I always have a lot going on so here’s what I’m doing now:

Last updated October 16th, 2026 from my house in Nicaragua

Reading

Currently reading Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow. More on the reading page.

(Yes, still reading this. It’s a pretty long book!)

Travel

No trips currently planned. Considering heading home to California for Thanksgiving or something. We’ll see. With El Nino coming and expected to be terrible this year I may just skip travel until all that passes.

Analog

Still loving my Traveler’s Notebooks and use them daily. I have also journaled daily for about 7ish years at this point. For that I just use a normal Amazon basic’s $8 journal.

I recently got a new pen that I am enjoying. It’s a Tactile Turn Bolt Action Pen. It’s machined and made in Texas and so far it’s fantastic. I’ve decided to stop buying disposable pens after a favorite of mine was discontinued by Pilot. So now I am interested in pens that will last a life time that I can easily just refill with a cartridge.

Work

I’ve had my hands full and juggling many things at once is starting to take it’s toll but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Tech

Just this week we launched Ponch. A digital loyalty card service. The cards live in the Apple or Google wallet and the system manages everything. We’ve already integrated it into California Wax Bar and the custom management platform that manages the salon. We are signing up our first customers and so far it looks pretty good and feedback (though it’s only been a couple of days) has been great so far.

Non Tech

A lot of progress at Colonial San Martin as we are installing the electrical infrastructure for the entire project. This is ending up costing nearly double than what was planned but it’s a must have. We’ve also been taking deposits on lots so we’re about ready to crank things up. I believe we will sell out the entire project within 6-12 months.

California Wax Bar has been doing great. We continue to increase sales on average of 15% per year. For a market like Nicaragua, this is actually pretty decent. We’re looking to expand into another market in the north of the country and also into El Salvador in the coming 6 months.

I am transitioning out of our involvement with GoldFish Farms in New Mexico. Unfortunately this just didn’t pan out and we are working to liquidate our holdings there.

Podcasts

I listen to a few podcasts. They can change at times but for now, these are the ones I’m currently listening to:

  • My First Million - I LOVE this podcast. The title sounds cheesy but the pod is not at all. This is probably the best podcast I’ve found in terms of actionable business advice and talk that’s spoken in a natural way. Almost like I’m just talking shop with my friends.
  • Swindled - Never gets old. Such a good podcast.
  • Heart Starts Pounding - Great story telling. True crime mixed with eerie events.
  • How I Built This - Great show but I usually skip half the guests just based on my interest in the company itself that’s being covered.
  • Business Wars - Cool podcasts about companies fighting against each other.
  • Founders - Podcast that covers biographies and autobiographies of important business founders throughout history. Very detailed and passionate. It’s usually a fun listen, though quite repetitive sometimes.
  • Tim Ferris - (I actually skip majority of the episodes but sometimes there’s a guest I’m interested in).
  • The Moth - Recently heard about it on another podcast and decided to give it a try. It’s really very interesting. It’s basically people telling a personal story in front of a crowd.
  • You Must Remember This - Podcast that tells stories about the golden age of Hollywood. My daughter recommended this to me. She said I must start with the season about MGM studios so that’s where I am. I like it so far, though it is a bit slow for my usual taste.
  • The Koerner Office - Sort of an “off the beaten path” business podcast. Covers all sorts of ideas that I’d never even think of (ie, building pickle ball courts for private homes) but I do like the format and off the cuff nature of the podcast. It’s a fun listen

Inspired by Derek Sivers /now page movement.