Work
I’ve been writing a pitch for a website redesign for an org in response to a Call for Proposals to redesign it. I haven’t done this before! I am attempting to formalise things I do all the time around website assessment and forming Opinions and write about it all diplomatically ✨. Have y’all taken those Strengths Finders tests and their equivalents? I’ve always scored super high in the communication categories in these things, and my colleagues have often wondered what I’m doing in tech. While flattering, this skill belongs, unfortunately, in the use-it-or-lose-it category. The places I’ve spent my career in over the last 3-4 years haven’t valued this kind of communication very much, so I haven’t honed it as much as I would like. An exciting challenge!
Another thing I’ve spent some time working on is redesigning my website so I can get this blog off of mataroa and onto tanvibhakta.in/blog. What are your personal AI policies? I’ve spent a fair bit of time thinking about it, and decided that I will use it lots - not to write code for me, but to handle chores, validate thoughts, expand on lists and frameworks of things to do, and as a rubber ducky. So I’ve been getting Claude to make exhaustive lists of components I need for a blogging site, and cursor to update my website from html pages to astro. I am enjoying myself. Maybe I will debut this thing next week.
Life
This week has been very full. I had dinner with a new-ish book friend who is also into fountain pens. I haven’t paid real attention to my collection of pens and inks and paper since before the pandemic, and it was surprisingly fun to get back into it by geeking out with a friend. I filled a tiny pen that looks like a shark (!) with a locally produced green-yellow bamboo-like ink. I haven’t written with it too much because I mostly write digitally, but just looking at the pages I did write with it has brought me joy.
Some friends from the nesting partner’s Goa days were in town, and after hosting them for a night of excellent conversation and food, I (sorry-not-sorry!) kidnapped one for six more hours with a brand new citrus-based jigsaw puzzle. I love the conversations that come up when your body is engaged in doing a light task. It’s the same thing as being tipsy, I think. Your brain doesn’t have as many resources to engage the filter with. And that leads to vulnerability, which is the bedrock of any good friendship.
I also spent some time with cousins visiting from abroad, some one-on-one time with a good friend’s good friend, and a day with a friend who has a new baby. It’s nice engaging with people who have children. I’m looking forward to watching how some priorities shift while others stay the same, and contrasting it with my own (childfree) life.
Health
Bad headache this week from Sunday afternoon to Monday morning. I think this started because I had a very social lunch meeting so many new people and that resulted in smiling for three hours straight while not drinking water. I started some new meds that are supposed to be good at keeping these headaches away, but I think they took the weekend off. :unamused:
I’ve been afraid to work out, because of the volatile nature of the pain in my ankle, but I got roped into a badminton game and really enjoyed myself! I’m hoping to continue this streak with more movement this week - maybe just running, because I can see that my cardio ability has dropped again.
Learning
Mandarin learning has been going excellently. I made some jokes, unprompted! And I’ve been referring to things in the house using the Chinese words. Twice I got something right that the partner didn’t, so he downloaded the owl app ands been doing some vocabulary refreshers. I consider this an absolute win.
Anything worth doing is worth doing badly. I know this, and I think about this statement often, but I can’t seem to internalise it yet. I have spent three days - three days - working on this pitch trying to get everything right when I could have been more iterative about it. I don’t think it’s human nature to be iterative instead of procedural, but I think it’s a very valuable skill to have in our current world. Of course, as an engineer I am able to do this because I have enough practice (and have dealt with enough consequences from failing to do this!) but I am slowly learning to get better at applying this to the rest of my life.
I learnt what I need to do to be able to smash in badminton. I don’t yet have the power, but I now have the technique! I’m coming for y’all.
Media
Reading
I finished Bunny, and I really enjoyed it. This review? Is perfect. I agree with all the things they say - except they level these as criticisms and I believe that is the point. I will definitely be picking up Mona Awad’s other work in the future.
Watched
Interstellar turned ten this week. I didn’t catch it when it came out, so I made sure to book tickets at the nearest IMAX, and wow. What a visual experience this was! I remain stunned, and I will grudgingly admit that all the Nolan tech-bro fans may have had a point with this one. The story itself gave me big Three Body Problem energy - was this inspired by it in anyway?
Around the web
I’m sharing some articles that made me think this week:
- How I learned to code with my voice: from the bytes.dev newsletter. I’ve had laryngitis 4 times last year, so this may not be as applicable to me, but as more of us knowledge workers deal with the consequences of our poor posture choices this is a good guide to have.
- The deadly geography of Mount Everest: Nats was telling me about her love for disaster stories, a morbid fascination I share. She sent me this link the next morning, inadvertently sending me down a deep, deep rabbit hole. Thanks!
- The Revenge of the Hot Water Bottle: A fascinating look into the history of the humble rubber bag (and why it should make a come back)
love the weekly notes!