Quarterly Update Q1 2026

Fun

The annual ski trip this year was to Chamonix France. Last minute, we found out the trip coincided with the winter olympics and it wasn’t too far away from Chamonix. So, we updated the itinerary to include a day trip to Milan and we bought tickets for the Men’s 5000 meter speed skating final. We also spent two days in Geneva. The Patek Philippe museum was so interesting and comprehensive. I think I could have spent the entire two days there if I was on my own.
- Austin and I only cramped two out of the four days of skiing. This group certainly pushes us to our limits but we’re definitely getting better and better.
- The skiing was pretty great at Chamonix. Probably the most scenic place I’ve skied at. The off piste snow as also forgiving enough that I felt comfortable pushing myself more than usual.
- The Olympics were amazing! I’m so glad we made the decision to attend. I’m definitely going to attend the 2028 Summer Olympics in LA and hopefully the 2034 Olympics in Utah.
- I almost bought my watch in Geneva but the price in swiss francs was more than the dollar equivalent. I would have also had to pay tariffs when we flew back (~14%). It didn’t make much sense I buy it there.
Mehul’s Dad, Andy called us in Geneva when we were browsing watch stores. I ended up telling him about my predicament with the tariffs. He told me to send him the watch I was interested in and he would see if he could help. Twenty minutes later he calls back and tells me his authorized dealer can get me the exact model I wanted with no sales tax and ten percent off. So, I called his dealer when we got back home and I got a great deal on a watch I’m going to be daily driving for the foreseeable future.
Roslyn and I read Wuthering Heights in anticipation of the movie that came out on Valentines day. I liked the book quite a bit so it was unfortunate that the movie strayed so far from the source material. It really was a smut fest. I think I would have enjoyed it way more if I never read the book.
Roslyn and I went to Hawaii a few weeks after Europe to celebrate her and her best friend Ellie’s birthday. It was a couples trip with three couples total. I was hesitant to go on the trip at first due to the cost but I ended up having a really great time.
- The food was delicious as expected and the sun felt so great after being deprived in Seattle for the last few months.
- I thought Hawaii was overrated because I went a few times as kid but it’s a whole different experience as an adult. I think my family just didn’t know where to get good food.
- Mish, one of the guys on the trip bought some zero alcohol budweiser that was actually great. I like the trend of soda and other drinks becoming more healthy while maintaining good flavor.
The last trip of the quarter was to Utah for another ski trip. The trip consisted of a loose group of guys cobbled together from different friend groups. We had three last minute bails so it was just four of us on the trip. One of the guys on the trip knew no one except one of the last minute bails but he turned out to be great and we had a great time! There’s something about a boys trip that is just plain fun.
- Snowbird could be a great place to ski but unfortunately the conditions were pretty bad when we went. I hope to come back when the snow is better in a different year.
- We did a taste test of ten different sodas at Swig. A soda taste test is something my ten year old self would have dreamed of. Anyways, the best sodas we tried were the Guava Have It, Spring Fling, and Island Time.
- The Morman church in the middle of city is huge. We visited for shits and giggles and were not disappointed. It felt like we were in middle school doing dumb boy things. The family history library was the only disappointing part because we couldn’t find much information on our lineage.
Speaking of boys trips, my friend Daniel came to Seattle the weekend after we skied together in Utah. We skied at Crystal with Mehul and Daniel’s friend Jacob. The snow was mediocre but apres ski was great. We ended up going to a western apparel store where we met the owners from Texas and chatted with them for a while. Then we went to get Texas BBQ and Mehul wore his “Don’t Tread On Me” hat while driving his truck. Jacob suggested we go to a Rodeo sometime soon and Mehul is one hundred percent in on the idea. I guess this is the start of my western era.

Fitness

Skied less this season than I had hoped. The conditions were just not great. I’m hoping our group decides whether we’re getting Epic or Ikon for next year soon.
Time to lock in for more running. I’ve been really slacking this winter. The goal is to be consistently running 20 miles a week before I start actual marathon training. It’s probably a good idea to incorporate some running specific strength training to help avoid injury.
Golf is my new interest. My friends who have been begging me to get into golf have finally convinced me. I’ve taken a few lessons and I’m committing to playing a lot more this summer around Seattle. I’ve got a decent amount of people and groups I can play with so I’m really looking forward to it!

Career

AI and tools like Claude Code are making my job so much more fun. It’s honestly so great to be able to just build things without worrying too much about all the time and effort to write the code. Reviewing is still part of the process but it feels a lot like I’m directing a team of engineers to accomplish things rather than having to do a bunch of things all by myself. It’s also nice to be able to get to those small changes I would have made if given more time. I can just prompt an agent to do it and its done.
This is the time where I’m getting serious about gunning for a promotion. It’s been over a year now at Databricks and I want to put in the effort to earn a promotion. I’m on a great project that is perfect for showcasing my capabilities. Less vacations these next few months too so that helps.

Life

We’re still getting the engagement ring made so stay tuned for the next update! Roslyn had some concerns about the size of the diamond but after a quick visit she felt much better.

Interesting Links

The United States needs fewer bus stops. This was such a surprisingly interesting piece from the Works In Progress magazine. I’d like to make the time to analyze my work commute bus route and see how it stacks up.
The American Housing Corporation. This business just launched recently and I love everything about it. We need more solutions to the housing crisis and this vertically integrated developer seems like a great step in the right direction. I love the name too. It’s very NABISCO coded (National Biscuit Company).
Americans think everyone is corrupt. This article highlights something I noticed when I talked to some friends earlier in February. Everyone at dinner except me was convinced that most politicians in America are “corrupt”. It turns out I have a more strict definition of the phrase and most people including my friends hold a broad interpretation. The article talks about the downstream implications of this widely held view on corruption that I thought was insightful.
Machines of Loving Grace. The CEO of Anthropic, Dario Amodei is quite the essayist. I found this essay he wrote in 2024 to be well written and a optimistic outlook on the development of AI. People have differing opinions of Dario but I thought it was useful to read his words directly to form my own opinion.
We may miss the sweatshops. This article explores the downstream consequences of automation and AI potentially eliminating low-wage jobs that help poor countries develop economically. One of my more controversial takes is that sweatshops and child labor in developing countries is a better alternative to subsistence farming. I think this piece articulates some of the motivation behind that take.