I went on vacation with my partner to Colorado and it was pretty good. On the plane, I watched The Accountant 2, and it was entertaining. I liked the first one, so I was happy to see the second one. A bunch of action along with investigating some criminals. The pilot was funny, he gave us trivia questions before the flight began and then handed out some prizes to anyone who wanted one. The options were a United lanyard and a stats card of the plane. I got the card

After we arrived, there was lots of driving – we drove from Denver Airport to Aspen. Along the way, we went to Leadville to eat lunch and passed through the Independence Pass. When we got to the summit of Independence Pass, it started to hail, so we had to drive down to Aspen before it got worse.

The trip was pretty good. We hiked Maroon Bells, went up a gondola, did some whitewater rafting, ate some tasty food. I didn’t realize it before, but the cost of living is really high for Aspen. One of the whitewater rafting guides mentioned that the billionaires pushed out the millionaires from Aspen to Basalt.

The inn we stayed at was on the main street and was convenient to walk to all the shops. It was easy to get a bike share, easy to buy stuff from the grocery store, get ice cream, souvenirs, etc. Lots of people in cowboy hats and boots.

We also happened to be in town for their annual ducky derby. They raced rubber ducks down a river and the top ducks got prize money. There is even a chance to win $1 million. We entered 2 ducks in the race, but we did not end up winning.

I recently asked my coworker this question and he said he would pay $60-70 thousand for a jetpack. I was surprised and asked him why. He mentioned that the jetpack would essentially replace his car. Of course, I caveated the question with stuff like jetpacks are safe, they are easy to use, there aren’t a ton of people with jetpacks, etc. I also started this line of questioning when we were stuck in traffic and gave an idea of a police escort as a service company. He said he would only pay like $5 for that type of service. I said I wouldn’t pay and concluded that this type of service would probably just be for people with private jets and chauffeurs and stuff like that – rich people who want to save time.

How much would I pay for a jetpack? Not much. I think I would want to try it out first, like a bikeshare or rideshare before making the purchase. I also don’t think it could replace a car for me because it’s not like you can fly these for that far and you can’t really take any passengers or luggage with you. Right now, I’m thinking less than $5 thousand, but we’ll see if this technology takes off.

Background: I went to Vancouver for a friend’s wedding.

Woke up around 4 am. Took a shower, ate some toast that turned cold and a banana, rested a bit more, finished packing, called an Uber, rode in the Uber while the driver listened to people on YouTube talking in Spanish. Arrived at the airport and was able to go through security pretty quick. Hung out at the Capital One lounge for a bit before heading to the gate. Flight was a bit delayed but that didn’t stop people from standing in line and waiting. Got on the plane, took a nap, watched a couple movies, Heretic and Moana 2, did some work, tried a tower defense game, but lost pretty early. Left the plane, immigration was super quick, went on a skytrain to Vancouver. The train was really clean and smooth, but not much seating. Walked to the office and worked for a few hours before heading to the hotel. The walk was about 30-40 minutes, but the buildings and scenery along the way were nice. Got asked if I wanted to donate to a high school basketball team, I declined, but maybe I just met a future NBA star. Went to the hotel and didn’t see any staff. Got hungry and left to get some food. Ordered takeout at a Vietnamese place and waited for a bit. Got a complimentary iced tea and glass of water for my wait time and then left to eat along the beach. Took pictures with some happy statues and then ate on a bench. There were so many geese and ducks walking around and pooping. The Bahn mi was ok, but I think the pork could’ve been better. Walked around the beach and Stanley park. Saw some people climbing rope and then they challenged me to do it. I was able to touch the top as well. Found a golf course and heard some people frustrated about their performance. Walked around in a garden and then a lagoon. Some ducks flew towards me and their feet were gliding on the water as they landed. They started looking at me and walking towards me. Found a huge tree that fell over and then encountered a raccoon trying to get to its spot. Found a bunch of tennis courts and lots of tennis players and thought that maybe pickleball hasn’t taken over Canada. Walked around some neighborhoods and saw a lot of nice flowers grown by the community. Eventually headed back and bought some eggs and yogurt. Pretty eventful day in the city and a lot of walking.

I finished my 100th class a few days ago and wanted to provide an update. I continue to go to the class once a week. I’m pretty comfortable during the class, but I’m still learning new techniques and practicing old techniques in each class. The school that I go to doesn’t have too many members, but they all have been pretty friendly and respectful. I did a belt test a few months ago and am now a yellow belt. Despite this, I think that in a real fight, I would still be pretty frightened and attempt to disengage.

Taking these classes has helped improve my confidence and has given me more things to talk about in social settings. I was not interested in viewing any fighting sports growing up, apart from movies, but I watch these types of videos on YouTube.

One thing I still haven’t figured out is how much strength I should use when sparring. When I’m sparring, I feel like I’m not putting in that much strength. However, it always seems like my sparring partner is using a lot of strength. Maybe their 50% is much stronger than my 50% – I’m not sure.