ChatGPT might be bad for workers, the environment, and the writers who unwittingly provided the training data… But my god is it good at making me sound less grumpy in email.
Thoroughly enjoyed Andor (finally got around to watching it). Next I’ll start DS9
Time to be a teacher again tomorrow… feel like Marcus Aurelius could have been talking 💬 about working with teenagers when he reminded himself…
When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly. They are like this because they cannot tell good from evil
I’m very grateful to have a good friend willing to mentor me, give feedback, and even pair with me as I learn to build sites and apps. Makes a huge difference. Anyone else out there self-taught: if there’s anyone you know who can (and would) mentor you, don’t pass on that opportunity!
Started the classic todo app using vanilla JS.
Seems like a rite of passage more than anything else
2023 in review
A brief overview of my year
Main events
- My little boy turned 1 year old, so I had my first experience of doing a child’s birthday party.
- Had holidays in Llandudno and Christchurch, Dorset.
- Became an uncle for the first time. The family is growing, and everyone is full of joy.
- Finally bought a new house after months of living with my parents for logistical reasons.
- Began learning web development via the Odin Project.
- Made a good friend at work, and reconnected with some old friends.
- Participated in the teacher strikes this year.
- Published several cryptic crosswords on mycrossword.co.uk. My crossword setting and solving improved a lot over the year. I ran a crossword club at school.
- Survived an OFSTED inspection (outcome: “Good”)
- Started this blog 🎉.
Patterns and themes
- My progress in learning web dev slowed once the new school year started — many factors involved here, including workload, parenthood, living situation
- Started lifting weights in August. Things started to fall off a bit in December due to a spike in workload (many end-of-term exams to mark). However, I’m still keen to go; I’ll pick the habit back up next week
- Stress levels have been very high throughout the year, primarily due to work, but of course also to do with staying with parents, moving house, and so on.
- Latter part of the year have had a big focus on family and marriage. Our living situation, together with my workload and stress levels, have been challenging for us all.
- Got ill quite a bit in the first half of the year, but haven’t had a sick day since school started in September.
Favourites
Didn’t have time for much culture this year, but the best book I read was Neuromancer.
Looking ahead
- Keep making progress in learning web development
- Keep going to the gym
- Keep focusing on the family
Happy new year 🥳
Rainy NYE walk with the little one. We chose “Footpath and pool”… very cloudy pool
Apps at the start of 2024
Some apps I use.
- 💻 OS: Pop!_OS
- 📩Mail Client: Thunderbird
- 📮 Mail Server: mailfence
- 📝 Notes: neovim, Obsidian, physical notebooks
- ✅ To-Do: Todo.txt
- 🌅 Photo Management: darktable
- 📆 Calendar: Simple Calendar (android), Thunderbird (desktop), Etesync server
- 📁 Cloud File Storage: pCloud
- 🔄 Folder sync: syncthing
- 📖 RSS: Newsblur
- 🙍🏻♂️ Contacts: android default
- 🌐 Browser: LibreWolf
- 💬 Chat: WhatsApp, discord
- 🔖 Bookmarks: the web browser?
- 📑 Read It Later: wallabag.it
- 📜 Office suite: Libre at home, Microsoft at work
- 💰 Budgeting and Personal Finance: YNAB
- 💪 Fitness: hevy
- 🎵 Music: Spotify -🎙️ Podcasts: PocketCasts
- 🔐 Password Management: Bitwarden
- 🧑💻 Terminal: kitty
- 🐚Shell: zsh
- 🤖 Code Editing: neovim
- 📚 Books: KOreader (on Kobo) and calibre
- 🌎 Blogging: Micro.blog
- 🐘 Mastodon client: Tusky
Started my portfolio project. At the moment I can only get in front of my computer in short bursts of less than half an hour - I’ll need to plan well so I don’t just fire up my editor and wonder what the heck I’m doing next
Applying for a job that requires a CV, a cover letter, and application form with at least 3 “long form” sections when you actually don’t have experience is torture
Currently reading: Technofeudalism by Yanis Varoufakis 📚