@genejo

In no particular order, here is a list of my top 10 first world problems that affect my everyday life.

Using someone else’s computer. If they don’t use Google Chrome, well fuck. Even if they do use Chrome, none of my logins and passwords are saved so I have to type everything in manually.

Waiting more than 10 minutes for an Uber cab. Most of the time, Uber cabs show up within a couple minutes as if you had summoned a magical unicorn to rescue you from the pedestrian vexation of hailing a taxi. If I’m paying double the cost of a taxi, I shouldn’t have to wait 5 minutes, let alone 10.

Wired tethering. My phone doesn’t allow for wireless Bluetooth tethering, so I have to resort to using a single USB cable to connect my phone to my laptop if I want Internet access when wifi isn’t available. What is this, 1973?

One wire might as well be 100

Too many things to eat. There are so many great restaurants in San Francisco that I often find it difficult to decide what to eat. I face this decision daily, as I barely have time to cook at home. This forces me to eat out daily, sometimes for every meal.

Going to the grocery store. When I do eat at home, I have to get my groceries from somewhere. I prefer going to farmers markets for locally grown produce and cage free eggs, but if the farmers market isn’t running that day then I have to go to the grocery store and buy genetically enhanced shit covered in pesticides transported from across the country in 18 wheelers.

Only if I have to

Hair stylist is unavailable. The thought of someone else cutting my hair conjures up all sorts of questions. Is she alive? What if this new person sucks? Will people say it looks like a blender cut my hair?

I have to custom tailor all my pants. For some reason, off the shelf pants never fit me perfectly. With every pants purchase comes another time consuming visit to my local tailor, who fits and adjusts them with the precision of a heart surgeon. This also means I have to take into account the cost of tailoring when shopping for another pair of pants I probably don’t need.

Disrupted mobile wireless access. When I finish reading a book while on my daily Muni commute and want to purchase a new one to read, I can just switch on 3G wireless on my Amazon Kindle and purchase books on the fly with one click. Except when I’m in the underground tunnel and there’s no reception. Now all I can do is check Facebook and Twitter on my phone. Oh wait, I can’t do that either!

West Portal: where reception goes to die

Deciding which Kickstarter projects to fund. A recent addiction of mine has been to browse Kickstarter for new, exciting projects to fund, which means giving my hard-earned money to hungry entrepreneurs to help them get started. There are just too many awesome projects that I want to give my money to. These are the types of tough decisions I am forced to make.

Buying coffee. The problem here isn’t in the act of buying coffee, but where to buy it from – Blue Bottle, Four Barrel, Ritual or Philz? Recently, my friend Thera asked me, “Hey Gene, do you like Starbucks?” To which I immediately and emphatically replied, “Ew, hell no. Starbucks is fucking gross.” It was only until after she laughed that I realized I had been baited into proving a point she was trying to make at my expense.

I wish I could say that these are all of my first world problems, but they sadly aren’t. However, if it weren’t for all my first world problems, I wouldn’t be as thankful for everything I have – health, family, a roof over my head. They serve as a reminder to not take things for granted, and anything can be taken away from you at any moment. They also remind us that there are real problems occurring all over the world, and we shouldn’t take such trivial things so seriously. So the next time you’re buying a $5 cup of coffee and the shop runs out of organic soy milk, don’t complain – be thankful that it’s the worst of your problems.

2011 has come and gone, but it won’t be forgotten. It was a year filled with many firsts, excitement, and emotions.

Work

Professionally, I went through a lot of growth. I went from freelance consulting to joining Twilio, a truly disruptive company challenging the status quo in an industry that hasn’t seen much innovation over the last century. I found myself surrounded by incredibly talented and passionate people, and best of all, I was challenged.

Friends

In 2011 I watched a lot of friends move away to chase dreams and take the next step in their lives, but in the wake of it all, I also made a lot of new friends. Some say that friends will come and go, but I consider myself blessed to have so many close friends that I know will always be there for me, whether they are down the street or across the country.

Raging

When I was happy, I raged. When I was sad, I raged. When I was bored, I raged. And when I just felt like getting wasted and making bad decisions, I raged. If I could pick one standout moment that sums up The Year of the Rager, it would be my One Night Only in Las Vegas – flew to Las Vegas, no hotel or luggage, partied all night long (literally) at Marquee with an epic 6 hour set by Kaskade, then flew back in the morning and slept for 13 hours straight.

Just another day, getting dressed on a Muni platform before flying to Las Vegas for a few hours of raging.

Music

I saw a lot of amazing acts in 2011: Kaskade, Classixx, Fake Blood, Bag Raiders, Jessica 6, T.E.E.D., Holy Ghost!, M83, Shiny Toy Guns, Little Boots, A-Trak, The Tenderlions, Laidback Luke, Dizzee Rascal, Cut Copy, Chromeo, and Empire of the Sun, among others. Some of my favorite albums that got released: Kaskade – Fire & Ice, M83 – Hurry Up We’re Dreaming, The Roots – Undun, Jessie J – Who You Are, Little Dragon – Ritual Union, Young the Giant (self titled), Washed Out – Within and Without, Toro Y Moi – Underneath the Pine, Cults (self titled), Nero – Welcome Reality, and Bon Iver (self titled).

Reading

I read more in 2011 than ever before, and it was 100% due to having a Kindle and Twilio giving us a monthly allowance to spend on books. My favorite reads:

Fiction: A Song of Ice and Fire series (A Game of Thrones), The Magicians and its sequel The Magician King, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, The Hunger Games trilogy, World War Z, and Snow Crash
Non-fiction: The Design of Everyday Things, Influence, Rework, The Lean Startup, Poke the Box, Made to Stick, The Lost City of Z, and The Zombie Survival Guide (yes I consider it non-fiction)

Travel

In 2011 I was lucky enough to do a lot of traveling, for both business and pleasure, and oftentimes it was hard to distinguish between the two. The regular visits were all there, like New York City, Las Vegas, and San Diego, but I also visited some American cities for the first time, like Austin, Chicago, and Des Moines. The main travel highlight, though, was my summer vacation in Thailand. It was an incredible experience, both stimulating and eye opening. It’s a beautiful country with breathtaking locales and warm smiles. I look forward to the day I can go back and do it all over again.

Full Moon Party sunrise on Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand

Love

Family

The most important people in my life were brought even closer, forever changed by a turn of events. Life will never be the same for us, but one thing will never change, and that’s the strength of our family bond.

I can only describe 2011 with one word: polarizing. A year filled with many positives for me personally, all rendered insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

If there is anything I learned in 2011, it’s to never take anything for granted. Not even the tiniest of things, nothing. From something as simple as the food on your plate to the most important gift of all – the gift of health.

Here’s to remembering 2011 and making 2012 a year to never forget.

2011 Year In Review