Last updated: 2024-09-07
Still in Toronto, still working in software at Amazon. My team writes tools to help automate and test new machine setups. Working on fixing up and expanding a tool that I wrote earlier in the year that didn't quite make it into production. After the meeting showing the tool the team it was for had a couple more features they wanted added before it was deployed. The configurations had changed before I got those done and some parts had to be redesigned/rebuild. Making it more adaptable to keep this drift from happening in the future.
I am engaged and living with the most wonderful woman I have ever met. We have booked a venue and a date!! So excited and frees us up to start booking a lot of other stuff. Found a wonderful venue that incorporates a lot of nature and is comfortably in our budget.
Actually planning for the long term financially now that I am lucky enough to have a job that leaves me with money to save and invest after the bills are payed. It still feels new to have that cushion and to plan long term, definitely enjoying it.
Got my blue belt just before the new year. The team here at GB Toronto has become an external family. I am so grateful for the community.
Competiton coming up on September 14th. Not may of us from the school are going to compete but there are some members coming out to support. Pulled back on training a bit after the last competition to make sure I had some balance in my life. I want this training to be sustainable for the long term. Just competing in Gi this time as opposed to both Gi and No-Gi.
I am working to learn japanese and portuguese on Duolingo. I love the program and it is 100% worth paying for, but the fact that even when paying it keeps asking for ratings, putting widgets on my home screen, or turning on notifications bothers me. You already have my money now please don't bother me. Finding the lessons really helpful.
Had not realized how much the anki flash cards that I have been making alongside the course were until I got out of sync. Did make the time to make new cards for a few weeks and was wondering why I was having such a hard time remembering the new japanese words. I didn't have flashcards for them. So updated them all today and am now back on track.
This website is the main thing that I have been working with. Added a uses page recently with just a list of the common things that I use every day. Going to add links and other curated stuff next. I love these pages on other personal websites and want to contribute to that.
I am looking at restructuring the site into more of a garden than a stream. It is a structure that I find much more interesting and fits with how I want to build much more. Treating most things as timeless and growing as opposed to a strict timeline. It is how I keep most of my personal notes, dates more of as reference than things needing to be in order. Will see how that works.
Set up my own code forge to be able to share my code without having to post it to github. Can see it here.
I dove hard down the custom keyboard rabbit hole this past week. Going to be making a second one for myself to keep at work, and making one for each of my brothers. Can (and have somewhat been) getting lost in the minutiae of layouts, switches, design. It has been a lot of fun (and I apologise to my fiance for the constant clicking as I test out different switches).
Awstin
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