Better Luck Next Year

Yeah, so maybe a mulligan on 2022?

When I wrote about my intentions in January (I won’t even link to it because it’s one post ago), something I’d considered would be a part of regular blogging was that I’d be increasing my cadence of technical posts. What I hadn’t considered was just how constraining it feels to write about one’s work when one works for a publicly-traded company. There’s definitely plenty I could write about, but it feels… I don’t know if precarious is the right word, but tip-toeing around the specifics of the types of problems I work on day-in and day-out feel like a game I wasn’t and am still not ready to play, and it’s greatly hindered my interest in opening up this post editor throughout the year.

And, speaking of specifics, I didn’t do so hot on most of the rest of my intentions either. Going forward, it’s probably best for me to spend time here when I have something to share versus pre-announcing things I might be ready to share at some point. Even if it’s one I’ve already instrinsically known, I’ve learned a lesson yet again.

That said, this year wasn’t a total bust. By far the biggest highlight was riding bikes all summer with my partner who purchased a new one in May after not having one for many years. She wound up riding longer distances frequently enough that I too bought a new bike – the first multi-speed bike I’ve ever owned. In September, we rode in the St. Paul Classic, an annual event that takes cyclists around the edges of St. Paul, and we even rode to and from the event, logging over 40 miles in total. I rode over 300 miles in September, slightly less in October no thanks to the weather (including our first snow of the season), and only one day in November, but I’m already looking forward to next year and I’m thinking about some attainable mileage goals based on those numbers.

Better still, I got to spend some quality time with family thanks to those bikes, including a taproom crawl with one of my favorite cousins and his wife, and a long ride with my partner to visit my grandma, whom I hadn’t seen since before the start of the pandemic. As someone who’s more or less averse to the outdoors, it was a most wonderful time of year to be out and moving around.

As for everything else on my list of intentions? Well, I tried, but not intently. I wrote a few poems and I read a few books, but I didn’t hit the numbers. I sketched here and there, but I didn’t work on animation or try and put music to it. Every time I opened a code editor on my personal time, I’d groan and turn off my computer. Worse still, I didn’t send a single thank you card even though I thought about it all the time.

I’m not without accomplishment, though! We launched a Roku app in August that took me through some real challenges. I traveled for the first time since 2019. Next Monday, I’ll be playing drums for the first time in six years (whaaaat?)! I learned how to make deviled eggs. I quit Rocket League cold turkey and finally played another game start to finish (Metroid Dread, which I completed today).

Is any of it noteworthy? To me, it is. We get just this one life, and we’re all doing our best. And I know that even if I’m not hitting my stride, at least I’m pushing forward in whatever way I can. I’ll get there. I just gotta keep moving.