PinnedMember-onlyMy journey to a sub-3-hour marathonA friend told me that breaking the 3-hour marathon mark can be underwhelming. It’s just a number, he said and once you get there, it’s possible to feel empty. Bullshit! Yesterday, at 41 years of age, I ran a 2.57.04 marathon in Southern California and it felt like an achievement…Running8 min read
PinnedMember-onlyA decade ago I had the biggest standoff I’ve ever had with my wife. She demanded we leave Russia.I spent most of my teen years away from Russia but Moscow was my home. I was studying abroad — first in the US, then England — but would be back In Moscow for every school break. I missed Moscow during my boarding school years and missed it even more…Life5 min read
7 hours agoMember-onlyI got a job. This is now my strategy.It’s a winning one, I know already. I’ve been through some struggles on the professional front, especially during the so-called mid-career stage. A stellar start in my younger years (investment banking), then various business roles and some experiments, then entrepreneurship that didn’t work out. A “non-linear” career path is a…Careers3 min read
1 day agoMember-onlyOn collective responsibility (as relates to Russia)Lately, in my social media accounts, I’ve seen a lot of mentions of and debates around the notion of “collective responsibility” of the Russian people. The topic is not new but it seems it’s being escalated. Maybe because Zelensky spoke about it: Zelensky calls out Russians staying hushed on war in Ukraine The war of Russian aggression in Ukraine is quickly approaching the half-year mark, and Ukraine President Volodymyr…www.newsweek.comPolitics5 min read
3 days agoMember-onlySleep paralysis is part of my life (nights)Apparently, it’s a harmless condition. I hope so. Sleep paralysis - Wikipedia Sleep paralysis The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli (1781) is thought to be a depiction of sleep paralysis perceived as a…en.wikipedia.org I estimate I suffer from it once every three nights. I’ve experienced it for years. Decades. It happened today. Actually, today was an unusual case. I took an overnight flight from California to Florida on Friday night. Usually, I have no problem…Mental Health3 min read
3 days agoMember-onlyFlorida is America’s ugliest stateAll right, I haven’t been to all fifty states, but I’ve been to many. Nothing comes close to Florida’s ugliness, in my opinion. Yesterday I was landing in Fort Lauderdale. Ugly. I should’ve taken some pictures. Ugly. Endless swamps. …Travel2 min read
4 days agoMember-onlyI love social mediaThe story I will never write: I deleted my social media accounts and was social media sober for 365 days. This is how my life changed. I am not going to check my phone’s stats but I spend plenty of time on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Strava. Here’s one example…Social Media3 min read
5 days agoMember-onlyMy iMessage read receipts are always on.Do I sometimes see a message on my Iphone’s screen and don’t open it immediately to prevent the sender from seeing that I read the message? Yes. But only sometimes. My everyday life is complicated. I have to manage my large family and often I’m failing at that task. I…Technology2 min read
6 days agoMember-onlyI feel sick about the war in Ukraine. Literally.Accuse me of dramatizing, and maybe even hypocrisy. After all, I’m writing this from the comfort of my home in America, thousands of miles away. But I never thought the casual phrase “feeling sick” can be that profound. I was browsing through my LinkedIn feed. From General Petraues (this post) …Ukraine3 min read
6 days agoMember-onlyMy wife and I disagree about arguing in front of our kidsWe have four kids so there is a lot of arguing, often. My stance is simple: I’d never be disrespectful, but if I disagree with my wife, I absolutely will state my own independent opinion in front of my kids, even if it means undermining my wife’s authority. The examples…Parenting2 min read
