So, it was quite a year, of some advances and pain. I’m still here, so let’s get into it.
Last January was probably the lowest I’d been in many years. I was looking for a new job. I managed 6 people in Seattle from an office in Austin, I’d been converted in January 2023 officially from Software Development Engineer (SDE) to Software Development Manager (SDM), though I’d been doing the job from April 2022. (This will become important later).
What happened in 2019?
I like to do year-in-review posts every year or after specific milestones, like changing jobs or having big projects finish.
So, if 2018 was a triumph, 2019 was its hangover.
Both my parents are still alive, and are ornery as ever.
Throughout most of 2019, our relationship with our son was estranged, most acutely when we flew up to Kentucky in May to see him graduate Franklin County High School when he refused to see us before, during, or after graduation.
So, 2017 is past.
As luck would have it, we decided today would be a good day for midwinter cleaning, as I’m halfway through my 2 week stint off work. I dug through a box I had from our move back in June, and within was my first Employee Evaluation from Amazon. I got to look at what I thought would be my 2017 and got to compare it to what I actually accomplished.
So, April 1st will mark a year since Lexmark paid me to find a new job.
To recap, I agreed for that year, I’d not besmirch the name of LXK, recruit anyone of my old colleagues, or attempt to work there again. The last is really not an issue, but the former two are tougher. I’d dearly love to reach out to folks and get them to work with me again.
It’s been quite a year. The previous twelve years I’ve written this blog, I’ve been based out of Georgetown, Kentucky, and I worked at Lexmark. I’ve added many things in that time: A wife, a step-son, two daughters, and 2 houses. Through it all, I remained in Georgetown and worked at Lexmark. As I write this, both have changed.
Set your wayback machine for Jan 1, 2016 and let’s see how I got here.
It’s been a fascinating, sometimes frustrating year. Today’s my last official workday; I’ll probably check email from here on out.
Some highlights to share:
Code activity
That pretty much tells-the-tale. Up through July I was hot and heavy on of our projects, then I had a week of vacation (which was awesome…I really recommend Nags Head, NC.) Throughout that time, I was working with a very sharp team, and we had a go-live with our changes on April 23d. I didn’t sleep much that night.
Here in Kentucky, we root for hopeless causes: Most incarnations of UK Football, the Broncos in Superbowl XVIII, and winter.
Winter? you ask. Indeed!
Usually, Winter is a neutered season. It’s like a buffer between our long, dry falls and our all-too-short wet Springtime. Summer’s the top-dog. Summer’s on the beach, kicking sand in the face of nerdy Winter, breaking his glasses and shooting tequila like a Carrie Underwood song (underage, natch). A “hard” winter here is one big snow of 3" and an average daytime high under 40. “You know, I had to scrape my windows this morning!” we exclaim in disbelief.
Perhaps I came out of the womb worrying.
Pehaps it’s learned behavior.
Luke 12:25 says:
5 And which of you by worrying can add a single [a](C)hour to his [b]life’s span?26 If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?
What does this have to do with 2011, anyway?
I worried alot this year. I worried about myself, my wife, my kids, my parents, my job, my church obligations. And, frankly, I freaked-out. Often. So often, that yesterday and today, I talked myself through “this is usually the part where I freak out,” because the triggers were all there. Self-awareness is all that I have sometimes whenever I see fear, rage, selfishness, hate, guilt, jealousy, betrayal, disappointment, anger, etc. building. I finally can see it coming and I believe I can choose something different.
Stolen from Susan
* * *
1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
Traveled to both coasts–New England and Kalifournia.
2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Didn’t make any, so yep.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
One of the founders of our church died, but no one too close, no.
Twenty-nine years ago today, I came squalling into the world, pissed-off that my head looked like this:
Mom was similarly disillusioned that my head was the size of this:
So, yeah…birthday. Pretty-much feels like any other day…I got one of these as a present:
As a result, my wife now gets to wake-up every morning at 5:20 on the dot to the sound of whirring blades, grinding coffee beans, and dripping hot water. I think of it as the gift that keeps on giving ;-)
Today, I surprised Bella with flowers and a card, and we ate the topper from our wedding cake last year. Hard to believe a full year has gone by, but it sure has – we’re established in our new church, Joey’s in school, and we have another baby on the way :-)
