What have you been up to during the pandemic?
Who would have thought being locked in your house could be so helpful for your future?
The past 8 months have been weird, but you know that. In actuality, it’s probably been the most productive stretch of my life. I have been very fortunate, and I have made the most of it. I could have written this months ago, but like you know, I only publish when the moment hits me.
During that time, I embarked on a journey of my own. First, to actually learn how to write code. I felt the need to 77 days later, I built a few different programs and feel confident writing Python to build actual projects, analyze data sets, and who knows what else to come.
From here, there’s an awesome new project I’m taking on around Chicago’s neighborhoods. With access to sensor data around the city, I can run experiments on different data points (i.e. sound, air quality, traffic patterns) and identify ways to improve quality of life in intersections. This is all in effort to connect the city. Post-pandemic, we will need to lift small businesses and citizens across the entire city. To rebound, there’s only one option. We all go.
During the summer, I searched for a way to help with the equity problem our world has. This is it, in it’s earliest form.
Plenty more happened, and I surely won’t touch on all of them. It was mostly great, though.
We roadtripped with Pix in the mountains. He loved the outdoors. He hated the car. Asheville was really cool. I’m a fan.
I also shut a long-time project down, said no to more things (as I’ve been trying to do!), and dove deeper into the joys of a dot grid notebook. Just the act of sketching and noting in a dot grid has wildly improved my visualization skills. What a joy.
I think Donna and I played soccer 3x a week. My touch is…live? Between drawing and soccer, I’ve suddenly become somewhat skilled in two things I definitely sucked at throughout the last 32 years. What a great reminder of how much progress requires us to be woefully out of place and iterate like life depends on it.
I realize this area has not been given much love of late. Lo siento. I promise you I have been a busy boy. In fact, a few weeks back, I turned an important age, if you like to think about things. This is the journey of a man trying to build a better world.
I’m still writing, the words are just living in different realms - like my public Roam! I share a lot there, including everything I’ve mentioned above and thoughts you’ll surely scratch your head over.
You may have noticed updates to the Projects page, as well. I’ve built this out to resemble more of a portfolio, and now there are links living throughout the site. As always, it’s a work in progress. We’re on a wave.
One great thing about this type of reflection process is remembering how much you’ve actually done over the years. Even if the work has not always been centered around what I’m aiming for in the future, there’s some real quantity! The process takes work. That’s the joy!
Life is good, friends.