Personal Blog
I ve been a big fan of digital minimalism. Over the years I ve done several experiments. I was reducing screen time, owning my calendar, and purposely using my energy. I ve written about some of them in the productivity category. Over the last few months, I ve spent more time in my bed or couch than ever. When I got hospitalized I removed most of the screen limitation settings I set in the past.…
In this post, I will share the bizarre week that lead from having no idea, to getting a diagnosis and prognosis. Tuesday the 24th of September Today is the day I get an ultrasound of my liver, after months of declining health, blood tests, antibiotics, and a possible long covid diagnosis. The last round of bloodwork showed my liver values were off. My doctor reassured me I don t think anything…
During my first two rounds of chemotherapy, I discovered chemobrain is a real thing. Besides the fact that you are in a stressful period. Some studies show that it has some effect on your brain. And that simple decisions or a too-stimulating environment are challenging. The first time chemobrain surprised me was when I went for a short walk to our market. Every Wednesday I go to our cheese stand…
At the height of the pandemic, I used Headspace to meditate. I could see the potential it had to your inner thoughts but it was never a big success for me. If I look back on the meditation course, the 3-5 minute guided meditations were a struggle to get through. It s a skill to learn, but my unpracticed mind kept going all over the place. Which frustrated me, and after a few weeks of little…
Recently my life got turned upside down. After a few months of declining health and doctors trying to finding a root cause. I received a heartbreaking diagnosis. I have cancer in my colon, which has already spread to my liver and lungs. And due to the cancer s advanced stage, they won t be able to cure me. In this new journaling series I will share my thoughts and experiences in my new daily life…
One year ago the bathroom scale confronted me. As a twin dad and a busy Engineering Manager, I slept too little, I barely exercised, and ate unhealthy. As a result, my weight was the highest it had ever been. My BMI slowly crept from overweight to obese (even though I think BMI is not the best measurement). And that is when I decided I wanted to do something about it. In the past, I ve enjoyed…
I have met interns who made a bigger impact on projects than experienced engineers. How can some engineers rise the ranks fast, while others stay on the same level for years? An interesting question I philosophized over with my friend Bart. Backstory First I d like to share a story of a project that forced all engineers outside of their comfort zone. A big project was approaching. We were doing a…
My life is busy. I m a dad to twin boys who are almost two. I m training for a half marathon, like to write, and am an Engineering Manager. A combination that eats up any free time if I m not intentional. How do I make time for what I care about, and keep my sanity? The surprising answer is I make use of lost minutes. But what is a lost minute? Someday is today It all started when I read Someday…
I had no idea what kind of problems people expect you to solve as a Manager. Even before my official start date, I got pulled into a meeting with the board of directors. Folks so far up the chain I d never seen them before. I had the pleasure of explaining an outage while my manager was on holiday. I did not expect my comfort zone to play such an important role in my day to day. Before I became a…
Today I want to share a pivotal moment in the career of a freshly graduated junior developer. Rand s writing prompts inspired this post. Every week he sends out a few writing prompts. The following prompt brought back memories of a situation I haven t thought about in a long time: The name of the person who helped you the most and why. Michael Lopp (Rands) About 10 years ago I ll take you back…