Journal -- October 18, 2022

Tuesday, October 18, 2022 – It’s been three weeks since I posted a journal entry, and I have so much to share.

First off, the ever-distracting move is complete. I’m in my new place, and while I still have a bit to do to say I am unpacked and settled, I’m enjoying the new house—lots of space, with a dedicated office and the loft has plenty of storage to keep my various closets organized and not over-packed. There have been a few repair needs, and the new landlord has been great at promptly addressing things. Things are good.

I have a couple of todo items to finish in my old place before I hand back the keys. I’ll likely do some of that next week.

Next up is a new client contract. I landed a part-time gig, inheriting an Elixir/Phoenix/ReactNative project from a previous coworker. The initial period will have me serve as a tech lead, helping to shape and review the work of another part-time individual contributor. We have some general maintenance to do, and then in a separate flow, I’ll be working with the main stakeholders to plan out a more significant project proposal. It’s a good fit for me, a small startup where I’ll have an excellent opportunity to craft the work environment and processes I value.

Most of the new work is in Elixir/Phoenix space, but this project will kick me to sharpen my experience with ReactNative, at least good enough to edit/review our existing project. Not something I’m super enthusiastic about, but other techs, including CircleCI, Docker, and observation improvements, should balance out my excitement levels.

Last night I hosted the monthly PhillyElixir meeting after missing last month. I was able to deliver a work-in-progress version of my Elixir Documentation talk. It went well, and I got some great feedback. I need to figure out how I want to move forward. Ideally, I could propose the talk for a future conference and then work on version 2.

Finally, and most importantly, has been my focus and enjoyment of the Phillies in the playoffs. Since my last journal, they beat the Cardinals in the wild card series and the Braves in the division series. Tonight is game one of the National League Championship Series. It is so much fun watching these games and enjoying the city’s reactions day by day. Go Phillies!