The Hitchens Consortium Many Thoughts. One Brain. Zero Sense.

It's funny how I find wisdom in words sometimes when that same wisdom has been visible by other means. There are so many settings where I seek wisdom in my daily life. Usually I try and absorb it from people I interact with. Lately, I've found it more often between the covers of a book or in articles I read online. Within the last two days, I've encountered the following phrase twice, and I find it fascinating since it's been in places I look for wisdom often. The phrase is, "Perfect is the enemy of the good." You've probably already heard it. If you have and you think, "Of course, that's obvious," then you didn't need the lesson that I did. For some reason, seeing it summed up this way is good for me, and had an impact.

I've begun work on an iOS App that will take the best parts of personal finance software for the PC and make it possible to use exclusively in the mobile world.

As anyone who knows me will tell you, I'm a planner. I like to know where I'm going and how I'm going to get there. Planner Matt is a perfectionist, and deviations from the plan are rarely suffered or enjoyed. It is not uncommon for Planner Matt to make a plan and then not share it with others. Taking the time to share my plans with others seems like a good way for people to know where I'm going, so I think it's a good idea.

Tianna and I are going to build a lake house up near Coldspring, TX on Lake Livingston.

One month ago tomorrow, I became a father. It's becoming hard now to remember my state of mind before I dreamed of this time of my life. I can remember being younger and not worrying about such things, or being fearful of the entire concept of parenthood. In truth, I believe I have wanted to become a father now longer than I haven't. Now that it's happened, my feelings are many, but one thing is for sure. My life has changed forever, and I feel as though I have achieved a great thing.

When I started dating Tianna, we did what every couple does. We took each other on dates, bought each other flowers, and thanked each other for the gesture. As time went on and we got engaged, these rituals gave way to a new consciousness; we were nearing a place where our financial independence was more of a blurred line than a hard and fast rule. Soon we were finding out how much money the other made, what assets we had, what debts we would soon share. After discussing it and putting everything on the table, we decided about six months before we got married to combine everything we had.

Not long ago, I was promoted to brown belt, nikyu, in aikido. This marks an interesting boundary in my aikido journey. From now on, any new ranks I earn are accompanied by a demonstration of skills, starting with ikkyu. I'm excited about this, and I can see where someone would find their aikido journey begin to slow down around now. I'm starting to see why sensei puts so much emphasis on being consistent and determined about one's training.

Quick story. Years ago, I drove a 1994 Ford Taurus. I got it when I was seventeen and in high school. It was used, but glorious. I had a tape deck and the freedom to go anywhere I wanted. It was one of those fundamental transformations in life that is both unforgettable and beautiful.

Well, maybe not "beautiful." It was, after all, a Taurus.

When I found out a few months ago that I was going to be a father, I was excited. It started me down the next road of life that I had been looking forward too for so long. During the last few months, the process has been largely mechanical; making sure that there's a nursery to set up, getting money set aside for expenses, etc. I haven't felt a great deal of attachment personally to the person that's coming. Yesterday I found out that we're not just having a baby, we're having a baby boy. Since then, everything seems different.

I’ve reached yonkyu, or 4th grade in aikido! In the months since I became a yellow belt, I’ve tried new things, tried to learn more about the things I knew already, and just become more comfortable with the art overall. I’ve even started to branch out a bit outside of class and do some supplemental reading when I can. In short, I think I’m really starting to like this whole aikido thing!

After about two months of training, I've earned my promotion to gokyu, or 5th grade. Sensei gave me my yellow belt last week and I'm really pleased. Granted, I still have a lot of work to do, and it's largely just recognition of my repeated attendance, but I can certainly see now where a lot of the long term appeal for the art comes from.