🤯Unknown Unknowns #53 - San Diego

Another trip recap this week!  Back to regularly scheduled programming next week.

I went to San Diego for the second time this past week.  The last time I went was exactly thirteen years ago.  It was so long ago that it's hard to remember enough to make a comparison.  This time, I was surprised by the weather.  It was in the 60s-70s all week, and was colder that I thought it would be.  But when the sun was out, the weather was perfect and felt warmer than the thermometer.

Tacos

We ate an absurd amount of tacos.  I limited myself to more "respectable" establishments this time (no street tacos).

Favorites were:El CabronLos ChuchysThe Taco Stand

Car Rental

I try to keep these recaps to positive reflections, but my car rental experience was lacking.  One of the reasons: the rental guy tried to convince me that I had to buy their insurance because the insurance through my credit card “wouldn't work”.  Has anyone had this experience?  Has anyone made a claim through credit card car insurance (I have Chase Sapphire Preferred, which is one of the few with "Primary Coverage").  I've always wondered how covered I actually am with it.

Gas Lamp

The last time I was in San Diego, I loved the Gas Lamp district.  It was a fun place to be, but now it’s very rundown and squalid.  I'm wondering if my memory is terrible, or if I went when it was first developed and now it's past its prime.  Maybe I'm just in a different state of life and have different preferences.

Zoo

The San Diego Zoo was the highlight of the trip.  It was the first zoo to house the animals in their "native environments".  I'm sure the animals would rather actually be in their native environment, but given they’re in a zoo, it seems comfortable enough and I saw and learned about a ton of animals.

Surfing

We went surfing at Mission Beach.  One of the few times I've surfed when the weather wasn't great.  It was still fun.  I love to surf for three reasons: the struggle, peacefulness, and the rush from catching a wave.  

There's always a struggle when I surf.  I struggle paddling out, paddling to catch a wave, recovering from wiping out.  This struggle forces you to intensely focus - you could literally die!  It would be really hard to drown from the size waves I play in, but the possibility is always there, and if you want to accomplish anything, you must struggle against the power of the waves.

Despite the constant struggle, surfing is peaceful.  Waiting for the next wave is soothing.  There's something about looking at the horizon and feeling the motion of the ocean under you.

When I actually catch a wave, time simultaneously feels faster and slower.  I feel there’s so much going on yet I feel like I’m concentrating on only one aspect.  I’m forced to be in the moment because any fraction of a second of inattention and I wipe out.  Paradoxically, I know my body is subconsciously doing a ton and my attention isn’t actually accomplishing much.  It’s a strange combination of being focused yet having the awareness that my body is doing a lot of other things without intention.  I’m curious if this is anyone else’s experience.  For context, I would classify myself generously as an “Advanced Beginner”.

La Jolla

We spent a day in La Jolla, north of downtown.  La Jolla is on the coast with a long shoreline covered in sea lions and seals sun bathing.  Can you tell the difference?  They look more similar than I thought!

We went kayaking along the coast.  Two-person kayaks are called “divorce boats” because of the arguments and blame throwing that results after the kayak doesn’t go anywhere.  The key is the same as for a successful marriage: the goal isn’t to be right, but to get the boat where you both want to go.

Baseball game

We went to a Padres game at Petco Park!  It was my wife’s first ever baseball game.  The game ended with a walk-off 2 run homer in the bottom of the 10th.  It’s the first game I’ve seen with extra-innings starting with a runner on second.  I still think it’s a dumb rule.

Speaking of rules, I spent most of the game explaining the rules to my wife.  I never realized how many rules there actually are, and how many unique circumstances there are in each game.  I was explaining something new every five minutes.  It’s weird knowing that I have all this information internalized.  And that’s just from playing Little League more than thirty years ago and watching over the years.  

I never opened up a rulebook and “learned baseball”.  It’s crazy to see what you learn just by immersion.

One More Personal Note:

Louie Bacaj and I finished up our live cohort course, The Newletter Launchpad, this week.  We taught 11 people how to start and sustain a consistent newsletter.

I was pretty nervous because of imposter syndrome, but just like my above baseball experience, all these strategies, tricks, tips, and stories came pouring out.  And it seems like the students loved it too!

We had so much for that we’re launching a new newsletter on building a newsletter and how that newsletter can help you.  Follow our unconventional advice here:

First issue will be tonight!

Questions, suggestions, complaints?  Email me me at [email protected].  Feedback welcome.

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please share it with a friend or two.  And feel free to send anything you find interesting to me!

Leaving you in peace,

Chris