5 More Things I Think I Think

“No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.”
-Robin Williams
It’s been a while since I’ve written, but who was it that said “anything worth having is worth waiting for”? I can’t remember, but I’m guessing he was a wise man.
Here’s a quick reminder of the ideas I intend to unpack in future writings, and a few new ones to sweeten the pot.

I’m Back!
As I look to publicly reestablish my curiosity, here are 5 more things I Think I Think:
- I THINK WRITING IS ARDUOUS— A month after the North Park shooting, I sat down and wrote an article. I didn’t like it. It lacked depth, significance and relevance. I wrote another three. Two more were boring and my favorite one…well my fat fingers accidently deleted it. UGH! That’s all to say that I have a newly found respect for people like Dr. Paulette Brown-Hinds who manage to write weekly (if you don’t already subscribe, you should). To have something that you are not only passionate about but can articulate in a meaningful way, is, well, arduous.
- I THINK LOCAL [POLITICS] MATTER — If you log on to Twitter, Facebook, or stumble into a doctors office and see CNN, invariablely you will be inundated with commentary on our National Politics. Policy aside, here is my issue with all of these mediums, where is the focus on local issues? As a resident of California it is widely assumed that a presidential vote is more symbolic than substantive. It’s all but locked in as a Blue state. But here is what does matter, how you vote for city council or state assembly. My Assembly Member is Marc Steinorth, [without using Google] — can you name yours? If you live in San Bernardino, Riverside, or Fontana, then you might be happy to know that, your Assembly Member voted to increase you gas by 50 cents a gallon [plus an increased registration fee]! The first tax hike starts in November…start saving now.
- I THINK I STILL CARE [A LOT] ABOUT WAIT TIMES — 4 years ago I spent nearly two years working with David Langley building a technology company. Our product, Walo, predicted and managed wait times across various industries (restaurants, amusement parks, ERs, etc.). After running out of money, we shut down the app and went back to “real life”. Funny thing — two people have approached me this week asking what it would take to revive it…and I’m really intrigued. We have access to the technology and real time data, now more than ever. And wait times are the Trojan horse to dive into the data which can trigger variable pricing, thereby dispersing demand — THIS IS MY DREAM! (Andrew Farah gave a great chat about something similar a couple years back.)
- I THINK COLLABORATING IS GRATIFYING— I spend about 50% of my work day at my home office with nothing more than the beats Mike Vaona has supplied me on Spotify and no one to talk to other than my dog, Penny. BUT — what I do have access to is an exceptional group of people who give me the ability to collaborate on a multitude of projects in seemingly disconnected industries. At any point in time we may be rebranding a century old company, while planning an art exhibition or developing a feature film. Who wouldn’t want that job?
- I THINK TRAVELING IS IMPORTANT — and not for the obvious reason. Unplugging, detaching, unwinding. Pick your poison. Most of us work too much and relax too little [insert time-share spiel here]. But what we definitely don’t do enough is think about other people, their perspectives in life and what drives them. I think traveling unlocks this opportunity to create moments of empathy and a new level of human understanding. This winter I’m going to try to both understand and unwind. See you in Florence!

Learn. Explore. Share.
WHAT I’M LEARNING — I picked up the book, Powerhouse by James Andrew Miller and it’s a phenomenal oral history of CAA. If you like Entourage, Hollywood, or corporate deal making, you will enjoy this.
WHAT I’M USING— I picked up a new drone and it’s amazing! Check out some of the first few videos here or on our Instagram account!
WHAT I’M THANKFUL FOR— FOOTBALL! It’s time for some fantasy football! And what that really means is getting together of a great group of friends (who are all a bit weird). Let the banter begin!
With these musings in mind, follow along as this Curious Millennial continues to pontificate on the issues facing our generation. Einstein said it best:
“I have no particular talents. I am only passionately curious.”
See you next week (or maybe the week after).
-Patrick

