A lot has happened: I got a job in NYC, moved to NJ, learned a lot about software engineering, and spent most of my time divided between coding and parenting. I love software engineering, even more now than when I started. Parenting is every day more and more fun (yes, despite the hard parts) and watching my child grow is a reward that builds by the day.
I've got a garden; it's delightful.
Claude exists. My writing style tended towards em dashes and stylistic groups of 3, and other classical writing techniques, and I have had to adjust so people don't spend so much time wondering if I am AI. Maybe they still do. Probably, they probably still do; people like displays of literary technique to be solely the demesne of large language models and no longer the realm of mere earthly mortals with their silly flesh and blood. It's not just that I wrote like that before, but also that I have a hard time breaking life-long habits. Of trios, em dashes, and not just/but also's, I alas cannot break free.
More relevant is that Claude is a new tool, the likes of which I have enjoyed using. I am excited to see how much it can do. Also I move with trepidation because, like all new tools with vast resource usage and world-changing levels of impact, I am wary of what it will do and how it will be used. That said, I have used it, and I will probably keep using it as an aid.
Catching up done--now what is next?
OMG I am moving to Taiwan!
Or at least, that is the plan. We are moving to Taiwan at the end summer for a few years, if all plans go right. In the meantime, we're kicking off adventures galore, trying to pack as many area bucket list items in as possible. We weren't sure for a while but started preemptively playing this spring, just in case, so we already have some fun adventures behind us. I've promised my former coworkers to share the awesome adventures, so here we go. If you're here for the words and not the pictures--
Who am I kidding. TL;DR, let's go to the photos!
New York State: We really wanted Teacup (as I shall call the little one from hence forth) to know how maple syrup is made, so we went on an adventure to find the real stuff, and learn how it goes from tree to bottle. Also we brought some back home with us, because it was delicious. (Also, their cafe made french toast waffles. Incredible. Finding Home Farms if you're interested in the next maple weekend in future springs.)
No no, not Branch Brook; this one is from a DIFFERENT park. So it's a different adventure. Right? I was driving back from work one day, and it was so pretty I had to pull over and capture the view. Yes, it's real. Also, I have a bunch of less-pretty angles in my photo albums, that are still way too pretty.
We've got more adventures scheduled locally, in between the packing and paperwork. And once we get to Taiwan, I'll be using this blog to share updates on Taiwan adventures (and food). Wish me luck in learning Mandarin!
