The trip on which I learned more about energy to reach the stars as a game theory specialist. The hundreds of hours I wasted traveling around California on commercial buses.

The seemingly endless backlog of projects with uncertain feasibility. A life-changing phone call from a struggling mother after I had invested a half-million in her son's wedding at the last minute, only to have his new wife wind up with a fat divorce settlement.

I wondered about this in the dimly lit room with a conversation with a stranger and through a thought experiment on strings of numbers. Even if you didn't have a job, the life we currently lead, full of worry and discomfort, would no doubt disappoint us, for it would be a life without hope.

In this context, everything is essentially up to the goat riders of the night. I was so hoping that they would come my way soon.