It feels insane that we’re 4 months away from 2022. WHERE HAS TIME GONE?
Ignore the crazy colors; I’m typing this on an iPad and I just noticed that the blocks can specify background colors and text. Pretty nifty.
What’s new with me? Well, I’m still actively making my own skin care products! As a matter of fact, I’ve just finished preparing a batch that should last me ~ 3 months (2 lbs worth of product). It feels pretty cool to “make” things with my own hands. For some reason, I’ve always considered myself ‘not a maker’ or ‘not creative’ but here I am, making things. ☺️
On the work front, things are busy (shocker). Since my promotion to E5, the stakes have been raised higher and I’m terrified of letting myself down and my manager down. I don’t think I’ve had anyone believe in me like my manager does (Matt and family don’t count ) and I badly want to step my game up. I need to not let my fear of failure sabotage this new phase of my life and I’ll do my best. Lots of interviewing! My company strongly believes that its employees should be involved in the hiring process and it’s an incredibly powerful opportunity to ensure we’re hiring for the people that we believe will have impact at the company.
On the personal front, I switched from the Android ecosystem to Apple and I’m sad to report that the rumors of things “just working” ™ are true. I’ve gone all in because of how smooth sailing the transition from Android to iOS (Apple) has been. The hardware and the ecosystem is just unbeatable. In other words, Apple has “hits that stick like grits”! So far, I’ve used part of my windfall this year to purchase a iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and a variety of services. I also anticipate and am excited about dabbling into iOS development given how frustrating Android development has felt. Granted, it’s been YEARs since I’ve tried to develop on Android but I’m just ready for a new thing. Plus, I’m ready for a new hobby. I haven’t actively worked on new tech related hobbies and I’m finally ready to get back into it.
On the health front, Utah has been covered in smoke from the wildfires. My activity tanked and so did my mood. I can feel depression creeping back up but no fear, I know what I need to do to get out of that funk – aggressive TLC and therapy. My company via Modern Health offers 10 free therapy sessions which is pretty good and I’m gonna take advantage of it.
On the financial front, thanks to the windfall, I hit a personal milestone ahead of schedule and I don’t feel so panicked about retirement as much. I don’t aspire to be filthy rich and I don’t have hedonistic tendencies so my goal with retirement is to be free to purchase things that I care about without worrying about money. If I keep growing my career and preserve my modest spending habits, I’ll have no trouble attaining this goal.