---
type: "article"
title: "A Week of Being Kin Lane - October 12th, 2026"
summary: "R&B, feeling sick, and my trip to Stockholm."
newsletter: "Kin Lane"
newsletter_handle: "kinlane"
newsletter_url: "https://usecommune.com/n/kinlane"
author: "Kin Lane (@kinlane)"
published: "2026-10-12T19:06:20.644Z"
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markdown_url: "https://usecommune.com/n/kinlane/a/Gm3VkKJe.md"
chat_url: "https://usecommune.com/n/kinlane/a/Gm3VkKJe/chat"
body_source: "native"
likes: 0
replies: 0
body_words: 1181
---

# A Week of Being Kin Lane - October 12th, 2026

Audrey bought a Stevie Wonder album this week. I forgot how much I love his music. It is just joyous and good. I love R&B, but as Audrey noted, because of the whiteness of our upbringing, it isn't a default staple. We all need a little Stevie in our lives.

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I had another trip on the calendar. Within a day or two of leaving, I started feeling sick. It might have been Covid, but it was likely just the flu. Luckily, Audrey had pushed me to get my vaccination. I took it day by day as the departure date got closer and closer. Leaving my wonderful routine with my gurls is hard enough, and feeling sick would give me the reason to back out.

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I really love the view of the world from my chair. We pay a premium for our view of New York City. We've been here three years now, and I am still not sick of staring at the skyline. I could easily have cancelled my trip. If it had been for a job, I would have. I was pretty sick, but because I run my own business, I opted to suck it up, mask up, and get on the plane even though I felt like shit.

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So I packed my bag. I have a new backpack instead of the old roller bag, and I love it. I got really sick of the noise of my wheels on European streets. The only downside of the new bag is that when I pull it out, Poppy knows what it means, and she sends me all the signals.

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Last trip, she put a ball and a bone in it. This trip, she just lay next to it in her "I am not going to look at you" position, which is a sign she is not happy with you. She knows how to tug on the heartstrings. I felt sick enough already. I really could have just stayed home.

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I kissed the gurls goodbye and went downstairs to grab my Uber. I have been taking the A train to JFK, but Scandinavian Airlines flies out of Newark. So Uber it is. They have a new code that pops up, and your driver has to enter it when you get in. Have people been taking other people's rides?

![](https://fmxorstnlyoqpqdftivs.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/b5b20b52-814d-4df4-b9cd-8194e82ae3b2/87dc061d-2c18-4d81-993d-73005214b153/1791831567784-dg36gfei.jpg)

To get to Newark Airport, you ride toward downtown and go through the Lincoln Tunnel. The whole area is under construction because they are putting in a second tunnel. It's always a bit of a cluster to get through, but this was a Sunday, and things were pretty easy.

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For being in New Jersey, Newark isn't that bad of an airport. The security lines are pretty short, and the TSA scanning equipment is pretty modern. I always make sure I get there early, but every time I fly out of there I end up with almost three hours to spare. Oh well, better safe than sorry. I felt like crap, so I just curled up next to the gate.

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I got to Stockholm at 6:30 AM. I only slept about 45 minutes of the whole 7+ hour flight. It was miserable. I could barely breathe. My throat and head hurt. I just sat there watching movies with my eyes mostly shut. I'm pretty good at just sitting in a hellish state. It is what it is. Once I got to Stockholm, I made my way to the train.

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The train to central Stockholm is really nice. Very comfortable. Very modern. It took 20-some minutes, and in my book, a train like that is a sign of a modern city. I spent the next couple of hours in the central train station because I knew I wouldn't be able to get my room yet, and I like people-watching in train stations. I got myself a cup of chai and some juice, and just sat and watched people wander by.

![](https://fmxorstnlyoqpqdftivs.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/b5b20b52-814d-4df4-b9cd-8194e82ae3b2/87dc061d-2c18-4d81-993d-73005214b153/1791831612391-2t79a9a4.jpg)

After getting bored of the view, I made my way to the Clarion hotel. It was a little cold and drafty in the train station and raining outside, so I figured the hotel lobby would be a better place for my sick ass. I was coughing more and more and beginning to worry that I had made the wrong decision about taking this trip. The hotel lobby was definitely more comfortable, but I still had about four hours before I could get my room.

![](https://fmxorstnlyoqpqdftivs.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/b5b20b52-814d-4df4-b9cd-8194e82ae3b2/87dc061d-2c18-4d81-993d-73005214b153/1791831632683-27evnuoh.jpg)

Once lunchtime came and went, I figured I'd better eat, even though I really wasn't feeling it. I didn't want to walk far. There was a nice little sushi place across the street, run by a mother and daughter. I got some sashimi and white rice and headed back to the hotel to eat. It was exactly what my airplane gut needed.

![](https://fmxorstnlyoqpqdftivs.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/b5b20b52-814d-4df4-b9cd-8194e82ae3b2/87dc061d-2c18-4d81-993d-73005214b153/1791831673577-bi7h4i2a.jpg)

Stockholm reminds me a lot of the Pacific Northwest, specifically the Seattle area. It is nicer and older than Seattle, but the weather and architecture always trigger a bit of that old feeling. The people are very different, though. They seem friendlier and will smile at you on the street.

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When I got back to the hotel, I was able to get my room. I didn't care about the usual rule of forcing yourself to stay awake, and I crawled into bed after a quick bath. I only slept for about three hours, but it was glorious. I spent the rest of the evening working and nursing my cough with cough drops, glasses of water, and a delusional belief that I would be feeling better by the time the conference started. Luckily, day one was just an unconference, which I opted to skip so I could keep getting better.

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I went to sleep around 9:00 PM, but by midnight I was wide awake. There is something magical about the liminal space of a hotel room in a foreign country when you are jet lagged, especially when you have lots of ideas to think through, Claude to help crunch the numbers, and a 1960 Miles Davis concert from Amsterdam playing on the YouTubes. I lay there until probably 3:45 AM, just thinking about the complexity of my work and the market today.

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It is Monday, and I am feeling about 85% back to normal. I'm not coughing. I don't have a headache. After a wonderful breakfast in the lobby, I slept through the first part of the day. Since then, I've just been working. I just got back from a very nice dinner at the hotel restaurant, and I'm in my room for the night. I think I am ready for this conference. I have two full days of peopling ahead, plus a third day for a separate event downtown. Then it's back home to NYC. I'm glad I came, even with the rough journey. It will be worth it. I'll let you know next week.

***

*"It is splendid to arrive alone in a foreign country and feel the assault of difference." - Frances Mayes*

***

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