Anniversary Thoughts
Coming up on the anniversary of being laid off, I’m thinking about what I’d like to do differently in year 2:
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Find people in the east end of Toronto who want to play some jazz once a week. I’m currently commuting to the west end to do that: I enjoy playing, but the travel time is wearying. If you’re interested, I’m easy to reach.
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Find a small F&SF writers’ group, also in the east end, to swap crits with. I’m currently getting great feedback from a friend, but would like more perspectives and an excuse to drink coffee. (Scribophile has been moderately useful, Wattpad hardly at all.) Again, if you’re interested, please reach out.
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Go on long bike rides. A friend has been going on 50km+ rides this year; it’ll take me a long time (and probably a new bike) to get up to that, but it’s a shame not to be out on sunny days like today.
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Teach something that I’m interested in learning myself. I built a discrete event simulation framework last winter, and a little formal verifier this summer, with an eye to building lessons on top of them, but no-one seemed interested. The organizational change and project closure workshops have had a bit more traction, but aren’t about programming, and SDGC is stalled.
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I started working on CATMAID a few weeks ago; between teaching and other commitments I haven’t been able to immerse myself yet, but I’m hoping to do that in November. On the upside, fixing bugs in software that scientists use is pretty rewarding. On the other hand, it’s all remote work, and I miss being able to grab a cup of coffee with colleagues in person.
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Over (almost) 12 months I sent more than 60 job applications, which led to four interviews and three offers (one of which I now wish I’d taken). I don’t think I’m going to send CVs to people I don’t know any more, but if something interesting comes up in Toronto, see the note above about coffee with colleagues.
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I’m using Jon Udell’s Bram to experiment with AI coding, mostly so that I won’t just be recycling other people’s talking points in discussions about the subject. I expect I’ll keep doing this, and hope to start contributing to the tool itself.
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I’ve nominated myself for a seat on the Carpentries board. I dithered about this for a long time, but in the end decided that I’d regret not doing it. Let’s see how the voting goes…
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I’d like to run some undergraduate projects next semester. I have students lined up for one of the games, but am still looking for people for the others. As always, please reach out if you’re interested (or if you have students who might be).
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Most of all, I’d like to be happier in the coming year than I have been in the one gone past. Losing my job just a few weeks after my daughter left home for university put me in a tailspin. I’ve dealt with depression off and on for years; the last twelve months weren’t as bad as some dips, but the trough has lasted longer. Let’s see what the next year brings.