Not well.
I’ve had so many blog posts that I’ve wanted to write, and even started drafting a few of them. I have an Area in Things with article ideas and they already number over 40. However, before I finish and post any of those, I wanted to give a small personal update on how this year has actually gone.
Hope springs eternal, at first
The first quarter of the year was marred by a variety of personal challenges. I had a rather bad flare-up of my sleep disorder, amongst other untold things. My older cat, Mr Gaz, injured his arm jumping off the top of his cat tree and required the assistance of a vet.
It wasn’t all bad, though. I was able to find a reasonably priced replacement for our aging car. We are all quite happy with it. I had my finances in order just enough to pay cash for it, at the end of March. No car loan here!
The terrible, no good, very bad, second quarter
On the first week of April, I had a double-whammy of horrors. My manager at IBM called me for a one-on-one. We usually had these sorts of meetings on a specific cadence. This was not anywhere near where I would have expected one.
This was not our regular sync-up.
I was laid off as part of the secondary IBM “resource action” in April. I cannot comment further on this matter, other than to say my direct and second line managers did what they could to lessen the blow. I appreciate them greatly.
Initially, I faced the lay off with high spirits, as the job market looked rosy and I had a number of recruiters interested in my profile. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, each one dropped off. Many of them had the positions themselves pulled, so I wouldn’t have had a future there anyway – perhaps a blessing in disguise.
Two hours after that meeting with my manager, I took my grandmother to a doctor’s appointment where she was formally diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Needless to say, that was the single darkest day I’ve lived since May 2020, when my mum was diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully, she is still in full remission.
Meanwhile, on Father’s Day, Tulsa saw one of the worst weather systems we have seen in decades, with winds reaching over 100+ MPH. This disaster left our infrastructure in shambles and coincided with oppressive 100+ºF (40+ºC) heat. We had to evacuate 80 miles westward, to an extended stay hotel in Edmond, Okla., until the power was restored – a full eight days later.
We were blessed that the tree that came down next to us landed exactly 3cm from the window. Otherwise, I would likely be writing this article with shards of glass in my body, if at all. The office UPS, network devices, and refrigerator contents fared far less well.
Rounding third – they’re out!
I spent the majority of July cleaning up the aftermath of the storm, including replacing some of the damaged equipment. I had just about straightened everything out when, on the 23rd, the building’s air conditioning system failed. This was, of course, during yet another heat wave – one that set records across the country, including here in Tulsa.
The part needed to fix the system was on back order, and we tried to supplement with our portable air conditioners, to no avail. Suffocating in the oppressive heat and humidity – I personally measured a reading of 93ºF (34ºC) in my spare room – we began to pack for a hotel.
We did not make it to that hotel reservation.
Because my mum had a heat stroke.
One trip to the emergency department later – one that was only 60% covered by insurance (thanks, Blue Cross) – we set up shop in the hotel. We planned a three night stay.
Thirteen days later. Thirteen miserable, expensive, non-productive days, spent shuttling between the hotel and the flat to flip switches, report failures, and replace more parts. Finally, the air conditioner was fixed in our building.
I returned to a missed certified mail delivery. When I was able to make it to the post office to pick it up, I found it was a letter from my long-time doctor’s office. It stated that I was no longer a patient of his because I “refused medical advice”. I have no idea what that means; as a diabetic, I always follow medical advice when it is presented to me. As of the time of this writing, I still have not heard any response as to what they meant nor how I can resolve this matter.
Then, in mid-September, I was informed that Adélie Linux – the project I co-founded and poured years of my life into – would be shuttering if certain goals could not be met. They felt it was no longer feasible for it to continue on the trajectory it was on.
It was an exceptionally hard decision to make, but I searched my heart and could not in good conscience let it go. I have returned to full-time (and unpaid) development of Adélie Linux, and have done my best to remove as many roadblocks as possible in the process.
“It’s hard to play a good fourth quarter when the others went so badly.”
In early October, my mum was assaulted by an adolescent with a lack of direction. At the same time, I was given a lead on a very promising role, only for it to evaporate as well.
I do have a few prospects in my job search, but am still actively searching. If you are aware of someone looking for a highly motivated software engineer who is knowledgeable about many fields, please feel free to reach out. My CV and social contacts are on my personal Web site.
tl;dr
For all intents and purposes, none of what I wrote at the start of the year came to fruition.
The only things that keep me going at this point are my mum, my cats, my best friend Horst, and watching Bluey. Something about Bluey touches my soul in a way that I cannot describe. Honestly, in many ways, she reminds me of a younger me, and gives me hope that maybe I can find that in myself again some day.
And now I would like to leave you with a quote from a song that I’ve heard a lot this year.
“I’m far from lonely, and that’s all that I’ve got.”
The Cat Fox Life 