Via the Buzz feed of the esteemed Mr. Ansley:
Down Under
February 14th, 2010 by JarredClaire and I returned from a 10-day trip to Australia last week. It was quite the adventure, including three days on a century old boat cruising the Whitsunday Islands. Pictures:
We spent 2 days in Sydney, mostly walking around the city in the surprisingly humid heat of the Australian summer. On the second day Claire and I did the “bridge climb,” an admittedly uber-touristy activity that was definitely worth it for the view from the top. The next morning we left Sydney for Airlie Beach, where we would catch our ship (the Solway Lass).
The boat trip was amazing. We visit lots of different bays and beaches, taking a smaller raft to do some bush walks or snorkling. There was also a rope swing attached to one of the masts. No shark sightings, fortunately! The crew was really great, as were the meals they made for us while underway. One more night in Airlie Beach, checking out the local bar scene, before our flight the next day.
We returned to Sydney for two more overcast days of exploring, including the Police & Justice Museum that was featuring a really interesting exhibit on female Australian criminals. We were sad to have to leave Australia after such a short visit, but it was a really welcome break from the San Francisco winter!
Some videos from the trip after the jump…
» Read more: Down Under
New Vampire Weekend
January 11th, 2010 by JarredCan’t listen now because I’m in a meeting, but here’s the new Vampire Weekend album (on sale tomorrow):
Developments
January 10th, 2010 by JarredAs you can see below, I went to the BCS Championship Game to watch the Crimson Tide take the national championship. It was, in a word, sweet. My parents flew back up to San Francisco with me to meet Claire, see my apartment for the first time, and celebrate my mom’s birthday. We had a really nice time.
I will not be a Harvard man, having received a “no” from their JD admissions office. Alas. More good options yet!
I received a really nice award from Google this week for working on these. We also launched the big internal project I’ve been leading, and I was nicely rewarded for that as well. They like me over there.
Mr. Ansley will be paying me a visit in SF next week, which will be epic.
I’m pumped about my trip to Australia with Claire, beginning at the end of the month.
That’s it!
Recent pics
January 10th, 2010 by JarredHere are some recent pictures I’ve taken.
From the BCS Championship Game in Pasadena (Roll Tide!):
From my parents’ visit to SF (happy birthday Mom!):
Called it!
December 28th, 2009 by Jarred
It’s not often that I find myself on the anticipatory end of trends. Most of the time on Tropophilia, I am summarizing or lightly editorializing on stuff that has already been thoroughly discussed in the media or in the blogosphere.
Well, humor me, but I so called this one.
At the end of October, I wrote a post called “In Science, FAIL = WIN.” I preached that the awesome thing about science is that even if your experiment implodes, you can still learn a lot (and maybe more than you would have if your experiment succeeded). A failed experiment is not a useless experiment, and a crushed hypothesis is not one that was formed in vain.
Lo and behold, Wired magazine chose “FAIL!” as the theme of their December issue. The tagline? ”Why Losing Big Can Be A Winning Strategy.” This piece takes the same basic tone as mine: embrace the FAIL, because it can lead to new (and perhaps better) opportunities.
One thing that both the magazine and I leave out: in the moment of the FAIL, it is tough to embrace it or see the opportunity. Sometimes the benefit of the FAIL does not manifest until much later. Certainly in both a failed relationship and failed employment over the past two or three years, I was not able to see that both would lead to much better and healthier possibilities. Trying to keep a long-term perspective will make accepting and embracing the FAIL much easier. But that’s easier said than done.
Other Life Updates
December 14th, 2009 by JarredI was promoted about a month ago to “Legal Assistant II.” Not a functional change, but came with a nice little raise. I also led the launch of a cool internal tool for our department; shouldn’t say much about it, but it has been fun to act like a Product Manager for a few months!
Lots of buzz in the the air about all sorts of stuff in the tech world the past several weeks and months. What a privilege it is to be in the middle of it all.
More Law School Updates
December 14th, 2009 by JarredA “no” from Georgetown, but a scholarship offer from Santa Clara! Still consider W&M at the head of the pack so far, looking forward to more news soon…
3 for 3
November 24th, 2009 by JarredI was accepted to Santa Clara Law last week. Lots of great choices so far!
