Weeknotes: April 21, 2025
I got to see my mom and my little brother this weekend since they came into town and stayed with me. It was a lot of fun. I also had an extra day off work for Good Friday, which was nice. We went to a few restaurants and got to check out an art show which my friend played some music at.
The weather where I am has been pretty nice the last two weeks or so, which I'm very grateful for. I seem to find that the older I grow, the more the weather affects my mood, and the more difficult it is to get through a cold, dark Winter. I think part of it is that I spend most of each day working, and it can just be depressing to get done working for eight hours and not be able to enjoy a nice walk outside without freezing my ass off. If I have an entire day of free time, sometimes sitting in the cold at a state park or nature preserve can be absolutely beautiful. But I think when I spend an entire day in an office, I just want to feel some warm sunshine once I'm done with work.
The last week's weather has been nice though, and I've tried to make an effort to go on more walks outside. Especially as my life seems to become more busy, I often wish I could just shed my personal responsibilities and go on a walk - with no destination in mind and no set amount of time I'll be gone.
I recently moved to a new apartment, which me and my girlfriend really love, and the surrounding area and neighborhood is definitely more enjoyable for long walks than our last, so that's pretty cool too.
I think that going on a walk by yourself, with no distractions, is a simple joy of life that a lot of people don't give to themselves often enough. I am often amazed how things in my head can sometimes work themselves out when I give myself genuine space and time to just exist, with no pressure or expectation to be doing anything else.
My job started a full RTO today. I decided I'll be going to work earlier than I have since I started my job so that I can ensure I get a parking spot. Honestly, I'm not really happy about the whole RTO situation at my job, and it feels like morale at the company is at an all-time low since I joined three years ago. I am worried that RTO is going to make me more tired and less productive. I personally have found my most productive moments as an engineer to be my Tuesday/Friday mornings I had remote, where I could huddle at my desk with a cup of coffee and crank out some quality work. I feel disheartened that this was taken from me.
On a more positive note, Summer is almost here. I am excited to go on a vacation, and to finally run in the Columbus 10k, which I've been training for the last few months. I am excited to hopefully spend a lot of time with my friends and family whom I love very much. My close buddies have a space for bonfires in their backyard, and there's something about sitting around a fire with people that makes me happy.