brookside

(While it's clear you've done a ton of your own research for your own case.)

Steve Kerr's advice after his own back surgery complications (albeit microdiscectomy, not a laminectomy) make me hesitant:

"If you're listening out there, if you have a back problem, stay away from surgery... Rehab, rehab, rehab. Don't let anybody get in there."

Not something I need for public speaking.

But what a godsend propranolol has been for a contentious work situation causing extreme anxiety.

Wonderful to take ahead of a scheduled meeting that could have otherwise been an hour of physical panic that no rational thought (this will feel unimportant in a week, it's just job, etc etc) could quell.

Therapy can be basically paid (I would argue - false) empathy, and in many cases vastly inferior to less transactional relationships.

I'm absolutely intrigued by your story and want to hear a fuller account, if there's any chance you are willing.

Chai from a coffee shop or mix is a sugar drink, which is why it is delicious.

Honestly - leave the whale, jungles, and over-touristed Tokyo-ites alone.

Travel lightly, get a feel for different environments and cultures, then take that perspective to your hometown.

Travel is frosting. The cake can be building a meaningful life that involves community, maybe family, and possibly meaningful work.

Savings and savings accounts are being conflated here.

One can have a small amount a savings account with plenty withdraw-able assets in Mutual Funds etc to fall back on

I appreciate Derek Sivers. (And he is active on HN, so - hi)

Derek does though tend to act in, or advocate for, the absolute extreme.

I remember an old story where Derek micromanaged CDBaby knowing how to do every thing including write all the code in Rails. Burning out, he then trusted his employees to run his company completely without him. Derek became painfully disillusioned when his employees betrayed him under zero oversight, and sold the company. My thinking reading this years ago was the wise path was probably more reasonable delegation with reasonable oversight.

It is ok to reject the shiny extreme. Moderation is beautiful.

I recall the cotton tees of my youth being stiff and terrible-feeling.

One reason the most minor of collisions are so expensive to repair is that car designs no longer include bumpers.

Totally valid, and agree.

There are many possibilities around the candidate's behavior. They could be going through a manic episode, or autistic, or just a jerk, or scammer.

OP handled it well, but two things I would do differently in responding.

1. "Sorry you feel that way". I never apologize for other people's feelings, only my own actions, when am am sincerely sorry. "Not-really-apologies" are, IMO, always in bad taste.

2. Not sign emails using "best". Best what? Obviously this is up for interpretation but a dangling best is (IMO) corny and exudes "I am writing unnaturally and I think this is how professional people write"