In an attempt to a) write more on my blog and b) remember what’s going on in my life, I’m going to attempt to write up a monthly update, a la Dave Rupert’s Vibe Checks. Welcome to the inaugural issue.
October Highlights
I finally went to a No Kings march. I’ve been meaning to get out to one for ages, but my inner introvert struggles with the large crowds. It was quite a bit of fun, and I really enjoyed the Portland spirit of it all.
I took a Night Photography class at the local community college. It was a lot of practice with the exposure triangle, which I’m already pretty comfortable with, so I can’t say that I learned a whole lot, but it did force me to get out and shoot more than I would otherwise, which was my primary motivation. So I guess it was successful in that regard.
Learning Journey
Early access for Josh Comeau’s Whimsical Animations course launched at the end of September with the first two modules, which I wrapped up at the beginning of October.
Working on that course finally inspired me to go back and do his CSS for JavaScript Developers course that I bought in 2021 and then promptly abandoned. I have two more modules to go on that one. I already knew a lot of the topics he covers, but he goes into so much depth that I’m still learning a lot. And writing CSS in React is very new to me, so I’m learning a lot on that end.
I’ve also poked around at GSAP, motion.dev, and CSS scroll driven animations a bit.
Health and Fitness
I set a new bench press PR at 190lbs. I tried and failed to set a new deadlift PR at 375lbs. Then I tried dropping down to 370, but I was too gassed from attempting 375. Instead I matched my previous PR of 355, but at a much lower RPE.
Quality of Life Upgrades
I bought a new MacBook Air when everyone had them on sale for prime day, despite the fact that my MacBook Pro is still going strong. I’m enjoying the shiny newness of it, and the fact that it’s a bit more portable means I’m actually using it more.
After 10+ years of reading on a Kindle I made the switch to a Kobo e-reader and I’m really enjoying it. I was never particularly invested in Kindle books, just the reader itself, so it’s been a pretty smooth transition and there’s a lot of small details that really improve the reading experience. When you first power on the Kindle there’s a second or two where the screen is much brighter before it dims to the reading level. I read in bed a lot and that bright flash always left me squinting. The Kobo just goes right to the dim screen. It also just instantly opens to the page, rather than having to swipe to unlock like the Kindle. The position of the power button on the back of the reader means I’m not constantly turning it off by accident. And probably the biggest thing is that I can manage my metadata in Calibre and then sideload my books, meaning I can organize everything into collections.
I replaced my Apple Magic Keyboard with an MX Keys. I still prefer the Apple keyboard, but the MX Keys makes it so much easier to switch between my work and personal computer that it’s worth the trade offs.
Finally, I installed a dimmer switch in my bathroom. It’s seriously the brightest bathroom I’ve ever had, which is nice at times, but now that it’s pitch dark out when I get up in the morning it was absolutely blinding me.
Reading
October was a fairly slow month for reading. I’ve been on a big podcast kick lately, which has really eaten into my audiobook time. Books I finished this month:
The Startup Wife by Tahmima Anam
The Tech Coup by Marietje Schaake
What Can a Body Do? by Sara Hendren
This Is for Everyone: The Unfinished Story of the World Wide Web by Tim Berners-Lee