Served Cold

"As the body withers with age and memories grow old...revenge is the dish that's best served cold." 

Yesterday I attended a gathering at a bar in north Amsterdam. The place was a mix of off work professionals, students and locals. I didn't want to be there. An acquaintance asked me to come so he could get some crypto advice. I found this proposal interesting because this same person had told me back in 2019 that crypto was a bubble and a waste of money. He was heavy into the equities market (stocks and bonds) and didn't consider crypto a real asset class. For identity purposes I'll call the acquaintance John. 

When I arrived at the bar John was already there with a group of people I didn't know. After greeting John and getting introduced to a bunch of faces with names I didn't bother to remember, I grabbed a drink at the bar. I asked for a vodka with apple juice and that's what the bartender said he gave me. John appeared at the bar beside me and began talking about his life. I tried to pay attention to his words but since I had no emotional connection to them my mind began to drift. In between Johns' sob story on how the stock market may crash and worries about having to move back to Seattle I caught bits of other conversations. There were several people discussing whether it was acceptable to wear socks with sandals. A man and woman sitting at the bar to my left were chatting about feeding their cat chocolate. People behind John and I were arguing over if Punk was dead or not. 

I finished my vodka apple juice and felt no effect. John finished his story and had a perplexed look on his face. I realized that a response was necessary but I hadn't been listening so was unaware of any question. My mind had been occupied wondering if the bartender had given me apple juice with no vodka. Everyone around me seemed like babbling village idiots. Perhaps my alcohol was defective. John said, "So can u do it?" Instead of asking him what "It" was? I said what I was thinking. "I think my alcohol is defective. This happened to me once when I was in South America. I need to talk to the bartender." John seemed confused then he laughed. I didn't. At that moment three other guys came over and blended into our discussion. Luck was on my side because John filled in the conversation gaps. 

By the way, don't worry if the people I'm writing about will be offended. Let me let u in on two little secrets. One, none of those guys like to read anything they don't have too. "If it's not in video or audio format then it's not worth knowing". That was a quote from one of the guys. I have a higher chance of being hit by a comet, being ridden by a two foot tall, green, Martian, wearing leather chaps and a cowboy hat, before any of them read my blog. Two, these are facts.

John and his friends wanted me to teach them about DeFi. Traditional markets are looking grim and crypto is showing bigger long term gains. Some of his friends had dabbled in crypto but none of them trusted or knew how to interact with smart contracts. They were semi-drunk so some of their questions became long stories about how the pandemic changed their lives. I gave them a brief summary on DeFi and some of my wins and losses in the space. After answering some crypto questions I excuse myself and went to the end of the bar by the entrance to speak to the bartender. Right after I gestured for the bartender to come over John appeared beside me. Alcohol makes people emotional. His eyes were glossy like he was on the verge of tears. He apologized for comments he had made about me losing money in crypto. Then he went on to say he understands if the reason I didn't say yes to his question is because I was still upset. What he was describing is petty revenge. 

Lets take a moment to discuss revenge. For me there are different types of revenge. First, there's the vengeful type of revenge. Second, there's the improve yourself and let your success destroy your enemies ego type of revenge. Last, is petty revenge, or commonly known as a grudge. This type never involves physical confrontation. Petty revenge is where u are in a position to help someone who wronged u in the past. You refuse to do it to get back at the person. For all types of revenge emotional attachment to that moment or experience is the driving force behind your actions. I feel nothing.   

The truth was I hadn't heard his question. My attention was focused on getting to the bottom of the vodka mystery. After his emotional display and my cold response John asked what was up. I seemed really relaxed for a guy who had recently taken a loss. I seemed calmer than normal. I could've told him that by changing my leverage trading strategy to 3x for Alts, plus a generous DyDx airdrop, I recouped everything I've lost over the last two years. Instead I just said, "I got it back." Then he asked if I was still trading? I told him, "I'll never stop trading." While we were talking people kept coming over and interjecting tidbits into the conversation. Another of John's friends had been standing by and said, "If u won everything back u should be celebrating. Why do u look so serious?" I replied, "I lost my emotional attachment to things." They all laughed. I didn't. Some more words were exchanged which disappeared from my brain like smoke in the wind. My concentration was on getting the bartender. 

Once again people had been talking to me but I missed the discussion. One of Johns' now completely inebriated friends said, "My man, it sucks that u lost feelings where do u think u lost them?" To my astonishment and utter disbelief, someone standing adjacent to me actually said, "Good question." In my mind it felt like I had been unwillingly transported to the high council of babbling idiots. I remained expressionless and replied, "I think they fell out my pocket on my way to the bar. I'm going to look for them on the way home. " They all laughed. I didn't. While they were still having bellies full of laughter and liquor, I returned to my quest for the bartender. This time I finally got his attention. The bartender was in front of me, John to my right, and one of his drunk minions to my left. The rest of the group had migrated over to us and were standing behind me making noisy monkey chatter. 

I introduced myself to the bartender. We exchanged pleasantries for a few moments, then I asked if the vodka was defective. They all laughed. I didn't. From the stoic expression on my face the bartender knew I was serious. We talked for a minute about different liquors while John and his friend made random shot suggestions. Since I was only drinking white liquor the bartender recommended I try some Jenever, a Dutch Gin. We drank shots of different Jenever brands. The bartender had taken half shots with us and had become talkative. It was a short time after that he bounced off to change the music. People were dancing by their tables and the mood was quite festive. 

As I sat on the bar stool listening to what was once mindless chatter trying to keep my thoughts from sinking below pristine white waves of liquor. I came to a realization. Either all the conversations around me had suddenly became scintillantly interesting or...I had become one of the babbling village idiots. Regardless of the answer, it was fun. After that I shared some DeFi resources with John. It took some time to convince him that his past words meant nothing to me. The brewed spirits helped insure my statements weren't taken offensively. Later, I conceded to the bartender that the alcohol wasn't defective. They all laughed. I did too. It was a nice night. 

One thing u want to always keep in mind. The people u pass on your ascension to success in the journey of life. Are the same people watching as u descend. If you show love to them along the way. They will often extend a helping hand to stop your fall. Food for thought. 

Until Next We Speak, Be Well 

Tha One an Only