diff --git a/content/thoughts/my-2019-review.md b/content/thoughts/my-2019-review.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..88a70a0 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/thoughts/my-2019-review.md @@ -0,0 +1,114 @@ ++++ +title = "My 2019 Review" +date = 2020-01-03 + +[taxonomies] +tags = ["year", "2019", "review"] ++++ + +This year, I decided to make some review of what happened last year, to me. + + + +2019 can be called "The Year I Rode". + +In 2018 I did some presentations on [Tchelinux](https://tchelinux.org/), and +2019 started with a "Let's just ride all the way to the border" from my +cousin. The result is that, in 2019, I did presentations in 13 of the 15 +events Tchelinux promoted. I spoked about Rust 8 times, how people can help +open source projects 7 times, stream processing 5 times, Python 4 times (with +one I basically took over from another friend that couldn't get to the event) +and testing 2 times. + +Honestly, I did enjoy the combination of presentations and riding. My +psychiatrist mentioned I seemed better after all that (she basically +complained that I should get "more in touch with nature" and such, which I +guess it could count, if you see the amount of trees there are around the +roads). I also got a brand new interest in the presentations, to the point +that I'm already studying some new topics for presentations. + +I got so into doing technical presentations that in the end of 2019 I applied +for the [Mozilla Tech Speakers](https://events.mozilla.org/techspeakers), +although the answer will only come in 2020. Fingers crossed. + +I also rode all the way from [Porto +Alegre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porto_Alegre) to +[Montevideo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montevideo), which took about 12 +hours (24 total, back and forth), just to be there for 3 days for [Rust +Latam](https://rustlatam.org/). + +Speaking of Rust, this year I added "Rust in POA" as my other Meetup -- I +already help organize PyTche and took Rust in POA when it was about to be +deactivated. Also, I think this year I finally managed to write some code that +actually let the compiler happy -- and I'm still using it! And I still way +more personal projects I want to experiment in Rust. + +But my coding life wasn't just about Rust. This year I got deep into Java 8 +and, honestly, the experience wasn't as bad as I recalled from Java 2. Streams +and Optionals are, basically, my everyday tools now. We are in a dysfunctional +relationship, but it actually works. + +I did some other tech changes: I dropped Evernote and moved everything I had +to [NextCloud](https://nextcloud.com/) and [Joplin](https://joplinapp.org/). +It always bugged me that I kept pushing to "Own your platform", but my heavy +content was in a platform I had no control over it. Now I do. + +Speaking of "owning your platform", I become way more active on +[Mastodon](https://functional.cafe/@juliobiason). Although it's not running on +my own platform (yet), it's open source and I can take my data any time I want +-- and move to another place with no issues. You can take your +Twitter/Facebook data, but can you put it somewhere else? I don't think so. + +I also moved a bunch of stuff to my [new domain](https://juliobiason.me). So, +again, owning my platform. + +Out of the tech sphere, I found +[Synthwave](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthwave), which basically is +consuming all my music listening hours (including when I'm writing this post). + +So, good year, right? No so much. + +Since the mid of 2018, I'm feeling really burnt out, and although the change +of pace is helping, I'm still not feeling 100% productive. I mentioned a lot +of personal projects, but I only check them half-hour after lunch; I don't +feel like going anywhere near code after the end of my working hours. This is +really annoying, 'cause I have a bunch of things I want to automate, but doing +any sort of code outside the office feels... painful. This is a complete +different picture from 2008 (I know, that was 11 years ago) when I would get +to work, code code code, go back home and then code some more. I have strong +hopes of getting some vacation and finally "get fixed". + +Insomnia is still part of my nights. I'm taking meds now to help me sleep. The +only good side of this is that it help me read 32 books this year (you may +have seen the reviews in this blog). + +2019 was also the year I feared for some friends. There is a strong alt-right +movement in the country -- specially after the alt-right candidate was elected +-- and I feared mostly for my friends. I also felt guilty for not standing +that up as I should: I'm white, male and cis, and I'm pretty sure I won't be a +target, and that's why I should be in the front lines, but I'm too much of a +coward to do so. + +Also, this year I lost two people. The first one was a new friend I made on +Rust in POA. He was one of the people that _really_ understood Rust. I still +feel kinda guilty about this, 'cause I saw he had some depressing posts on +Twitter and it took me way to long to talk to him before it happened. + +The second person was my uncle. He was the guy who was only 13 years old than +me, did the [Santiago de +Compostela](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago_de_Compostela) pilgrimage +route about four (or even five) times, was cycling all the time, did +marathons. And, suddenly, heart attack. He was the guy I would expect to make +fun of _my_ funeral. + +But what about 2020? + +First, personally, I really _really_ hoping this stupid burn out will go away +after vacations, so I can finally fix my own digital life. + +Second, I'll keep my presentations. I also hope I get selected for Tech +Speaker, only to have more stuff to talk about. + +Third, for the fucks sake, I hope I won't lose anyone else, 'cause even after +all this time, I still don't know how to handle these loses (I still feel bad +when my gramma passed away, and that was 10 years ago).