Tremendous

An angel investor's take on life and business

  • How I Know Virtual Christmas Will Be Special

    Photo: My great grandfathers Will (left) and John putting the world to rights. Connecticut, approximately 1987.

    My family has always been spread across the country. When I was little, we moved away from my mother’s side in the Northeast to Wisconsin. My father’s side of the family lived in Kentucky. We had no relatives within 500 miles. And for a while, we didn’t have any friends either.

    On Christmas day, I’d open my eyes to a sea of presents, despite my mother’s modest resources. She must’ve saved all year to give me that moment in the morning. Then, once the last gift was opened, the phone calls would start.

    We’d usually begin with Granny Mary and Grandpa Jim in Kentucky, continue to Aunt Carol and Uncle Tony in Connecticut, and then on to Grammy up in Maine. Last was Will, my great grandfather. You didn’t have a short conversation with Will. You dialed 10-10-321 (leave a comment if you know what that is), punched in the rest of the digits, and connected to Stratford, Connecticut.

    My part of the conversation was generally short. I remember he would always tell me at the end, “Pay attention in school, and learn all you can!” Will had worked as a trapper and later in a factory making asbestos brakepads. He did not have the opportunity to go to college. But he clearly wanted something different for us.

    Even into his 80’s and 90’s, he read widely about ancient man, mammoths, and astronomy. In different circumstances, he might’ve been a professor. For me, he was a kindly grandfather. Maybe that’s enough.

    Then, I’d hand him back to my mom. She would stand near the receiver, ever closer to hanging up, but the conversation would continue like that for hours, or so it seemed. I wondered when we might ever watch a movie or play.

    After about 4 hours, they’d finally run out of steam and call it a night.

    Those calls always felt like a marathon, but they also gave us a wonderful feeling of connectedness to a family spread far and wide. We didn’t have the money to fly to visit anyone, but we did what we could do. This year, a lot of people will be finding ways to connect without being in person. I can tell you it’s possible and it can be truly satisfying and joyful.

    Many of the people we called then are gone now. Some remain. They’ll be on my list to call this Friday. And I’m adding someone new: my mom, whom I cannot safely go see this year. Maybe we will be on the line for 4 hours. If so, that’s fine with me.

  • The Songs Getting Me Going in the Morning

    For the last couple of months, I’ve been listening to up-tempo music while making breakfast and in the first hour of my day. It’s fun, it helps jolt me awake, it puts me in the right frame of mind to attack the day. Podcasts used to be my go-to during this time, but with later sunrises, colder mornings and the world situation as a whole, I find I need a stronger stimulus.

    These have been my go-to’s lately. Whether you need them when you wake up or to revive yourself on a sleepy afternoon, I hope you enjoy them!

    Bonus: Song I listened to while writing this: Lime – Unexpected Lovers.

    What are you listening to? Leave it in the comments and have a great Friday and weekend everyone!

    Photo by Alan Light

  • These Vitamins Are So Good I Took a Picture With Them in a Snowstorm

    It’s been snowing for over 20 hours straight here in the New York City area. But I’m inside enjoying, among other things, the excellent vitamins that just arrived from iHerb. I got the best tasting Vitamin C gummies I’ve ever had, from California Gold Nutrition, along with melatonin, magnesium, etc.

    I almost bought the vitamin C on Amazon, but I did a quick Google search right before pressing “Place Order.” Good thing too, because I found them for $7.00 rather than $12.55 on Amazon.

    Note that the Amazon ones are actually coming from iHerb too! You’re buying the exact same product from the exact same seller for almost twice the price. Why? My guess is Amazon is just marking it up through the roof because people default to Amazon, and iHerb just has to live with it. But who knows.

    I had never heard of iHerb, but my always-astute wife had and assured me it was legit. It is. I got my shipment in a couple of days (first day in the delivery window they specified) and got texts when it shipped and when it was delivered.

    iHerb adds a lot of additional value through their iTested program. They take the supplements they sell, send them to a third party laboratory, and find out if they actually contain what the manufacturer says. Then, they share that result with you. Here’s the report on the vitamin C I bought. They contain 250 mg of vitamin C dead on, as advertised, and virtually zero trace heavy metals or any other contaminant.

    This is important when many vitamins don’t contain what they claim to. I intend to shift all future supplement purchases to iHerb based on this experience.

    New customers get 25% off their whole order right now, and minimum shipping is $20. That’s hard to beat.

  • I Went to Japan’s Magical Kingdom of Eyeglasses

    I’ve worn glasses since I was four years old…30 years. As I write this, I’m wearing what is probably the best pair I’ve ever owned. They cost me about $50 and the eye exam was free.

    How did I pay 1/10th of what some of you are paying? I went to Zoff, an outstanding eyeglasses store that’s omnipresent in Japan and rapidly expanding throughout Asia.

    I went in, sat down right away with an extremely polite young man, and looked into a machine I’ve never seen before in America. It showed a small picture and gave an instant estimate of my prescription. The employee, who was little more than 20, took me through just a couple standard “is this lens better?” questions and then produced tester glasses for me to try.

    His estimates were dead on, and I saw beautifully. In a couple of days, I picked up my new glasses (along with a pair of prescription sunglasses I also ordered). I paid about $50 equivalent, or around 5,000 yen, per pair. Eye exam: $0.00.

    How can Zoff sell so cheaply? The employees, like those in most countries aside from the US, are not optometrists. But they are well trained and extraordinarily nice and this, my 3rd pair of Zoff’s now, is first rate as always. I bought my latest pairs in January 2020 (you know, before the world stopped), and they’re still going strong!

    US law requires an optometrist to examine you and issue a prescription. Japanese law does not. It has good company: Germany, the UK, Italy, and countless other nations. Is everyone in these countries seeing poorly and dying of rare eye ailments the optometrist didn’t catch? Doubt it.

    But we insist on Americans seeing an optometrist, who goes to school for 8 years and commands an average wage of $106,000, largely to diagnose rare eye problems. However, how many people are deterred from buying newer glasses with a more appropriate prescription due to the high cost? Then they don’t get the new glasses or the optometry exam either. It’s a lose-lose, and we’re letting the perfect be the enemy of the good.

    I suggest a different model: regulate the way Japan and countless other leading nations do. Let people get their glasses and contacts without a prescription, and they can see an optometrist from time to time, like how they see any other doctor.

    What if ibuprofen required a prescription from a doctor the way eyeglasses do? There would be a lot of untreated pain and unnecessary suffering. We don’t do that, and yet, people still get check-ups. Is this about the patient, or is it really about regulatory capture?

    My experience at Zoff was so good that I e-mailed them to thank them for their excellent work. They responded promptly (in English!) saying that they would congratulate the employees and “praise them firmly.” That kind of made it sound like they were in trouble, but I understood what they meant. 🙂

    Zoff is doing a wonderful thing in providing real care to those who need it at an affordable price, while also giving great opportunities to a young and hardworking staff. I can’t think of a better way to do business.

  • I Listened to Sammy “The Bull” Gravano’s New Podcast

    It’s awesome! Sammy “The Bull” Gravano, Gambino crime family underboss turned government witness, released the first episode of his new podcast today. It’s called “Our Thing” and you can see it here.

    I found it very engaging. The style is spare and fast-paced. The first episode covers the planning of a hit on Genovese family boss Vincent “The Chin” Gigante and also Gravano’s later arrest and cooperation with the federal government.

    This episode includes interviews with both Gravano and the FBI agents who caught him, so you get a reality check on what could have otherwise been a self-serving narrative.

    I found the sound effects really enhanced the story, which is rare in podcasts, where I find they generally detract. Give it a listen! The next episode in this series, which took two years to develop, should come out in the first days of 2021.

  • My Family in Japan Saw Me on TV!

    My wife is from Japan and in our five years of marriage, I’ve become very close with her family. But, given today’s restrictions, I can’t see them any time soon.

    But they saw me! My wife’s mother and sister watch New Amsterdam, a hospital drama shot in New York City. I appeared in this episode as an EMT, my first time acting. I’m only a background actor (also known as an extra), but it was a very fun experience!

    I really enjoyed seeing how a TV show is made from the inside. Also, perhaps due to its high ratings, New Amsterdam has incredible food. Sushi, filet of sole, unbelievable!

    The second season of New Amsterdam is now available in Japan and recently, my sister-in-law texted me to let me know her and her mother saw me pushing a stretcher and immediately knew it was me! It makes me really happy to be able to share something fun I’m doing with them. It also makes me feel closer to them since at least they’re seeing me in some way.

    My in-laws had actually seen me on TV before. In my first full day ever in Japan in 2014, I happened to be on the national news. I was walking here, and a news program was filming a feature on increasing tourism in Japan. I had no idea they were there but my head wound up prominently visible in the footage. My wife was miffed that despite a lifetime in Japan, she had never been on TV! Her modest stature excluded her even from this shot. She still awaits her chance at stardom.

    Interesting little tidbit from that episode of New Amsterdam: the actor on the other end of that stretcher was pushing it very quickly and the stretcher was extremely heavy. We had maybe 2 inches of clearance behind one of the main characters, a very nice lady named Janet Montgomery.

    I kept trying to slow the stretcher down before we take out this very small lady. In this episode, she’s pretending to walk with a cast, and we didn’t need her to wind up in a real one!

    After this episode, I did another day on New Amsterdam, an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and an episode of Netflix’s The Politician. It’s an enjoyable hobby.

    Shows are still filming in NYC but only very few, and the safety situation concerns me, so it’ll probably be months before I return. But I look forward to it!

  • My Camping Essentials: The Basics, The Wishlist, And The Things I Never Thought I’d Need But Can’t Live Without

    Getting involved in camping since the spring has done a lot for me. I’ve developed new skills, found greater relaxation and mental clarity, and become closer with friends. But, to get those benefits, first I needed a tent!

    There are certain pieces of equipment that are non-negotiable must haves for camping. Other things are nice to have, and some things you’d never even think of as camping equipment but are extremely useful in the woods.

    The Basics:

    • You need a tent. Why? The tent traps your body heat and keeps you warm. It keeps insects and rain out. Just get one. Here’s the one I have, from Ozark Trails, the Wal-Mart house brand of camping equipment. I highly recommend this brand for the new camper who isn’t sure if they’ll go often…or ever again. The cost is rock bottom and the quality is surprisingly good, better than comparable products I’ve seen from Amazon. If you wind up going often, you’ll likely replace this stuff with higher-end equipment.
    • Sleeping pad. You have to have this because it insulates you from the cold ground and provides cushioning. You’ll freeze on the lumpy ground without it. Mine is similar to this (my model is no longer sold).
    • Sleeping bag. Without a sleeping bag, you risk hypothermia and death even in relatively mild weather. A friend of mine tried to go bagless once and woke up shivering uncontrollably in what was likely a full-blown case of hypothermia. We cuffed him, dragged him to Wal-Mart, and forced him to buy a sleeping bag for the 2nd night. I started out with an Ozark Trails 40F sleeping bag, similar to this. I’m keeping it for warmer weather trips. Note that because a bag is rated to 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees celsius) doesn’t mean you’ll be comfortable at 40. Overshoot some on the sleeping bag. You’ll be glad you did.
    • Safety whistle. It’s dirt cheap and you’ll need it to scare off bears, find others if you’re lost, etc. DO NOT blow it unless it’s an emergency, as it is very bad for the ears. I didn’t have this for my first few trips and I really wish I did. It would’ve given me peace of mind when a buck walked through our campsite at 4:00 am in the Catskills and I first thought it was a bear.

    Recent Additions:

    • The beast of all sleeping bags: Coleman 0 degree mummy sleeping bag. Strongly recommended. Very comfortable, soft, high quality zipper. This is a mummy bag, unlike the conventional bag I linked above. The advantage is it heats up from your body heat dramatically faster. I’d recommend you just go with a bag like this from the outset if you’re going to be camping in the cold. A weak bag will make you a miserable person in the morning. This bag is heavy so it’s not good for backpacking.
    • YETI cooler. Not mine, not even my friends’, but their parents’ cooler. Shockingly expensive but incredibly effective. They kindly let us borrow it. Ice takes a long, long time to melt and you can eat tastier, fresher food on the campsite. There are certainly cheap coolers that can do a decent job.
    • Larger knife. This was an early Christmas gift from a friend and more advanced woodsman. Mine is not a Mora but it’s similar to this (I actually don’t know what brand mine is). It’s great for food prep or cutting sticks to make a firestick (used to start camp fires). Don’t walk around town with it unless your local laws allow.
    • Headlamp, much easier than a flashlight because it’s hands free. You can substitute a phone flashlight but I’d recommend this. It’s easier to use with a longer battery life. I have this one.
    • Inflatable pillow, huge help in getting a good night’s sleep at minimal cost, size, and weight. Mine is here.

    • Tent footprint. Just bought this for my most recent trip, which was last weekend. It’s a plastic painter’s drop cloth. It stops moisture from coming up out of the ground into your tent. I also found it kept me dramatically warmer despite being a mere 2 mm thick and costing almost nothing. Definitely recommended, especially if there’s rain forecasted during your trip. Here’s how to use that plastic sheet to make the tent footprint. It sounds complicated but is actually quite easy.
    • Uniqlo down jacket, a wonderful gift from my mother in law that seals in your heat like nothing else.

    Things I Never Thought I’d Need But Can’t Live Without:

    • Necessaire eucalyptus body wash. Kindly provided by my wife. I wouldn’t have known about it otherwise. If this is a little too pricey, anything with essential oils like eucalpytus or tea tree oil should do nicely. There are many cheaper options but this stuff is divine, assuming you have showers at your campsite.
    • Electrolyte packets. I experienced dehydration and electrolyte depletion on a recent trip, which was a difficult experience. I strongly recommend having some kind of electrolyte supplementation on hand, just in case. Pedialyte might be an even better choice.
    • Weekender bag, another lovely gift from the missus. The rectangular shape makes it easier to find things in the weekender than in a backpack, and the extra pockets are handy. My electrolyte packets go in the tiny one.

    Wishlist:

    • Warbonnet hammock. Expensive but awesome and the one exception to the “you need a tent” rule. Should last many years. The experienced camper I mentioned above has it and swears by it. This is made in America by a small company and the quality is very high.

    What items do you guys love for camping? What questions do you have about camping gear or camping in general? Let me know in the comments!

  • Is China Using Its COVID Vaccines to Control Other Countries?

    I just read a disturbing report from The Economic Times (essentially the Wall Street Journal of India). It says that China has offered its COVID vaccines to countries in Southeast Asia, but only if they support China in the WHO. There is a similar report from Nikkei Asia (basically the WSJ of Japan). Some Southeast Asian countries are buying vaccines from AstraZeneca and Pfizer instead.

    With COVID deaths worldwide exceeding 10,000 per day, I find any attempt to play politics with these vaccines despicable. Anecdotally, I see increasing anger toward the Chinese government (which we must be careful to distinguish from the Chinese people). I recently happened upon a large vehicle protest by Falun Gong against the Chinese government at a rest stop in northern New Jersey.

    What do you guys think of this information? Please leave a comment and let me know. I’m curious to hear others’ opinions.

  • How Camping Is Improving My Life

    In April 2020, I did something I never thought I’d do: leave my warm, comfortable apartment and sleep in a bag in the woods.

    When I found out friends of mine were organizing a camping trip, my brain immediately started manufacturing excuses why I couldn’t go: too cold, the gear’s too expensive, etc. But with lockdowns removing most of the things I normally did, it occurred to me it might be time to try something new.

    So I bought the essential camping equipment and we rode up to the Catskill Mountains, which I see have 255 Google Reviews with a 4.5 star average. (Who reviews a mountain range like it’s a 7-11?) I expected the trip to be something I’d simply endure. Instead, I took to the woods almost right away.

    Since then, we’ve gone six more times plus numerous day hikes, and I’ve become a Junior Woodsman. I almost had an attack the first time I had to put up my tent, and a kind friend wound up basically doing the entire thing for me. But I learned, bit by bit. Last Friday, when we went here (highly recommended although closing for the season tomorrow) I had my tent up in about 5 minutes.

    What do I get from being in the woods? The removal of the typical stimuli lets my brain work better. I see things more clearly and come to certain realizations. For example, this weekend, it became clearer to me that the next step for my investment business in 2021 may be to rebalance from stocks into more commercial real estate, given the relative valuations of the two asset classes.

    Being with friends all day, every day, solving problems and undergoing challenges together is very different from just hanging out for a few hours on the weekend. You get closer as a group and come to know each other better. Some times, you barely need to speak anymore, because you know you’re already understood.

    Your existence in the woods is very simple. You need water, a fire, some food, a basic shelter and your friends. And not much else. That time can inform the rest of your life once you’re back home.

    With many campgrounds closing for the season, we will likely be transitioning to more day hikes and trying to find some cabins for rent from time to time. However we do it, more time in nature is bound to be a positive for us.

    Give it a try!

  • How I Learned to Cook

    For 11 years through college and most of my 20’s, I cooked little more than toast. Every meal I ate, I ate at the cafeteria and later, once I had a real job, an actual restaurant.

    I had many a scrumptious dinner, but I also had an anemic bank account and expanding belly. I realized something had to change.

    How do you learn something with zero background? Find the best teacher you can and do exactly what they say. My first was Budget Bytes, an excellent blog that posts simple recipes with very detailed instructions. Every step comes with a photo. If mine looked like hers, it gave me confidence.

    Try her Split Pea, Bacon and Potato soup. I fed some to a friend recently and she couldn’t stop raving about it!

    Eventually, I was ready for a bigger challenge. Around that time, I discovered Joshua Weissman, whose creative and technically sound recipes inspired me to make things like sourdough bread that I never thought I could do.

    His latest video on breakfast burritos just made me glad I wasn’t fasting that day!

    The startup costs in cooking for myself were substantial (pots and pans, spices, etc). At first I didn’t think I was saving a dime. But over time, my food spending plummeted.

    There was another side effect I never expected. As soon as I quit eating out daily, I immediately lost 30 pounds with no effort at all.

    You can make more money, but you can’t easily make more health. I hope these links will help you guys eat well, be healthy, save money, and have fun!