2023-02-27

• Some people turn to religious books for guidance on how to live. And I too sometimes find sacred texts to have good wisdom. And yet, for me, the best books on how to live have historically been history books. In both cases (religious texts + history books), the usefulness of the book is pretty closely related to getting me to step outside whatever perspective I’m holding onto before I start reading. Religious books often result in my “looking to the heavens” for a new perspective on things. I often feel smaller in those cases, like I’m part of something much bigger than me. And that can be nice. History books have a slightly different effect. I’m not looking up. I’m looking down. History books put me on the mountaintop overlooking the decisions and outcomes of past people. To be sure, there is still an element of “feeling small/part of something bigger.” But history is less remote than the realm of Gods. It’s the story of real people. People like me. And the thing is they’ve made all kinds of choices and faced all kinds of scenarios in the past. There’s a lot of wisdom there. It’s really profound stuff.
  Apartment decision
  • Sunlight
    • Toren is south-facing
      • Beautiful sunsets
        
    • Eagle is north facing
      • Sunrises, but we’ll be sleeping
        
  • Space
    • Eagle is somewhat bigger, but not in a super material way
      
  • Cost
    • Toren is slightly cheaper
      
  • Amenities
    • Eagle slightly better but not in a super material way
      I’m having a lot of trouble and doing a lot of second-guessing myself.
      
  • I am moving forward with 150 Myrtle I guess. What are the concerns?
    • That I’m gonna lose the really nice amenities
      
    • Yeah, that’s fair, but you’re gonna gain a bunch of sunlight in the apartment and a tub you like
      
    • Ok but I’m also gonna lose a nice bar area to sit for breakfast
      
    • Yeah but you’re gonna enjoy coffee and stuff in direct sunlight
      
    • What if it’s really hot in the apartment?
      
    • Yeah maybe, but it’s about the sunlight
      
  • Ok so you’re worried about amenities, kitchen counter space, green space in the building
    • You can put your standing desk in the kitchen area and use as extra counter when needed
      
    • None of these things are really that big a deal…why the anguish? The anguish is completely out of proportion to the magnitude of difference here.
      
    • Realistically, you could flip a coin and just roll with the outcome. I don’t

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