Pale-Blue-Dot
Goodbye, Boston
I initially planned to work from home, but it didn’t take long for me to start experimenting with different coffee shops. After a few weeks, I picked this place next to my father’s office and began coming here regularly. I wrote many of my podcast scripts, blog posts, and chapters of my books at this Starbucks.
This is the third time I have lived in Boston. It is now time to leave. Again.
We are leaving soon, and it’s been hard to say goodbye. Part of my family lives here, and the city itself holds a special place in my heart.
Thank you, Boston!
More present than his other suppliers from across the city
When I began consulting for Amaral Maia Sociedade de Advogados, located over 1.000 km away from me, many of my customers were already remote. But this was the first time a CEO told me something so special.
Even though it was a long project, the CEO and co-founder, Antonio Maia and I only met in person at the 2014 Evernote-Conference. That’s when he told me that I was always more present than his other suppliers from across the city. I always believed in building strong relationships with my clients, regardless of distance, so this was such a lovely compliment to receive.
The consulting project with Amaral Maia Sociedade de Advogados was selected by Evernote for my presentation at the conference, which you can watch below.
MacGyvering a broken suitcase.
The plan was to contrast two realities that couldn’t be further apart by spending a couple of days in Berlin after our long journey across India by train.
It’s January, and since the weather was the opposite in both countries, we had to bring two very different types of clothes. That’s why we are traveling with a suitcase that isn’t the appropriate size for trains.
Long story short, always dragging it sideways on train hallways and then pulling it on the rough terrain around the stations damaged the wheels and turned it into a limping suitcase. Although it was like driving with a flat tire, it didn’t make sense to fix it because it would break again. But now that we are in Berlin, I decided to take a look at the situation.
I thought the wheels were just jammed, but that wasn’t the case. Two of them lost almost all of their bearing spheres, and there’s no way I can fix that with the tools I brought with me.
After some investigation, I was able to dismantle the axle and reposition one good wheel on each side. I was happy to have a working rolling suitcase again, but the wheels were too loose and that was not going to last long. The solution was to MacGyver it by cutting pieces of a pen barrel, which I used as a spacer. And that worked like a charm.
Very Expensive German beer
This was going to be our first time in Germany, so as we purchased the tickets, I started thinking about all the delicious beers I would be trying. Fast-forward to arriving at the hotel, and things couldn’t be more perfect. There’s a grocery store waiting for me across the street.
My wife went for the healthy food, while I started browsing the enticing options available in the beverages' aisle. A good while later, I met her at the cashier, bringing with me a single bottle of Heineken.
— What happened? — The German ones are too expensive. I’m not paying all that for a beer, even a German one. — How expensive? — Very!
She couldn’t believe it, and we both went back to check it out. “What do you mean by expensive?” she asked while showing me different options that cost less than 1 euro.
I was so overwhelmed by all the options and so many tags, ads, and other information in front of me that I could only see the packs prices. It was a terrible moment for a case of tunnel vision. There were many possible reasons, but it was most likely the Indian currency we’d been dealing with during the first half of the trip.
Finally realizing my mistake, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. We both laughed, and I grabbed a few bottles.
