Ran another one-day workshop on how to teach for people in Toronto.
It went well:
what I learned doing instructor for Software Carpentry seems useful to a wider audience.
Donald Trump became president.
It’s tempting to joke about it,
but it’s the scariest thing to happen in politics in my adult life.
Resigned from Software Carpentry–it was time to move on.
February
Worked for Shopify for one week;
resigned when they decided they would continue to host the online store for Breibart News.
I just didn’t know how I would have explained to my dad that I was helping actual fascists make money.
Spent a few days with my best friend.
Didn’t do much; didn’t need to.
May
Called off the Stuff That Actually Matters project.
Only three and a half chapters had come in,
and while it hurt to disappoint the people who’d worked hard on them,
there was no prospect of a complete book taking shape.
Visited the Aga Khan Museum for the first time.
The world is full of beauty.
Had my first root canal.
The world is full of pain as well.
Took my daughter’s grade 4-6 class to the park and taught them how to play Ultimate frisbee.
The world can be a very noisy place.
Ran another one-day instructor training class for a group that wants to start teaching coding
to young women of color in one of Toronto’s poorer neighborhoods.
The world is full of hope, if you’re willing to work for it.
Took my daughter to camp downtown on the trail-a-bike a few times.
We threw a frisbee around a few times as well,
and went swimming,
and when my time comes,
I hope this is what I remember.
Finished rewriting The Cloudherd and the Tiger’s Boy.
My daughter thinks it’s still kind of boring–it certainly needs a better villain.
August
Nazis marched in Charlottesville and killed a young woman.
Shopify continued to host Breitbart’s online store as they spread lies and hate;
I’m proud that I quit.
My best friend was told that he has terminal cancer.
I knew there would be a last game of chess some day;
I just didn’t know it would come so soon.
December
Wrote the first draft of this on the solstice,
because that’s when the year really turns.
The world is darker than it used to be;
I hope I’m strong enough for what comes next.