Updated on June 7th, 2024 from Birmingham, UK
Now
Here’s what I’m doing right now, both professionally and personally.
Working
Working at GitLab as a Staff Backend Engineer, a job I genuinely love. I’m working in the Monitor stage on the Product Analytics team. We’re building products to allow customers monitor how their customers use their applications. I get to solve interesting problems, at large-scale using some cutting edge technology. What else could an engineer want?
Reading
The Myth of Normal - Gabor Maté
A recommendation from my therapist this has been a genuine eye-opener and has led me to rethink how I describe my own mental illness.
The Software Engineer’s Guidebook - Gergely Orosz
Perhaps not telling me anything I did not already know but this book has been a really nice, concise description and guide on how to work and progress within what the software industry is today.
The Trading Game - Gary Stevenson
A fairly brutal tell-all of what it’s like to become an investment banker from someone from a background not typical of an investment banker. It’s a well-told story and just makes me very glad it’s not the path I chose for my own life.
Volunteering
I’m the vice-chair of Friends of Cotteridge Park. These days that mostly means IT admin stuff, learning to make nice coffee, being a stable face in the community and running payroll. I volunteer a few hours a month in our community building, “The Shed”.
I’m a governor at my old primary school. My role as the IT Governor is to provide oversight for things such as IT and cybersecurity.
I’ve taken a break from volunteering at School of Code due to having taken too many things on recently. I hope to return in a future cohort. It’s a fantastic programme and I’ve mentored some folks that have gone on to excellent careers.
Listening
- Nobody ever told me that Japan has an epic Jazz/Soul scene. So I’m catching up there.
- This poem, “I want to be a tree”, about what happens after death written (I think) by William Shatner brought me to tears, as did The Lost Words Blessing.
- I’ve been enjoying Federspiel a lot recently, especially “Freedom Dance”.
- The music from the game Cuphead, which is way too difficult for me, is beyond joyful.
Living
We bought our beautiful house in Birmingham in December 2022 (at the height of an already out-of-control housing market) but there’s still lots to do. My main focus on the house right now is getting our old lead water main replaced, which is a slow and expensive process. After that we need to replace the kitchen and utility room fixtures and I want to learn to build bookshelves for our living space.
I’m also trying to work harder at training my younger dog, Willow. She’s basically brilliant but has a habit of jumping at people she recognises as dog-owners for food. Her lead-walking to heel needs work too.I’ve resolved to work harder to smooth out those sharp edges this year.
Travelling
In 2024 I’ll will have/have travelled to:
- Las Vegas, USA, for work.
- Lima & Cusco, Peru - to stay in the Amazon jungle and hike the Inca Trail.
- Ullswater, Lake District, England - for my wife’s Birthday.
- Fort William, Scotland - Just because.
We completed the 4-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in May with G Adventures, which was the most physically demanding but rewarding thing I’ve ever done. It’s definitely encouraged us to look at the next multi-day hike we want to do soon.
Thinking
I’ve been in therapy for 18 months and have found it a surprisingly transformative experience.