Ryan Martinsen

Oh, Hi.

Ryan — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:04:32 +0000

It’s been a while.

In the last month I…

Went to a dance event in Boston
Turned down two job offers
Accepted a 3rd offer and started a new job
Went to Disney World for my birthday (I am now 28)

I’m really excited to be doing something new for work. I’ll talk about it when we launch the new website.

Disney World was awesome and I wish I was still there.

Visited Cities

Ryan — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 23:27:48 +0000

Inspired by Justin’s post, these are the cities I spent one or more nights in during 2009:

* were visited multiple times on non-consecutive days.

Bear Lake, UT
Boston, MA*
Eagle Mountain, UT*
East Wakefield, NH
Kaysville, UT
Monteverde, Costa Rica
New York, NY
Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Riverton, UT*
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Stony Point, NY
Washington DC

And for the previous four years… I think this is all correct.

2008:
Denver, CO
Eagle Mountain, UT
Island Park, ID
Logan, UT
Los Angeles, CA
New York, NY*
Orem, UT
Queens, NY*
Redlands, CA
Rigby, ID
Riverton, UT
San Diego, CA
Seattle, WA
Sacramento, CA
Wilton, CT*

2007:
Denver, CO
Eagle Mountain, UT*
Logan, UT
Los Angeles, CA
Minneapolis, MN
Provo, UT
Riverton, UT
San Diego, CA
Sacramento, CA
Seattle, WA
Vernal, UT

2006:
Austin, TX
Dallas, TX
Denver, CO
Eagle Mountain, UT*
Logan, UT
Los Angeles, CA
Minneapolis, MN
Moab, UT
Rigby, ID
Riverton, UT
Sacramento, CA
San Diego, CA
Seattle, WA
Vernal, UT
Washington DC

2005:
Cincinnati, OH
Cleveland, OH
Denver, CO
Logan, UT
Los Angeles, CA
Rigby, ID
Riverton, UT
Sacramento, CA
Vernal, UT
Washington DC

2004:
Las Vegas, NV
Rigby, ID
Riverton, UT
San Diego, CA
St. George, UT
Vernal, UT

Books I read in 2009

Ryan — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:07:27 +0000

Books I read this year:
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Anatomy of Peace by The Arbinger Institute
Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
Perelandra by C.S. Lewis
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Books I listened to this year:
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
Xenocide by Orson Scott Card
Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card
Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card
Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card
Shadow Puppets by Orson Scott Card
Shadow of the Giant by Orson Scott Card
The Final Empire: Mistborn Book 1 by Brandon Sanderson
The Well of Ascension: Mistborn Book 2 by Brandon Sanderson
The Hero of Ages: Mistborn Book 3 by Brandon Sanderson
Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins
Digital Fortress by Dan Brown (terrible book)
Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Getting Things Done by David Allen
The 8th Habit by Stephen R. Covey
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
Ringworld by Larry Niven
Crucial Confrontations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler
Influencer by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler
Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler
The Dip by Seth Godin
Mort: Discworld #4 by Terry Pratchett
Sourcery: Discworld #5 by Terry Pratchett
Wyrd Sisters: Discworld #6 by Terry Pratchett
Pyramids: Discworld #7 by Terry Pratchett
Dune by Frank Herbert
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

Incomplete listens:
What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Incomplete reads:
The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien (2 chapters left)
Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood (1/3rd of the way through)
The Duck That Won the Lottery by Julian Baggini (1/3rd of the way through)
The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (1/3rd of the way through)
Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath (1/3rd of the way through)
The Power of Less by Leo Babauta (1/3rd of the way through)
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (only a few chapters in)
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White (mostly finished)
Letters from a Stoic by Seneca (only a few chapters in)
El Principe Caspian by C.S. Lewis (reading this in Spanish was incredibly boring. I have no intention of finishing it.)
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (only a few chapters in)
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (have read this before, but thought it’d be nice to read it again before Christmas. Only got a few chapters in.)

Conclusions:
I love love love audio books. I spend a lot of time on the subway and walking around the city. I’ve spent hours on the couch playing tetris on my phone while listening to books.

I can’t help but read multiple books at once. I intend to finish them, I really do. When I’m home, though, I tend to spend all my time on the computer so it’s harder to finish paper (or electronic) books.

Conquering Rain

Ryan — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:28:59 +0000

I shiver violently, water cascading down my cheeks. A childish grin steals its way across my face and insists on staying—I let it. I turn to look toward a nearby building and, in the glow of a streetlamp, see the wind suddenly take shape and hurl a shower of rain towards me. My body tenses, teeth gritting in anticipation. It hits, soaking me as if from a fire hose. I was already completely drenched; I had been since stepping out of my apartment building and into the downpour, but each gust of wind seems at once to deepen the wetness as if reaching for my soul—for that which it can not obtain. Sirens wail in the distance. This storm came to conquer. I shiver again.

The sky lights up, the creature in the wind lashes out at me again and again, its deafening roar ever louder. My friend jumps in puddles and laughs gleefully, the sound audible over the thunder. I fear the storm for a brief moment. I fear what it can do, what it could bring. It’s trying to crush us in its onward march. And yet, the rain seems to wash away my fear. The water is a symbol—a sign: a cleansing, comforting power that can almost be heard to say, “you’re on the right path, fear not.”

The storm came to conquer, but cannot conquer me. The rain washes away my fear, warms my heart. And I am conquered.

(This happened back in August and was perhaps the first day I truly admitted to myself that I liked living in New York.)

How to Not to Face Fear (Like a Dead Deer)

Ryan — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:43:27 +0000

You know that feeling you get when you climb up the steep side of a mountain or big rock without any safety equipment? If not, it’s something of a sinking, oh-my-gosh-I’m-going-to-lose-this-tetris-game sort of feeling, except more serious and in reverse (because in real life you want to reach the top and in tetris you don’t). If this feeling were verbalized it would sound something like, “I sure hope I can keep going up because if I have to go back down photos of my broken body will end up in email forwards about the dangers of being stupid. And I can’t have that. I hate email forwards.”

I went rock climbing two months ago near New Paltz, NY, about an hour and a half north of NYC. Well, the intention was to go climbing anyway. What actually happened consisted more of scenic routes, collecting acorns, pretending to be hung by a rope (would also have ended up in email forwards had it gone badly), and a lot of staged photo opportunities than actual rock climbing.

There were three of us, one of whom was camera-happy. I like having camera-happy people around. It means adventures get documented. I almost always forget to take pictures. The problem is when the person with the camera slows everyone down. Which is what happened on this particular climbing expedition.

Naturally, we got sick of waiting.

So we started exploring the rocks. I found a large, pitch-black cave that needed exploring. Except it wasn’t really a cave. It was just a bunch of massive rocks piled on top of each other that formed lots of dark crawl spaces.

You know that feeling where you know your mother probably wouldn’t approve of what you’re about to do, but you know you’re going to do it anyway? Yeah, me too.

In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again.
- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 1

This particular hole in the pile of massive rocks didn’t turn out as exciting as we’d hoped: no endless rabbit hole, no dead bodies. It didn’t even stay pitch-black for very long. All it did was go up. The problem was that it looked a bit too risky to go up, as did going back down the way we had come (not to mention that admitting defeat would be disastrous to my inner mountain man pride).

I managed to find a crawl space that looked just big enough for someone slightly smaller than myself. Maybe I can get out this way! Either that or it’ll dead-end in an impossible to get out of hole? Awesome.

As I started squeezing through the small hole at an awkward angle my friend Ladd commented, “I sure hope there’s not an earthquake.”

I laughed, agreed, and continued on my way, but then noticed my brain trying to freak out. I don’t get claustrophobic, but my mind/body/conscience/whatever was trying to tell me I should.

Ridiculous. I’m not claustrophobic. I’m not really in any danger.

That’s what I told myself. And it worked. Sure, I couldn’t actually turn my head, or take deep breaths in some spots due to the lack of space between the rocks, but whatever. Who needs breathing room as long as the way ahead appears to offer a way out?

It didn’t.

Well, it may have, but the chance of getting stuck looked better than the chance of escape so I gave up and wriggled back out.

Anyway, the point of this is that, while what I was doing wasn’t necessarily the most rational thing to do, listening to fears after getting into the mess would have been more irrational than the original irrationality.

Deer and other animals do this all the time:

Deer: Do I cross the street?
Deer Conscience: No, streets are dangerous and unknown. They are not nature.
Deer: But I am fast and I want to be on the other side.
Deer Conscience: Stay where you are, something’s coming.
Deer: But I am fast! Watch!
Deer Conscience: Augh! Something’s coming! Panic!
Deer: I’m almost acros… what? Panic? Okay! Must go back the way I came!
Deer Conscience: AAAAAhhhhhhhhhh……

The next time you get yourself into a sticky situation and you feel yourself trying to panic, don’t. It doesn’t help.

Chinese Movies

Ryan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:59:06 +0000

I have no idea if it was a Chinese movie, but it was Oriental.

I took that picture at Shake Shack today. I’m probably in the background of some of their shots. They were moving all over.

The last time I was at Shake Shack (one week ago) another movie was being filmed (though not oriental as far as I know).

This one was a bit more exciting. Very official. There were crew members everywhere, lighting, cameras, and signs notifying of us that by standing in a line and buying food we would agree to let ourselves be in a Hollywood film. Sweet. While we were in line they filmed a shot of Matt Damon talking to some woman at a table. We were in the background, but no doubt we were very much out of focus. So much for fame.

These expeditions to Shake Shack were not only for the goodness of good food (like the “pumpkin pie oh-my!” custard shake (with a slice of pumpkin pie mixed in!)), but rather to celebrate–or rather mourn–the departure of our friend Lydia. She’s leaving New York City tomorrow morning. We are sad, but at least we got to eat at Shake Shack together before she left. Twice.

3 years ago

Ryan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:49:50 +0000

My friend Lydia asked everyone what they were doing 3 years ago. I’m a fan of history so I thought I’d look into it.

Three years ago…

I had just started a new job. I counted spam and ham. I went to Dallas to visit my friend Adam. While in Texas we drove to Austin and danced like there was no tomorrow at the Austin Lindy Exchange. I drove my truck (something I miss) and played an awesome numbers/math game (not while driving).

My post about the Austin Lindy Exchange contained a map of the states I’ve been to. I figured it was probably a good time to update that.

I still haven’t been nearly as many places as I’d like (everywhere), but progress is progress.

What were you doing 3 years ago?

An Open Letter to Companies People Hate

Ryan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:03:19 +0000

Dear AT&T, Walmart, Microsoft, Dell, T Mobile, Sprint, HP, United Airlines, Delta Airlines, Best Buy, and a myriad other* companies** people love to hate,

Thank you for doing what you do. People give you a bad time (myself included), often for valid reasons, and I’m sick of it. I’m tired of complaints.

So, thanks.

Regards,
Ryan

* There are companies I believe should cease to exist, but this isn’t about them. This is about companies people hate when, in fact, their existence makes their lives better–not worse.

** AOL not included. I have my limits.

When to Cheat

Ryan — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:18:29 +0000

I made a realization today.

The realization isn’t surprising, shocking, revelatory, or an epiphany. If anything it’s controversial. It’s simply this: cheating makes life easier.

But only under the following conditions:

There are no negative consequences in cheating
All rules are made up or self-inflicted
No one will ever know
No one would even care if they knew
Nothing is really at stake (rewards, money, integrity, eternal salvation…). This is about cheating when cheating isn’t really cheating.

For example, I admitted in my last post that I was going to attempt posting every day this month, as I did the previous two years. I also admitted to cheating a little the last two years. The cheating didn’t matter at all. I’m pretty sure I never back-dated anything more than an hour or two. All it did was maintain a status in my head that kept me posting every day.

I didn’t cheat this year. And the result? I’ve missed three days. Had I just cheated the first day I missed I would have felt an obligation to keep posting. Now? Not so much.

So, if you’re on a diet with rules you made up and you screw up and eat donuts all day, cheat and pretend you didn’t mess up. You’ll feel much better the next day and less likely to spend another day eating donuts. You haven’t failed simply because you violated a rule you made up.

Of course, it does no good to cheat every day. “I posted every day!” is a complete lie and is in no way excusable when you wrote 30 posts on the last day of the month and back-dated them all. You may as well write thousands of posts and claim you’ve been blogging since 1980. No one will believe you (especially if you were born after 1980).

What do you think? Am I going to be strapped to a waterboard with sinister* demons pouring water on my head for all eternity? Do you cheat?

* First time I’ve ever used ’sinister’ in a blog post.

Rock Climbing

Ryan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:28:06 +0000

I wasn’t going to mention it–and it’s a good thing I didn’t as expectations would have been shattered–but now that I’ve screwed it up I can confess to attempting to post every day this month. I did it in November 2007 and 2008 though I’m pretty sure I cheated a few times and posted a day late and changed the post time. I decided not to do that this time. I’ll just post twice a few days this month to make up for it.

The culprit for missing Saturday?

I know, right? It was pretty awesome.

Yes, I was belaying when I took the photo.

Don’t worry, the guy was on a fat ledge and I told him to wait a second while I took the picture.

He’s still alive.