What I'm Up To - Vol. 52
Here’s what I’ve bee up to since Vol. 51…
1. BPCON 2021
Wendy and I kicked off the month with a trip to New Orleans for our annual goal-setting retreat and to share our process at the BiggerPockets annual conference. Wendy first invited me on a retreat to set goals together back in 2006 and it has been a life-changing journey.
The BP conference felt a little bit like time travel to my first KW convention back in 2001. Just a bunch of friendly real estate fanatics sharing ideas and soaking in the learning. We spent much of our time in our suite planning for 2022 and beyond. However, we slipped down for breakouts on podcasting and self-storage, as well as a cocktail mixer. I have a feeling we’ll be back.
New Orleans seems to be faring okay after the floods. The crowds were thin and streets quieter than normal, but, as always, the food was amazing. We made a pilgrimage to the Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone. NOLA is famous for many cocktails, but my favorite is the Vieux Carré, which was first concocted in the 30’s by the Carousel’s bartender, Walter Bergeron. If you like a good Old Fashioned, a Vieux Carré is probably for you.
Other culinary highlights worth bookmarking for the future: surprisingly good Italian fare at Gianna, brunch at The Ruby Slipper, the best pita ever at Saba, more brunch at Willa Jean, pescetarian fare at Peche, and oysters at Luke.
Geoff Woods and I will host our 5th annual One Thing Goal Setting Retreat at the Lakeway Resort from November 13th -14th. There is also a virtual option. You can find out more here. There is also a do-it-yourself version in our free sources.
2. Quarantine 2021
Unfortunately, the cold Wendy picked up in NOLA turned out to be COVID. We both tested negative upon our return but a day later, Wendy’s test came back positive. Luckily, her case was mild (in the grand scheme.) She was down for a couple of days and had low energy and a cough that lingered for weeks. Our gym doubles as a long-stay visitor suite, with a murphy bed, a shower, and access to our deck. So we tucked Wendy away there and no one else got sick. A few things we learned. First, those BINAX at-home tests are really handy to have around. Second, you can continue to test positive for months after you’ve been sick. So follow CDC guidelines for reentry. We were very discouraged when she kept testing positive. Thanks to all our friends and coworkers who checked on us throughout.
3. BRONCO 2021
In happier news, my Bronco finally arrived in Austin. It picked up a couple of dings in transit, but the dealer had them all repaired. We picked it up on a Thursday evening, drove all over town with the top down, and celebrated with dinner at Better Half.
Wendy and I drove it to the ranch for an overnight stay and got some practice on our modest trails. The following Tuesday, our dealer hosted us at the Bronco Off-Rodeo for 10 hours of off-roading that was outrageously entertaining. (I posted some pics and videos here.) Maybe a future VIP event for Papasan Properties? I hope.
4. Sweet 16 and Halloween 2021
We celebrated our youngest’s16th birthday with a small family celebration, as requested. Like many teens we know, ours has little interest in driving, so that adventure awaits another day. We did chow down on some great traditional bday pancakes, TexMex for dinner, and Wendy’s best donut cake yet.
A final highlight was attending April and Val’s Halloween-themed wedding party and a delightful, small wedding at the Carrington House in Buda, TX. These two brides couldn’t be more perfect for each other. It was a true joy to celebrate their new life together.
5. Reading & Watching
Thanks to 10+ days of quarantine and many chill evenings after, I have a lot to share here.
I usually try and read novels set in the towns I visit. For New Orleans, I revisited James Lee Burke’s exceptional Dave Robicheaux detective series with the Dixie City Jam. Burke’s prose was transcendent as always. He perfectly captures the sounds and sights of rural Louisiana as Dave tracks a neo-Nazi sociopath and a lost German submarine in the Gulf. I’m really happy I have more than a dozen of these to look forward to. I also ripped through a Blake Crouch thriller, Snowbound. For non-fiction, I read Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life. I’d hoped it would be more about living a life of purpose, but it was really centered on longevity. Still pretty good.
I watched the Netflix heist flic, The Vault, on the plane to New Orleans. It’s probably best for when you’re stuck on a plane with few choices, but I’m a fan of the genre. Free Guy, with Ryan Reynolds, was surprisingly good. The ads didn’t even pique my curiosity, but a handful of trusted friends told us to watch it anyway. Wendy and I both loved the first seasons of Killing Eve and Squid Game. The former is a BBC series starring Sandra Oh as a MI5 investigator tracking a female assassin. We loved the characters and Oh is delightful as always. Squid Game is this year's Tiger King, and we were determined to catch the wave. It’s worth the hype in our opinion, though difficult to watch at times. The characters are placed in impossible situations and Wendy had to leave the room at least once. South Korea has produced some great stuff in recent years. Parasite, Train to Busan and The Host are all standouts for me.
Finally, we bought tickets to see Daniel Craig’s final turn as James Bond in No Time to Die. Sad to see him go. He’s right up there with Sean Connery for me. Here are the Craig Bond films ranked in order of my preference:
- Casino Royale -- I can still remember walking out of the theater blown away by the gritty action, elated that blond Bond pulled it off and with a slight crush on Eva Green.
- Skyfall -- Dame Judi Dench and Javier Bardem shined. Adele penned maybe the best theme song. And we got a peek into Bond’s past. I personally think the next reboot should go with a young Bond being recruited.
- No Time to Die -- A fitting finale to the Craig series with gadget, car chases, lots of action and a surprisingly sentimental end.
- Spectre -- Solid but not spectacular.
- Quantum of Solace -- Outside of the opening sequence in Sienna, utterly forgettable.
Finally, check out Why Birds Can Fly over Mt. Everest, a fascinating bedtime story that explains how bird lungs evolved from dinosaurs.
That’s it for this month! Please reply back and let me know what you’re up to!
In the meantime, be well, do good deeds, and eat tacos!
Jay