt on Pacific Yurts, and figure it would cost me about $12,000 including a cement foundation and basic necessities like a stove. I haven’t looked into power or water sources yet. Ideally I’d find land with a spring. Power I’m not too concerned about. I feel like it would be pretty straightforward this day in age to get some solar panels and a battery. And a generator for emergencies. The only thing I'm concerned about is where the Aga Cooker will go.
If you’re reading this, you probably know that I sell a few products on this site. However, they’re not really mine. The chocolate bars are, but I’ve only had one order and it’s difficult for me to make them on a larger scale. I have, however, been working on T shirts. If you’ve been following my blog, you might have seen the write ups for National Reconnaissance Office Mission Launches. Well, I have several of those patches and have attached them to organic cotton shirts. As of now, they’ll be very limited and unique. No two are the same. Stay tuned.
When I accomplish goal number 3, I will feel so much more relaxed. That’s how I try to look at my goals. Not necessarily the thing itself, but how I’ll feel with the thing. I love traveling, but hate flying commercially. It’s always on the airlines schedule, they’re bound to fuck something up, and it’s such a waste of time. And time is all you really got so don’t waste it. I’m very lucky to have grown up with grandparents that had a plane, shared amongst family members. I’m not trying to brag. It was a hand-me-down from Ted Turner. The seats are made of bison leather and the cup holders have “Ted’s Montana Grill” coasters in them. Thankfully, there’s no wifi. And let me tell you, it is nice. You’re on your own schedule, there’s no Totalitarian Subjugation Acclimators (TSA), and you can bring bombs! I mean liquids, you can bring liquids. Like spring water for brewing gynostemma tea for a relaxing tonic while night flying across the Caucasus. Some of you may bitch at me for environmental reasons. Feel free, but I’ll save that argument for a different venue.
Bombardier Challenger 350
These are three of my goals, and are not necessarily in any order or represent everything I want to accomplish. They also have nothing to do with “New Years.” Every day is the beginning of a new year. If you want to accomplish something, as my old economics teacher in high school used to say, “get after it.” Do things as they come, in the capacity that you can work towards them at that moment. Don’t wait for an arbitrary date. If you do, to me, that means it’s not really a goal. January 1st is just an excuse for us to look at a new beginning. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but there’s no reason to wait 365 days begin anew. Everyday is new. I saw my friend Robin put something on Instagram that said something like “Happy New Now.” She hit the nail on the head. It’s all now. Happy New Year!
“My son is now an “entrepreneur.” That’s what you’re called when you don’t have a job.”
So I’m in Montana visiting my friend Frannie at the Yellowstone Club. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a private residential community in Big Sky. It has an interesting history, but from what I can tell is the premier private community for those with higher standards. And it’s not cheap. Which means that the membership is left to a small, very successful few. Members include Eric Schmidt, Tom Brady and Peter Berg. And what better way to learn how to be successful than putting yourself around successful people! You’re the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with, so choose wisely.
Yesterday we went to a mentor panel. Five successful businessmen and businesswomen were asked to share a little bit about what they thought got them where they were. Here, I’d like to share with you my takeaway.
First up was my friend Neale Attenborough! A fellow east-coaster. Neale is an operating executive at Golden Gate Capital, and has a history of selling “lady’s dresses” as he puts it. Neale’s main point was that every connection matters. He says that something along the lines of 85% of jobs are found through networking. And you never know what a person you meet today will be doing a year from now. And when networking, Neale stresses the importance of listening and asking questions. If you really engage and try to learn about the person you’re connecting with, you’re going to walk away with more than you left. Then there’s the part I didn’t like hearing so much. “There’s no substitute for hard work.” Shit. But then I realized, if you’re doing what you love, it’s not really work. Like writing this. It could be seen as work, but I’m enjoying organizing and sharing my notes! Neale went on to say that effort and hard work will always be noticed. Neale ended with something that I thought was really important. Especially because successful people often get a bad wrap as being sharks, or cut throat and only out for themselves (Recent Relevant Article). He stressed that it’s important to always be kind, and that the majority of the business leaders he’s met with, were also some of the kindest people he’s met.
Next up was Nancy Domaille. She and her husband founded a precision engineering and manufacturing company, Domaille Engineering. She began working at IBM after college, working on AS400. Her husband had a thing for fiber optics. So when they began to feel stagnant in their jobs, they took out a loan to start their own business. The most important takeaway from her, was that it should be your goal to make your clients successful. A successful business has to constantly focus on how they can develop a better product and service. I think a lot of people forget that. Without clients, there is no business. I think this ties into something else she talked about, getting satisfaction out of your work. Her take is that as long as you’re doing something meaningful, that satisfaction has to come. I got the impression that she implied satisfaction “will come,” meaning that at first you have to do something meaningful without getting any satisfaction. She and her husband have an interesting story, in that they sold their company, turned around a few years later and bought it back. And then sold it again! “We sold our business twice, and I highly recommend it.”
The third speaker is President and CEO of Arctic Cat, Chris Metz. He took a more personal approach to success. For your business to be successful, you need to be successful. A business is an extension of the owner/operator. And any person’s foundation is their integrity and character, according to Chris. It’s much more important to be respected than liked. I don’t think he means that you should be an asshole and have people respect you out of fear. I think he means it’s more important to make the right decision than to cave to the wants of others. One of his big pieces of advice was to stay humble. It’s far better to let others recognize your strengths on their own. I think that has to do with being respectable. Respectable people don’t go around boasting about how good they are at what they do. Chris also pointed out that you can’t go anywhere without taking risks. He said “take risks early and often.” He finished with a recommendation to find 1-2 good mentors, and eventually a good partner.
The next guy was Gary Rochelle. I’m not sure how to spell his name, but he gave some great advice. His number one piece of advice was learn how to respect, manage and work with people. And an integral part of that is being comfortable with yourself. Gary says that you need to know what you’re willing to risk, and what you’re not before you set out on any endeavor. Another key point of his was “you’re not that special.” I think what he meant, is that anyone can be successful. It’s about finding and using your strengths efficiently. Just because you’re not that special doesn’t mean you aren’t unique. Part of separating yourself to stand out is highlighting your uniqueness. Gary also brought up hard work. He said you can have a good life by working hard, but to have a great life you have to work hard, but also recognize and seize opportunities as they present themselves.
The last woman that spoke didn’t introduce herself, so I don’t know her name. But she works in both the semiconductor and fashion industries. She also touted the importance of making connections, but also “serendipity.” She relayed a story where she was supposed to have dinner with friends in France, but they stood her up. She ended up meeting a french businessman, who ended up becoming her business partner. Aside from networking, she drilled in the significance of taking risks. She says that risk taking is a lifestyle and one that should be adopted sooner rather than later. “If you don’t take risks in your 20s, you’re not going to take risks in your 30s.”
TL;DR:
Be nice, be personable, listen, take risks, learn from others who are doing what you want.
I hope you found this as interesting and helpful as I found the panel!
“But at times I wondered if I had not come a long way only to find that what I really sought was something I had left behind.”
It’s my own premade mix (with corcydeps!) in the jar!
Cordyceps traditionally grows at high altitudes, so what better place to eat it than at a high altitude! Cordyceps is a mushroom that’s been used since the beginning of time, about 12,000 ago. Just kidding. It’s been around for a while, I mean it’s a mushroom so it’s probably been around in some form since before Earth. It contains hypoxanthine, which according to NASA, originally formed extraterrestrially.
Anyway, it became more widely known in the 18th century, and modern science has allowed us to research how and why cordyceps does what it does. There’s a lot out there on cordyceps, so buckle up.
What does cordyceps do? Depends who you ask. If you ask someone in Chinese Medicine they’d say it nourishes yin and yang jing, strengthens kidneys and tonifies qi. If you ask a caterpillar it would probably say it’s a killer. If you asked an Olympic athlete they’d tell you it’s that little suttin suttin that puts them over the edge into the winners circle. If you asked an Olympic athlete they’d tell you it’s that little suttin suttin that puts them over the edge into the winners circle.
It’s probably most famous as a lung tonic. It helps your body use oxygen more efficiently. That makes sense to me. It grows in a lower oxygen environment, and can help us thrive in a lower oxygen environment. For example, 8500 feet above sea level like I am right now. I’m writing this article now because I want to highlight how cordyceps helps me adapt to the thinner air.
Di Tao cordyceps comes from regions of China even farther from the sea than that. Like 12,000 feet above the sea! However, cordyceps is much more than a lung tonic. It’s great for your heart, containing adenosine, which is actually prescribed for arrhythmia. That also helps with ATP synthesis and energy production. It’s been shown to help the liver, which in turn normalizes hormone levels and cholesterol. It’s also been shown to help fight cancer, specifically reducing leukemia and lung cancer tumor sizes.
For this trip, I premade a mix. But I made sure it's cordyceps heavy. There's also some astragalus in there, another great lung tonic. It's so dry out here, qi flow can be more easily upset. There's also some reishi, he shou wu and mucuna because you can't really go wrong with that trio. And also some eucommia bark, to keep my knees strong and flexible on this ski trip.
I’ll expand on this more later, I gotta hit the new urban booter. There’s a fresh foot of powpkapow, can’t let it go to waste!
“I have found out there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.”
I have a love/hate relationship with traveling. I thoroughly enjoying going to different places, experiencing new cities, recognizing how others have changed since my last visit. Flying is what gets me. Flying, just like anything, has its advantages and disadvantages. It is generally the fastest mode of transportation, not including layovers, delays, the TSA and gate agents.
Unfortunately, body scanners are not the only source of radiation when flying. The altitude at which commercial planes generally fly contains twice the levels of UV radiation as found at sea level. Flying over clouds or snow can reflect the light (visible and invisible), doubling the amount of exposure in-flight. This is especially dangerous for pilots, who have significantly more exposure than the average traveler. Pilots’ exposure is also increased because of the large window in the cockpit. Cockpit windows are generally made of plexiglass and allow enough UV-A to pass to make a difference. One hour of flying at altitude can expose a pilot to as much radiation as would a 20 minute session in a tanning bed.
The body scanners are not only worthless, but harmful. You can opt out, but you have to stand next to the carry-on x-ray scanner while you wait to be patted down. I like to think of the pat down as a complimentary lymphatic drainage. The current TSA scanners use millimeter-wave frequencies to detect metal objects on your body. Great! I prefer ceramic knives anyway, no contact-oxidation. The TSA says the scanners are harmless, but interestingly enough, Raytheon uses the same technology in their "active denial system" for crowd control, which burns the targets skin. Their motto is "Pain without Injury." I think pain is usually an indicator of injury. If I burn my hand on a hot pot, that's an injury. Getting burned by a microwave is not different, and may even be more harmful. They argue that it's non lethal, but again this is dosage dependent. If you microwave someone for long enough, they'll die, or at least wish they were dead. Studies show that the active scanners can depress cell lifespan and alter genetic expression. So from here on, I’m going to spell out how I prepare to fly, to make my travel as efficient and harmless as possible.
There are several things you can do to prepare for flying that will help reduce the mental and physical stress. First of all, be healthy and fit. You don’t want to die traveling because you got a blood clot. Flying exposes you to a huge number of people. You’re going to be trapped in a sealed tube with a hundred other people. You don’t know what they’re carrying! Having an optimized immune system will create less stress in the body.
I like to load up on antioxidants before I fly. UV (as is x ray) radiation is ionizing radiation. That means that as the waves pass through you, they knock off electrons. Oxidation. When I know I’m traveling, I take MegaHydrate on a more regular basis. Not only is H-- the most potent antioxidant, but when combined with silica, helps detoxify radiation (I think). I also like to up the zeolites, powder and liquid. They each work differently. When I have the little bottle of NCD2, I take it with me through “security.” Vitamin C is another good one to consider, as is colloidal silver for immunity. I also tend to sweat, between carrying stuff, having many layers for many climates, stressing (just kidding, I don’t do that!) so I like to take 2-3 quintessentials before I leave for the airport. Edit: I just heard that liquids can be brought through security, if frozen. I am curious to know the justification, not that I'm complaining!
Mushrooms are great because not only are they adaptogens, but can stave off radiation as well. Chaga contains melanin, which can attach itself to radiation, and help the body eliminate it. Chaga also contains a usable form of superoxide dismutase, a very potent antioxidant. Being adaptogenic, it also helps to reduce mental stress and anxiety. TL;DR: Drink chaga even if you’re not traveling.
I brought this post up with my friends Scott and Nitsa over at Sun Potion, who also thought it was worth mentioning Reishi, for its supreme calming effects. Reishi is known as the herb of good fortune, which is also something you'll want when relying on so many other people and things to get where you want to go. Scott and Nitsa also mentioned taking a salt inhaler on the plane. I don't have any experience with one, but I can see how it makes sense. Drip some essential oils in there, and breath away! It works to clean and flush out your respiratory system. I definitely want to keep my lungs clean when trapped breathing recirculated airplane air. It's like having your own portable, personal rock salt lamp.
Look how tan that thing is!
In a previous post I mentioned grounding. When you’re in an airplane, you’re not grounded to the earth. But you can ground yourself to the plane by touching the frame of the seat in front of you, I hear. My understanding is that you can get some electrons, but the plane’s ground has only a limited supply, and does not contain any Schumann resonances. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t bring a Schumann resonance with you! I bring a zapper with me. Either this one or this one. Grounding when you reach your destination will also help reset your circadian rhythms, as will unprotected sunlight to the eyes.
The most important part of the flight is the snacks. I don’t care if we crash and burn, as long as I’m eating chocolate. Snacks are really important though. You don’t want an energy drop while your delayed for 16 hours in Minneapolis while on hold with the airline that forgot to put your bag on the plane. Two words: Goji berries. Sweet, complete protein and polysaccharid rich they are. And the number one food source of lithium. You’ll want that, it’s a mood stabilizer. All jokes aside, it is important to have chocolate with you as well. You’ll get some MAOIs, PEA, anandamide and theobromine, assuming you have good chocolate. Seasnax are another favorite of mine. Salty and iodine rich, perfect for helping me keep my calm and protecting my thyroid. My preferred energy source is fat, so I like to bring olives and/or some kind of nut, preferably macadamia. You might be thinking, “but if I bring food with me, it will be x-rayed!” Yes, that’s true. But all food on the other side of security will be, so it’s much cheaper to bring your own. I’ve successfully asked TSA agents to hand-check my food and supplements. Before I fly I take a screen shot off the TSA website saying you can have supplements hand inspected instead of sent through the scanner. Although, I just looked for the page on their site and can’t find it, but in any case, your supplements will experience ionizing radiation from outer space. Currently, the only way around that is strictly ground transportation.
The contents of my carry-on
Not all travel prep is directly related to the body. It’s important to pack smartly to maximize efficiency and organization. I think my backpack is perfect for travel. It has a secure space for my computer, 22L of space to hold my carry-on necessities (like food), an easy access top pocket and is durably made in Montana. The buckles are made with nickel plated stainless steel from Waterbury, CT. The fabric is DuPont engineered 1000D Cordura Nylon that’s nearly waterproof. Kletter opted for the old standby YKK zippers, in a larger than usual size. There are also nylon tabs on the backpack to pull in the opposite direction while zipping. It’s everything I want from a backpack, minus the sherpa.
Good headphones are another necessity for easy traveling. You want to hear the clearest sound, while not hearing babies cry. I don't like noise canceling headphones. They work by introducing frequencies that cancel out the ambient noise. That doesn't sound very efficient to me. And I don't want to have electronics strapped to my head if I'm only getting sub-par sound quality. I use ear buds for convenience when driving and out and about, but I prefer having space between the speaker and my ear. These are my favorite headphones, as you probably know. I previously said I was loyal to B&O. They're very comfortable over the ear headphones that sound amazing, with the option to daisy chain. What more could I ask for?
I also recently acquired a dope-ass suitcase. I’m 24 and I remember using three different suitcases in my lifetime so far. My new one will last me for the rest of my life. It’s aluminum with a lifetime warranty. It’s got 33L for my packing convenience, with 2 built in locks. Rimowa’s been around since 1898, so I’m thinking they’re doing something right I also appreciate that it's North American made. Rimowa's suitcases are made around the world, but mine happens to be from Canada.
