I enjoy reading monthly updates from people I follow (via RSS), they’re always so interesting. So I figured I’d try writing my own. It’ll be good to 1) get me into a regular writing cadence (I want to write more, here and elsewhere, this year), and 2) maybe someone will find mine interesting (jk I don’t think people read this blog). Anyways, let’s give this a try!

general

It’s been a wild month. Lots of unplanned things going on. I was able to finish my London write in a much more timely manner for this trip, weighing in at a total of 4 posts! Check out part 1 here to start the journey.

I also published a blog post on the Hashrocket blog about a testing helper I was particularly proud of. Trying to turn it into a talk for ChiRuby as well 😬.

Went to the Field Notes launch party for their Lucky edition and had a really great time. In about an hour, talked with a number of people about vintage typewriters, LLMs, beer, Field Notes (obv), and the complications of shipping pennies in the US mail. Wonderful time, really.

using

We’ve finally had a few nice days, and I was able to get my commuter bike back up in running form. Riding my own bike feels like a dream after using Divvy bikes during the cold, snowy months. There’s really nothing like riding fixed gear - it’s so responsive, so much fun.

reading

I read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley this month. I really enjoyed it - it read surprisingly quickly for a (nearly) 100 year old novel, and it was a great way to look at utopias and their downsides. It’s got me wanting to read 1984 soon, as I think they kind of tackle similar subjects from different angles.

We read Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier for book club. Also written in the 1930’s, also an easy read, also ahead of it’s time. “Hauntingly beautiful” is how I’ve heard it described, and I would def agree with that.

watching

Father Brown episodes are slowly trickling in, I really miss having access to the iPlayer when we were in London. We started The Puzzle Lady, also releasing an episdoe per week. It’s not earth-shattering, but a nice cosy watch. Nor’n Ireland looks nice. We’ve got the Taskmaster Series 10 grand final tonight.

listening

Bit of a throwback (is it? 2019 was only…7 years ago?!), been listening to Better Oblivion Community Center a bit. I’m not a huge Conor Oberst or Phoebe Bridgers fan on their own, but together I am a fan.

And with that we’ve made it through a quarter of the year writing rcntly. I’m glad I’ve been able to keep this up, and I think it’s something I can keep going for the rest of the year as well. Hopefully you reading it enjoy it too.

Till next time!