/now
Updated 2025-11-22.
Now, I can probably be found collecting CDs, at work, or contributing to my 'one thing' outside of work. To break it all down:
Collecting CDs
I'm personally in the middle of a physical media renaissance. It all started when I fell in love with the idea of owning an iPod again. I was previously so frustrated when I went on my phone to queue up some music only to be distracted by something I didn't really care about. Given this frustrating, a single-purpose music playing device sounded pretty appealing. The only issue? I actually own very little music. And no, vinyl records don't count because converting them to a digital format is an arduous undertaking. So I started collected CDs!
I am now at the point where my collection feels very substantial—I could go for months at this point and would have plenty of music to dive into! And now, I'm not even sure I want to get an iPod anymore because, get this, listening to music using a CD or record player is a pretty awesome experience with no additional technology required!
Another lost art in 2025 seems to be "playing" albums from cover to cover. (The alternative being shuffling of course.) But when it comes to listening to a CD or records, you have no other option! I have a new appreciation for certain songs in "album form" now that I have listened to them in the context intended by the artist.
Work
Fall always seems to be a busy time at work. It is often when the rubber meets the road—where early-year goals meet end-of-year execution. This means I am tasked with bringing software features to life by the end of the year. A job I am enjoying doing, but also an experience learning how to be an effective project manager and effectively filtering the essential from the non-essential with limited time and resources.
TL; DR: this time of year work often consumes a lot of social and mental energy, but these few months often feel rewarding once I make it to the other side.
One Thing
What is one thing you will finish this year?
This is the question I asked myself a couple of months ago. Similar to my situation at work—the looming end of the year has forced me to evaluate what personal projects really matter to me outside of work.
Even with the clarity of knowing the one thing I should be working on, I struggle to carve out the time during the day to actually work on it. Only time will tell if I am successful in this endeavor. The end of daylight savings time has made the morning difficult to commit to. But I have faith I can figure it out.
You are reading about my life /now. Also read /about how I got here and my /ideas for the future.