My personal annual report for 2024 is organized in the following sections:1
Year in Review
Spring marked the birth of my son, who just started crawling and recently attempted to swing his first kettlebell. He is already summiting mountain tops, shredding sledding hills, devouring bison liver, and passing a basketball better than anyone on the Phoenix Suns. He is destined for greatness, has been sleeping like a perfect little angel since day one, and can’t wait to take his first ice dip with his Dad. Maybe we’ll do that to celebrate his first birthday.
I started a new job in the fall as a research economist at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). Most of my work focuses on utility economics, such as pricing and rate design, but I’m also able to branch out as opportunities arise. It was bittersweet leaving my previous job at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, where I learned more about how utilities work than I had ever expected. Most of that learning came from my friends on the Economics team, who do great work serving the public interest for the State of Colorado. In addition to my PUC friends, I also miss testifying in big proceedings (e.g. the grind of writing testimony, the attention to detail, and the rush of defending my work on the witness stand).
I’m also excited for my future at EPRI, where I can apply my regulatory learnings, and prior experience to help tackle big challenges in the energy industry. One of the big draws for me was the ability to work with utilities from across the country, and even the world. It’s a great next step for my career, and I’ve already done some cool work in my first six months, including a benchmarking study of residential Time-of-Use rates (“cool” may have been the wrong adjective for many readers), and lots of research on the impact of data centers on utilities.
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The year ended on a sad note when my friend and former colleague, Andrew McLaren, tragically and suddenly passed away in November. I had the privilege of working with Andrew for years at SRP. We first met when we teamed up to work on a big corporate strategy initiative (earning the nickname “The A-Team”). Even though he was clearly a fantastic financial analyst, I was immediately impressed by his sense of humor. On top of crunching the numbers and creating great graphs, I could always count on Andrew to riff on a joke, or provide a funny tangent to lighten the mood while doing serious work.
Work. That’s the second thing I quickly came to appreciate about Andrew. He was always willing to do the work and completely buy-in to the task at hand. This trait is about more than just being reliable, or not complaining. It’s about deepening the work. There are people who are eager to get creative and explore — they reveal a new dimension to the project. Andrew was one of those people.
Our paths paralleled and crossed many times over the years. We both got our MBA’s from the same program at Arizona State University (I started mine the year after Andrew completed his); we both went through SRP’s rotational analyst program around the same time; and we both ended up leaving SRP to pursue adventures (while I moved to Colorado, Andrew started a consulting business; he eventually returned to SRP, where he worked until his passing).
Most recently, we worked together serving on the Board of Directors for HandsOn Greater Phoenix. I have been serving on the Board since about 2018. In 2021, our Board Treasurer was terming out and we needed to find a new Treasurer to join our leadership team. Andrew was the first person I thought of, and it was the only call I had to make. True to form, after a quick chat, Andrew was on the Board, all in, and making a big impact.
I’m heartbroken over this loss, and grateful for the time we had together. Thank you, Andrew, for the fun times, great work, and friendship. You were truly one of the good guys, and you are dearly missed.
Inspiration
Cyan Banister’s interview on The Tim Ferriss Show stands out as the most inspiring podcast I listened to in the past year. It’s nearly three hours long and I listened to the whole episode twice. Her story hit home in many respects, one literal: when she was homeless, Cyan spent time in Tempe, AZ, where I used to live as well. I recognized some of the places she mentioned, and this made her story feel especially real. More importantly, her broader stories of success and spiritual awakening inspired me. Themes of humility, resilience, accountability, and wonder abound.
I love how big her world is, and how open she is to finding the magic therein. Cyan is hyper-attuned to meaning. She keeps her eyes open, recognizes when the universe has revealed something special, and goes after it. “Strength and Responsibility” is a mantra I’ve clung to for a few years now, and her story adds a new spin: I need to (1) take Responsibility for finding the magic coursing through the world around me, subtle as it might be; and (2) build the Strength to seize that magic when the time is right. What is the universe trying to tell me? What is being asked of me? What’s my job here?
Jerry Seinfeld’s interview on Honestly with Bari Weiss was another point of inspiration for me in 2024. Similar to the show above, I listened to this episode twice. A couple of my favorite nuggets: (1) Have a little style, movements of style in everything you do…Know how to dress, know how to get a drink, be charming and tell a good story. (2) There’s no writer’s block. There’s lazy. There’s scared. Just sit down and realize you’re mediocre and you’re gonna have to put a lot of effort into this to make it good.
Finally, I’d like to highlight two enlightening episodes of EconTalk featuring Israeli journalist Haviv Rettig Gur: An Extraordinary Introduction to the Birth of Israel and the Arab-Israeli Conflict; and Terrorism, Israel, and Dreams of Peace. The first is from 2023, the second 2024. They’re both essential listening for anyone with strong opinions on the Israel-Hamas War or the broader question of “zionism.” I learned a great deal from these interviews. One takeaway for me is that we in the West tend to view the issue through our preferred lenses (e.g. oppressed vs oppressor, conservative vs liberal, “black” vs “white”, etc.), and none of these provide an accurate view. Rather, they distort a foreign, complicated, and tragic story.
To close this section, allow me to sing the praises of Russ Roberts, the host of EconTalk. He’s been podcasting since 2006 and, in my opinion, is the best in the business, largely because of three characteristics: (1) humility: he shares his opinions, but is quick to acknowledge he could be (and has been) wrong; (2) respect: for his guests, and for views he disagrees with; and (3) curiosity: he is fundamentally curious to learn and find the truth, even if it’s hiding or on the other side.
Books I Read in 2024
I read seven books in 2024, a dip in consumption, but understandable given all the big events of the year. Below, I share my notes on each book.
1. Meditations on Violence: A comparison of martial arts training & real world violence, by Sgt. Rory Miller. This book was much deeper than I expected it to be — a credit to the author’s writing style, thoughtfulness, and wild backstory. A couple takeaways were (1) to think of self-defense as recovery; and (2) to develop your “Go” buttons.
Regarding the former, it’s “recovery from stupidity or bad luck, from finding yourself in a position you would have given almost anything to prevent…The ideal is to prevent the situation. The optimal mindset is often a conditioned response that requires no thought (for the first half-second of the attack) or a focused rage.” (P8)
The latter is about making a list of “what is worth fighting for, never forgetting the question involves the risk of both dying and killing…these are your ‘Go’ buttons. You must commit that if one of them happens you will act ruthlessly and decisively…I will fight or run…I will do something.” (P136-137)
I also liked this bit: “People are not charming, it is not an inherited trait. Charm is something people use, a conscious act to get what they want. There are no charming people, only people who use charm.” (P53)
2. Live Ready: A guide to protecting yourself in an uncertain world, by Sam Rosenberg. I picked up this book after hearing the author interviewed on the Art of Manliness Podcast #960. My notes emphasize a general theme of taking responsibility to never be a soft target. This is similar to the lesson above, that ideally you want to prevent a violent attack from ever happening in the first place. The book offers a useful tool for responding to an interviewer (or being accosted): “I’m sorry, I can’t help you.” It’s “the best way to verbally interrupt an interview and create the opportunity to keep moving.” The author recommends stating this calmly, assertively, looking briefly at the interviewers face or chest, paired with holding up your hand in a universal “Stop” sign if needed. (P267-268)
3-5. The Remembrance of Earth’s Past Trilogy: The Three Body Problem, The Dark Forest, and Death’s End, by Cixin Liu. I don’t read much science fiction, but these books were a fun and mind-bending trip.
6. Take Command: Find your inner strength, build enduring relationships, and live the life you want, by Joe Hart & Michael Crom. I learned about this book from another episode of the Art of Manliness Podcast: #865 How to Win Friends and Influence People in the 21st Century. I read Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People years ago, and this book provides a fresh take on Carnegie’s classic teachings. It emphasizes many common themes I believe and try to practice, like emotional strength, courage and resilience, ownership and responsibility.
For example, “[1. Resilient] people accept that suffering is part of life. They adopt a mindset that leaves room for the possibility that hard times will come…[2. Emotionally] strong people become very good at choosing where they place their attention. They choose to focus their thoughts and their attention on the things they can change, while accepting what they can’t…[and 3. Emotionally] strong people continually ask themselves, ‘Is what I’m doing helping or harming me?'”2
7. Hunt, Gather, Parent: What ancient cultures can teach us about the lost art of raising happy, helpful little humans, by Michaeleen Doucleff. I devoured this book. It spoke in many ways to my philosophy that parents need to make kids part of their lives, instead making their lives revolve around their kids. It’s a simple idea, but as a new dad, extremely challenging to implement. And even though my son is a perfect little angel — who sleeps when he’s told to, eats everything on his little plate, and already reads at a ChatGPT level — my life has been pretty consumed by my little guy for most of the past year. Newborns are a somewhat different story from those of toddlers and older kids shared in this book, but it still presents some great ideas and learnings to keep in mind and try to implement in the future.
For example, the book emphasizes togetherness and here are some of my notes on that topic: Children are hard-wired to cooperate and be together. Trigger points for tantrums or anxiety are when they are separated and made to feel alone (e.g. naps, bed time, car seat, stroller). Don’t fight the instinct of togetherness; harness it. Don’t constantly force the child to be independent or accelerate the process of becoming independent. Give kids the room to develop at their own speeds. My application: don’t fight the contact naps.
Another nugget: “[If] you want your child to be calm, be calm yourself. Be quiet. Be still. Be tender. Over time, the child will come to see you as a safe haven in their emotional storms.” (P170)
And another: “Remind yourself that children don’t have the emotional skills that we adults do. We need to show them how calmness works, over and over again, before we can expect them to master the concept.” (P180)
I learned about this book from a 2022 episode of the podcast Honestly with Bari Weiss: What’s the Best Way to Raise Good People? A Debate.
Media Diet
The major change in my Media Diet in 2024 was that I canceled my subscription to The Economist. I used to love reading this newspaper, mainly because it is (1) a weekly publication, (2) written in a somewhat sophisticated and scholarly style, and (3) a reliable source of new ideas and in-depth analysis, especially on economics. However, in recent years things have changed, either at the paper, or in me. I found their coverage to be increasingly provocative and unreliable, especially around two issues — US presidential elections, and Israel — which they used to cover more evenly.
Further, the United States section is consumed by stories on politics, which leaves little room for coverage of other domestic news that I usually find more interesting. In recent years I spent my time reading only a few sections of the paper: China, Finance & Economics, and Obituary. In addition, my favorite column, Chaguan (on China), is now suspended. The rest of the paper seems largely political and predictable. I already miss sitting down with a cup of tea to read this paper (in print), and I especially miss the regular weekly feed of economics news, but I’m better off spending that time reading books instead. I now get nearly all my news from either (1) friends, family, and colleagues; (2) Marginal Revolution; or (3) podcasts, such as EconTalk, All-In, Honestly with Bari Weiss, and Conversations with Tyler.3
Goals Results
1. SFG I StrongFirst Kettlebell Certification
Not done: I set out to learn the KB Snatch this year and start working toward the SFG I StrongFirst kettlebell certification. I underestimated the impact of sleep deprivation from taking care of our newborn perfect little angel, and didn’t have as much time or energy for training as I typically do. Toward the end of the year, in my first attempt at a KB Snatch training session, my poor form caused the KB to slam against my forearm repeatedly. I ended up hurting my forearm, elbow, and bicep, sidelining myself for a couple months. Looking forward to giving this another go in the coming year, ideally with some coaching to help avoid another pitfall.
2. Train for violence
Partially done. I read a couple books on the topic and went to a few Krav Maga classes at the start of the year. Then our perfect little angel arrived and I had to put this goal on the back burner.
3. Go into the wilderness alone
Partially done. I was not able to carve out a week in the wilderness on the Colorado Trail like I have done in the past few years. But, did manage to squeeze in a one-night out and back on Segment 1, which I skipped when I started this endeavor in 2021. With Segments 1-21 covered, I have about 127 miles to hike from Spring Creek Pass (outside of Lake City) to Durango, where the Colorado Trail ends.
4. Write every day
Not done. However, I did lots of journaling this year, mainly to (1) document and process the birth of our son, (2) learn how to adapt to life with a newborn, and (3) keep me sane.
5. Memorize things
Not done. I bit off more than I could chew here. I will give this goal — of committing to memory new poems, quotes, songs, or excerpts — another shot in the future.
Footnotes
- Past annual recaps: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013. ↩︎
- This aligns with the concept of mythology mobility. ↩︎
- Past Media Diets: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019. ↩︎
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