Jason's Daily Notes

I'm writing this at work before I go, because Ben and I decided to go to Guerneville! Looks like it'll just be the two of us. I'm renting a car tonight from Turo (my first time using it) and we are driving up together. We'll see if he gets some substances for us.

I may drive to work on Thursday with the car.

Called mom; it's her "official" birthday today. She's getting a bit annoyed living with Uncle Ben already.

I was able to run this morning, and rode the bikeshare to work.

Work is pretty busy, had our weekly Marketing Meeting. I've got a lot of calls to schedule (agency research). Lots of research to conduct too.

I donated to the Los Angeles Mission.

Gotta go on my lil vacation!

Day 2 of my month of blogging (and running, and bike sharing, and donating). It's already 11:20pm and I'm tempted to just go to sleep without blogging. But no! I won't be defeated.

Today was a productive day. I woke up early (6:45am) largely because I went to bed early the night before. It was foggy and chilly - and there was still some haze in the air from the fires burning to the north of the Bay Area. I went for a run (2.5km) and headed off to work. I was able to take a Fremont bound train (almost empty!) and got off BART at West Oakland, where I took the bike share. It was a pleasant bike ride, but the bike is heavier than an average bike, so I couldn't go as fast as the other bikers.

Work itself was hectic - it was our first day since Licia's sudden departure. We came to terms as a team and understood what needed to be done - we needed to collectively pick up the slack that she left. We spent an hour assembling swatch orders. I actually felt a renewed sense of commitment to the team. An sd I think the others felt similarly. We all went for lunch together at Monster Pho 2. The afternoon flew by. It was a productive day altogether.

CJ texted me, asking when I'd like to go to the movies with him. We scheduled Thursday. Maybe he's trying to forge a connection to be more than just friends? He did admit to "not knowing how to be single." We'll see.

Still not sure what will happen on the 4th (Wednesday). Ben started a group text, but it looks like Henry and the other guy don't want to go. So it may just be me and Ben?

This evening at home, I cooked a big pot of lentils (which I ate over hamburger buns), and I watched an episode of Westworld and an episode of Big Little Lies. Donated to UNESCO. Chatted briefly with Francesco when he arrived back with Evelyn.

It's a new month and I'm continuing with my "monthly resolutions." This month, I'm being ambitious and attempting several things at the same time. Let's see which, if any, stick:

1. Running 2km per day (up from 1km/day in June)
2. Responding to everyone who messages me on a dating app (even if I'm not interested)
3. Donating to charity every day
4. Blogging once per day
5. Biking instead of riding the Emery Go Round to work (I got a monthly pass from Ford GoBike)
6. Staying off Instagram (temporarily disabled my account)
• Also reducing my time on Facebook; removed the FB app from my phone

I stepped on a small piece of glass in my bedroom and it stung! It also cut into my heel a bit so I cleaned it up and put on a band aid. Needless to say it made me feel slightly uncomfortable the entire day at work.

It's a busy-ish week at work, I always have things to do, but I'm not necessarily stressed.

• HustleCon is Friday, and we're setting up tomorrow. Had to assemble another sofa with Allie today.
• I'm sort of getting into the groove of requesting creatives from the team, but it's still frustrating because I don't feel completely in the loop when decisions are made.
• They're constructing something at the entrance to MacArthur BART station. It's an inconvenience to walk around it.

I've been both lazy and busy.

Last weekend was LA Pride - I was there for the weekend, and got to see some friends. Went out with Juan, Alex, and Anthony on Saturday. Went to the parade with Adrian, Priscilla, Angela, Kevin, and Naomi on Sunday (after going to A&P's new apartment (!!!) and waiting to get the bedroom door unlocked). I had a great time overall.

I basically took the day off Monday (technically "working remote") and flew back to SFO in the late afternoon.

Tuesday was a slow day at work - it was only me, Jensen, and Johannes. (Allie and Chris were each WFH, Dani was at the Warrior's victory parade, David was recovering from his twisted ankle, and Brad and Licia are in China for the week). I had a salad from Best Coast Burritos for lunch. It was a warm-ish day, so Ben T got me to go out to Dolo after work (I brought two burritos).

I got my mom's Charter Spectrum login and was thus able to set up HBO GO on our home TV, and on our TV at the Casa. I have since begun watching Westworld and Big Little Lies.

Wednesday (yesterday), I started with an optometrist appointment and then went to work around 11am. Turns out my eyesight has actually improved a bit! We ordered Asian fusion chicken over rice. Got some things done, but it was still a slow day. Home, then cooked curried chorizo eggs followed by pasta (I am trying to avoid carbs but it can be difficult!).

Today has been an average day so far. I have a lot to catch up with - several things to decide (wildposting, direct mail) at work. And I'm also coordinating two major things this weekend: My friends (Jenn, Ray, Leslie, etc.) in town, and the kickball team's first meetup and first game. Actually, I'm meeting some of my kickball team tonight at Lookout.

My June resolution is to run, at least 1km per day. So far (as of today) I'm at 18km for the month, so I'm on track. It's not too hard to run ~2-3km every other day actually. But I'd like to get in the habit of doing a run in the morning before work. It's just not easy to get up early!

At home, a few changes. Sam applied to a new job position which would take him to Chicago if he's accepted. Alex is back from Europe and has started working (at a company that is designing an Amazon Go-style non-cashier type store). And Evelyn is in her 2nd week as a Noogler. I also bumped into the first of our new neighbors - Skyler. He's an intern at Google (for the summer?).

Taking care of myself as best as I can, and learning not to be so overwhelmed with saying "yes" to everything that I neglect the basic things like sleep, nutrition, and staying organized. Mental health is important!

Also: I'm super sad that Anthony Bourdain died last week! :(

I'm at the office. No one is here. I know Allie is coming in late, Dani is ooo. Brad, Licia, Chris, and David are likely in the warehouse. Jensen and Daniel though?

Started my new course of medication this morning. I'm feeling a little weird (slightly dizzy and very slightly nauseous), but maybe it's all a placebo effect. I also feel more awake than normal (I've been standing, stretching, and jogging in place at my desk for the last 30 minutes), but maybe because I had two coffees and didn't have my "normal" commute to work this morning (see below).

I met with Danny from Thrive this morning (8am) in SF's Financial District over coffee. We had a good chat and got to discuss potentially working together. I enjoyed a good flat white.

It's Brian's birthday!

I'm feeling good. It's interesting how easily my mood can change. I am definitely stimulated by novelty - I think having a meeting in the city and going to a new place definitely made me more excited. Being in a repeating routine really kills my energy. Also, I had positive feedback from comments/posts I made online, which makes me feel like I have friends. Even though it's arbitrary, I really am affected by positive/negative comments on things I've posted online. It's not healthy to be so dependent on the opinions of others (one reason I did my social media detox in January), but I also feel the FOMO very strongly when I know that other people are doing things and having fun. I want to be included in everything! (stereotypically ENFP)

My "monthly resolutions" have kind of fallen apart. April, I didn't do anything (because I was traveling). For May, technically I have been "celebrating" every single day; i.e. I have had at least one alcoholic drink every single day so far this month. It's definitely not a healthy habit. I'm thinking of redefining it as "doing something for me" each day. Enjoying each day (which I should be doing anyway?). Maybe I'll re-join improv. Maybe I'll take a fitness class. I really need to exercise (my doctor really told me, and Alex has been trying to get me to as well). Why am I so lazy! I know that exercising makes me feel better. It's just getting over that hump. I should go for a run every day. I really want to get in shape for Puerto Vallarta (in 2 weeks!).

I'm meeting with Yun tonight (from trivago). She's got a new job and is in SF for training. Excited to catch up with people from a past life period.

As for lately - last week has been a non-stop celebration, with Amanda in town + my birthday celebrations (+ drag race). Last night, I "treated myself" to watch the new Avengers Infinity War movie. I had chicken tenders and a beer too. A guy in the theater was listening to his phone, and it angered the guy sitting directly in front of me.

The movie itself was good, but I wasn't a fan of the plot. It's way too stereotypically "summer superhero movie" with lots of fight scenes and crowd-pleasing special effects and shallow jokes. But it's a part of our current pop culture and I want to get the references. Also, I've heard that MoviePass is losing money and I want to make the most of it before it goes bankrupt.

Started a new podcast today: The Daily Zeitgeist. It seems good - I want to keep in touch with our culture, while avoiding politics. I've also been listening to The Elite Man Podcast, the Indicator by Planet Money, and Slate's Hit Parade. (I'm considering advertising us on podcasts soon).

Lately I've been trying to "go keto" (i.e. avoid eating carbs), but it's tough, especially with all the drinking. I was doing well yesterday (Greek salad + gyro meat) until dinner (beer, then I had chips + salsa at home).

Ah - Daniel and Jensen have arrived. I guess I'll get back to work ;)

It was my birthday yesterday. Had a lot of fun.

At work, we went out to lunch as a team (this is the lunch that we were supposed to do last Friday). I got to pick the place - pizza! We all walked to Navi, a pizza/Indian fusion place on Adeline. Shared some beer - because it was also David's birthday (on Monday, but he didn't tell anyone!)

After work, I was a bit stressed trying to plan my birthday event. I had made a reservation for 17 people at Pa'ina lounge in Japantown. I wasn't sure whether to get a cake for myself, what to wear, if I'd have time to rest beforehand, etc. I ended up stopping by Walgreens and buying some birthday hats and stickers, as well as candles. I rested at home for a few minutes, put on a dress shirt and green tie, then shared a Lyft with Alex and Sam to the restaurant. Our driver was telling us one-line jokes as he drove us up Webster Street.

I was told that we would have a 2-hour time limit, so I pushed back the start from 7 to 7:15. Amanda showed up, then Velin, then Ed, then John. I was starting to relax a bit. We had four tables but ended up only needing three (we gave up two to other guests). Others showed up - Jay, Ben (and his Portuguese roomate Kat), Steve, and Emilia. Wayne even showed up toward the end! We ordered rainbow shots for the whole table (which weren't very strong), and I was drinking several Blue Hawaiians. Also $0.25 wings were great!

It was lots of fun. I was making sure to mingle with everyone, being the good host that I am.

We ended up going to karaoke at Pagoda Cafe (my local spot!). Sang the night away. Steve ended up driving me (and Ben and Kat) home. Great times.

I woke up with a slight hangover today. And we had our All Hands meeting today too. But thankfully my job is chill and it's a good day at work.

I had lunch today at Panera Bread and then went to Starbucks to claim my birthday reward (I learned that it is now only valid on the day of your birthday - but they gave me my venti triple mocha frappuccino anyway)!

It's Wednesday.

It's chilly. Nearly record cold across the Bay Area this week. This comes after a warm and dry winter so far.

I was in LA for President's Day weekend (Feb 16-19). I had the house to myself; because my mom and uncle are both in the Philippines (my mom on her cruise). I joined Eric (and his bf Jason, along with Sara and Stad) for an escape room I met with Jenn and Ray to plan for next month's wedding ceremony. I also spent plenty of time with Juan, going out on Saturday and Sunday - WeHo Saturday night (with Alex and a group of gay bros including Eric, Alex R, Henry, William, and Markose), dim sum Sunday morning (with new friend Adriana), stopped by Juan's house, then back to my house, off to Westwood to pick up Alex and off to Eric's place for birthday games (Jackbox). Then went to dtla and drank at Redline (where I ended up leaving my credit card, and where Alex and Richie left together). Then walked to Precinct (it was lightly raining along the way), which was mostly empty. James and Juan had a little get together, and then Jose's party showed up. Adrian, Priscilla, Michelle, Naomi, Mo. The two groups merged together and it was fun.

Monday I had the whole day to myself. I went to Glendale, bought a 3V battery and watched Black Panther - AMAZING! Then rested at home, Netflixed a bit (Queer Eye), and then went to dinner with Chris and Michelle. We are old, lol! Good times to catch up with friends. So glad that Michelle's back in LA for good. And good quality time with friends all around - a successful weekend.

Tuesday, I woke up at 5:30 to get to the airport in time (my flight was at 8:30). It was cold. My Lyft driver was really friendly and interested to hear stories of my well-traveled life. I had a breakfast burrito and got on my flight, landing in Oakland and heading straight to work. I was exhausted and couldn't really focus all day. But I persevered, even without drinking any coffee. I also skipped lunch - because I wasn't hungry. I ended up fasting until today's lunchtime (over 24 hours). By fasting, I hope to unlock several health benefits and lose weight. I left work around 4:45 and got home and immediately laid down and soon slept. I ended up sleeping over 11 hours, with only a small break to watch the first episode of Netflix's One Day at a Time.

Today was a good day. I was well-rested. Made sure to bundle up. Podcasted on my way to work, and I was notified that my coworker had 2 free tickets to tomorrow's Warriors game (vs the Clippers) and I took them! I offered the second ticket to my flatmates, and Evelyn offered it to her sister (whose dream it was to see a Warriors game.) Because I had a call (Criteo) I had missed the lunch order. So I went to Panda Express and redeemed my 3-item combo coupon (taking the rest home for dinner). I'm counting my calories on My Fitness Pal and trying to stay within my 1570-calorie daily limit. Lazy afternoon, then back home (getting a forward-facing seat in an otherwise crowded BART train) to watch another episode of Queer Eye and One Day at a Time and Chris Rock's new comedy show.

Now I've grown accustomed to sleeping early, but I know I'm going to a basketball game tomorrow, so we'll see.