Nine Hours in an Airplane at the Cost of a New Car

“And then he knelt down next to me as I sampled the tea. He told me about the high quality tea leaves. He told me about the hand-sewn cotton teabags. He told me about the fragant cherry blossoms and red fruits infused into the tea. Somewhere in between, he might have mentioned about the history of coffee trade and the East India Company, but I can’t be sure.”

If I had $18,400 to spend on a single flight I could not think of a better way to do it.

 

My Travel Bucket List

Here, in no particular order, are the top locations I hope to someday visit.

  • Japan
  • New Zealand
  • London
  • Seattle (again)
  • Portland (again)
  • Munich or Berlin
  • Australia
  • Peru
  • Tehran
  • California
  • Louisiana

As a reminder to myself, the places I have visited.

  • Portland, OR
  • Boston, MA
  • Forks, WA
  • Richland, WA
  • Seattle, WA
  • Cleveland, OH
  • Orlando, FL
  • Phoenix, AZ
  • Chicago, IL
  • Memphis, TN
  • Rapid City, SD
  • Indianapolis, IN
  • Columbus, OH
  • Tulsa, OK
  • Kansas City, MO
  • Oklahoma City, OK
  • Springfield, MO
  • Springfield IL
  • Columbia, MO
  • Quincy, IL
  • Montreal, Canada

Pendleton Ward on Leaving the Helm of Adventure Time

“He says this not with sadness or frustration, but with relief. “For me, having quality of life outweighed the need to control this project and make it great all the time.” So he stepped down from running Adventure Time to become simply one of the show’s writers and storyboard artists.”

Every time I hear about someone I admire, or unanimously successful, getting burn out and recognizing the importance of a work/life balance I feel both sad and happy. Sad that it takes them as long as it does to come to this conclusion. Happy that they have, and can now (hopefully) continue making cool things – without the cost of diminishing the other parts of their life.

The best advice I ever received about the time I graduated college was this – don’t work over 40, no one will thank you for putting in a steady 60, no one will promote you for it, and you’ll regret all the things you miss out on outside of work. Don’t do it.

“Love Your Life, Work Your Job”

You are not your job. You don’t need to do it out of love or because it’s central to your character anymore than you’d expect any other laborer to, no matter what they do. Love your life, work your job.

Artist Zac Gorman of Super Time Force and Magical Game Time talks at length about doing what you can & be happy regardless when it comes to work and your identity.