Blog Archive: September 2026
Hiking to Chalaadi Glacier From Mestia, Georgia
We arrived in Mestia in September 2026 and checked in at Hotel Posta. Vazha was travelling with us, which made a bigger difference than it might sound. With our own driver, we were not limited to walking around Mestia or ticking off only the obvious stops. We could look at the day, look at the road, and decide to go somewhere else.That is how we ended up heading towards Chalaadi Glacier.I had done quite a few hikes and road trips around Georgia over the years, but this became one of the more interesting hikes for me. Not because it was the longest or hardest, but because the route changes character quite quickly: road access out of Mestia, a river valley, forest, rougher moraine, and then…
Week 77 / $233 Premium, BAC Roll and NVDA Adjustment
As of September 25, 2026, our latest portfolio snapshot stood at $13,733, representing a small 0.2% increase compared with the previous week.The $14,000 milestone remains within reach, but we have now been struggling to break through that level for several weeks.The portfolio is now up 34.41% year to date. For comparison, the S&P 500 is up roughly 13% in 2026, while NVDA is up around 20%.Beating both feels satisfying, but it also needs to be viewed in context. We have generated these returns while selling options during what remains a broadly positive year for U.S. equities. The more meaningful test will be whether the strategy can continue producing acceptable returns when markets…
Finally Reaching Samshvilde Fortress on a Day Trip from Tbilisi
Samshvilde is one of those places that looks close enough to Tbilisi for an easy day out, then feels much further away once you leave the city behind. This was our second proper attempt to reach Samshvilde Fortress. The first one, in May 2025, ended in heavy rain, mud and a sensible retreat before we reached the ruins. This time we came back with one unfinished job in mind: finally find the fortress.Driving from Tbilisi through Kiketi and OrbetiWe travelled by car from Tbilisi, but instead of treating the drive as the boring part before the hike, we went through the hills around Kojori, Kiketi and Orbeti. It was the more interesting way to go.The road takes you away from the city…
Week 76 / NVDA Spread, BAC Roll and New NU Position
Greetings from Mestia, Georgia, in the heart of Svaneti and not far from Ushguli — one of the highest populated settlements in Europe, sitting at roughly 2,050–2,200 metres above sea level.This weekend we escaped Tbilisi for a road trip to Svaneti with our friend and driver, Vazha. After an overnight stop in Kutaisi and a long drive deeper into the Caucasus, we finally reached Mestia.Svaneti really is one of those places that feels different from almost anywhere else: dramatic mountain scenery, medieval Svan defensive towers, tiny villages and a distinct local culture that has survived for centuries. It is remote, occasionally inconvenient and absolutely worth the journey.If you haven’t…
When Gmail SMTP Works on Localhost but Fails on the Server: Hunting Down an IPv6 Problem
I've been building a Translator Vendor Relationship Management (VRM) platform for our translation business - essentially an internal system for managing our translator network, from CV intake and testing through vendor profiles, rates, availability, communication and periodic profile updates.One of the most important steps recently was getting email sending working directly from the system.The idea is simple: instead of someone manually opening Gmail every time we need to contact a translator, the HR system should allow us to select a candidate, choose an email template, review the message and send it directly from the candidate profile. Every message is then recorded against that person.It…
Week 75 / From Tbilisi to Wall Street: NVDA Options, NFLX Cooling Off and Another Step Toward $14K
Shana Tova to those who celebrate.Writing back from Tbilisi, where this has been a particularly interesting week. Today we said goodbye to the apartment we rented next to the Parliament.I really enjoyed living there, but we are already enjoying our new place even more. Hopefully, this will be our home for years to come — or perhaps the next step will be buying a private house in the suburbs of Tbilisi. We will see.Besides that, as of September 11, 2026, our small but ambitious stock portfolio closed at $13,866, representing a modest 0.77% decrease week over week. The $14K milestone remains within close reach, and we continue to steadily work toward that target.Market Overview: A Week…
Week 74 / Stock Portfolio Up 34.41% YTD as NFLX Position Grows
Greetings from Kakheti! This weekend, we’ve come to Tsinandali together with some of our CauLingo team members for the annual Tsinandali Festival. September is probably one of the best times to visit this part of Georgia — grape harvesting season, beautiful landscapes, music, wine, and that special Kakheti atmosphere. Simply awesome.Now back to the portfolio. As of September 4, 2026, our stock portfolio closed at $13,973, marking a 1.95% increase week over week. Ahh, $14K is so close — we can practically feel it!This week in the portfolio was a bit of a thriller, with most of the action once again concentrated around NVDA and NFLX.NVDA remained volatile following its latest earnings report…