Barcelona, the zoo, clay courts, and the art of living awake
We were in Barcelona—intentionally and accidentally at the same time.
Heather and I arrived after spending the prior week at the Rolex Monte‑Carlo Open,
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Blog Archives
Trade-Offs in Monte Carlo
Sometimes the Place Trumps the Play
On Trade‑Offs, Tennis, and the Economics of Time
Thomas Sowell famously defined economics not as money, markets, or math, but as the allocation of scarce resources that have alternative uses.
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2025—A Year of Impact, Presence, and Woah
by 
Gary Carmell
Posted in A.I., Apartments, Economy, Interest Rates, News, Personal, Tennis, Travel
No Comments ↓
Gary Carmell
Posted in A.I., Apartments, Economy, Interest Rates, News, Personal, Tennis, Travel
No Comments ↓
If there’s one word that keeps returning to me this year, it’s “woah.” Not the “woe” of victimhood, but the woah of awe—the inhale that invites presence, humility, and gratitude. 2025 brought plenty of reasons to pause: service that nourished the soul,
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GCC in the GCC
My middle name starts with a C, which makes my initials GCC. It just so happens that last week I was in a GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) country. I was in Abu Dhabi and Dubai for a conference hosted by a global real estate organization I joined this year.
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Indian Wells and the Road to Joy
Last week Heather and I made our annual pilgrimage to the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells near Palm Springs. We also have the great pleasure of being members there as well so we truly understand why it’s known as Tennis Paradise.
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Signetology
If I were to describe myself, I would say that I’m spiritual, strongly connected to my Jewish roots, very tolerant of people’s religiosity, and also a believer that there are vast mysteries our intellects are not capable of fully understanding and processing.
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From Madrid with....A Hat
Last week, Heather and I had the pleasure of visiting the beautiful city of Madrid. It was a bit cold at times but still quite pleasant to explore.
When I travel, I generally prefer to keep my itinerary pretty loose as I like to explore and kind of go with the flow so that if something interesting pops up,
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London 2024 - Insurance, Nick Cave, and The King
Last week I was in London for the fourth consecutive year to meet with some of our insurance carriers. Our program has become increasingly complex as this year we have 43 different companies providing coverage for our property program.
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London Calling with a Little Amsterdam Thrown in
Last week, I made my annual pilgrimage to London to meet with some of our insurance carriers and prospective ones as well. We have approximately 15 different companies providing us with different layers of coverage. We have a primary layer that covers first losses after deductibles and then secondary/excess layers.
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Having a Ball in Paris
I have been contending with a sciatica challenge for at least five years now. I have a nerve that is 50% damaged, and it seems to be regressing. I have seen a chiropractor and had an epidural, but so far, to no avail.
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