I need to write again. I have things to say.
This year has been the best of times and the worst of times. In many ways, I’ve treasured time with family as our home has become the epicenter of our lives. Long-distance friendships have been cultivated in the margins of stay-at-home rules and priorities have been reordered. At the same time, trips were canceled, experiences delayed or denied, graduations missed and opportunities lost. Fortunately, our family has, to date, avoided the worst consequences of the pandemic. We are weathering well.
As 2020 winds down, I experience relief tinged with apprehension. There will be no magic spell when the year advances a single digit. Our world will look the much same on 1-1-2021 as on 12-31-2020 even as the symbolism of a new year buoys our spirits and revives our hopes.
These times have highlighted our need for human connection, even in a field where we take pride in our independence, where many of us are introverts who love working alone and are more comfortable with code than with conversation. I’ve been reminded that the greatest triumphs of my career have not been technical but relational. Solid technology has been merely a backdrop for the most meaningful interactions.
With this in mind, I’m reviving the blog. I hope to synthesize thoughts from technology, life, family, work, and culture to help us think through what we’re doing here, what really matters, and how to live and work as whole people. I’m sure I’ll geek out about technology, especially networking and Google Cloud, from time to time. I’ll talk about what I’m reading and ideas that capture my imagination. Expect a well-placed rant occasionally.
I have a few topics in mind already: how culture shapes our work, how loyalty is used and misused, situations technologists can control and situations they can’t, how we view waste and how that impacts our work and lives, building meaningful relationships in technology work: how to do it and how not to do it, toxicity at work: when to cope and when to run.
Regardless, this will be a place where I preach to myself, where ideas become clearer on paper, and where we think through how to practice our craft in the larger context of life.
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