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diff --git a/memos/WM-044.txt b/memos/WM-044.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..08c49be --- /dev/null +++ b/memos/WM-044.txt @@ -0,0 +1,312 @@ + + + + + + + +Document: WM-044 P. Webb +Category: Life 2019.12.31 + + 2030: The next decade + +Abstract + + New decade, who dis? + +Body + + The year 2020 is upon us and while it is merely a number change it + feels like it bears significance. My wife joked that she was "going + into 2020 with clear vision" and you can be *sure* that's not the + last time you'll hear such jokes/puns this upcoming year. So, what + does this new year mean to me? A couple things come to mind. + + I am currently 31 years old and from what I've read in my 20s, your + 30s is when you *finally* get your shit together. I certainly *feel* + more confident in my professional skills and my propensity to create + whatever comes to mind with dexterity. But rather than make + resolutions or plans for next year I am drawn to the idea of doing so + for the next *decade*. Where do I want to be at 41, physically and + mentally? What skills will I possess? What habits will I break and + what habits will be formed? + + It may sound cliché but, to forecast my future I look to my past; + introspection, basically. It's a powerful tool that I believe + everyone should employ frequently. + + When I was in 5th grade there was a "Career Day" and four adults came + to my class to talk about their respective careers. After explaining + what they did for work, every kid in my class stood up and said what + they imagined their future career to be. When it was my turn I + mentioned *several* career paths I wanted in life. The demographic + makeup of the adults in the room were four White women (one of them + being my teacher) and one Black man. I feel this detail is necessary + because all the women chuckled in disbelief (some with incredulous + looks on their faces), which encouraged some of my classmates to + laugh as well. The man only smiled and listened intently which gave + me the courage to continue. In the moment it didn't seem notable but + in hindsight it certainly does. I think I'll save my thoughts on this + matter for a future post as I've had other similar interactions + in life. + + The point is, thinking back to your dreams and aspirations from your + childhood can help steer you when you feel you've lost direction in + your life. For this next decade I'd like to make the 5th grade + version of the most fantabulous Paul Anthony Webb feel proud about + the man he's become. Here's a non-exhaustive list of things I'd like + to attain/obtain, followed by reasons why I chose these items: + + - author + - cooking + - driving license + - filmmaker + - fitness + - fluency in (conversational) Japanese + - hardware product (kimoyo beads?) + - home ownership + - media network + - publishing house + - record label + - musician + - podcast + - revenue generating businesses + - teacher + + 1. Author + + I enjoy writing and feel I should do it a LOT more. A couple weeks + ago I decided to try journaling and have been pretty consistent. + The past week hasn't been eventful in any way but I think I should + still make an effort to put in an entry at least once a week. I + use an application called Standard Notes[1] to keep track of all + my ideas. It has a "pin" feature so whenever I go to the "All + Notes" section I can see my journal there. Anyhoo, I've had + concepts for novels and screenplays since high school and I + *thankfully* scanned most of those documents…I don't know where + they are but the core concepts are still in my mind. There's + enough content for a trilogy. + + Another book idea I've had for some years is titled "How to be + Awesome" and is based on how I see obstacles and overcome them. + For whatever reason I have been able to stick to my guns[2] in the + face of negativity and adversity no matter the source: family, + friends, life, whatever, AND unassisted by drugs or alcohol (the + only casualty has been my hairline)! I'm not sure why I'm the way + I am but private conversations throughout my life indicate that + others would benefit from my story. Maybe I would benefit from + in-depth introspection too. + + 2. Cooking + + My wife would *love* if I took up cooking, especially because my + culinary interests are largely Asian-based. She's already pretty + good at cooking regular/soul food and is not trying to learn other + cuisines. I am interested in replicating the amazing ramen I had + on my last day in Japan. Woks are a fascinating tool to me so I'd + like to learn how to use it efficiently. One of my buddies got me + a cookbook from one of my favorite food trucks in Boston (Mei + Mei). The main food item I ordered from them is dubbed, "The + Double Awesome". It's a scallion pancake sandwich with ham and a + scrambled egg in it, with pesto and other things. Add Sriracha and + you're all set! Mei Mei's Haymaker's Punch was perfect for chilly + days and a good pair for the sandwich. I tried making a Double + Awesome while on vacation at Disney World and…it was quite crispy + (burnt). One day at a time! + + 3. Driving License + + Growing up in the Boston area, I had no need for a license. Public + transportation is pretty good, even though the MBTA (we just call + it "the T") regularly has issues. Moving to Tennessee means I lost + my mobility and basically became a homebody, much to the chagrin + of my wife. It's not a big deal to me (right now) but I know I'll + need a license *eventually*. Also, now that Tesla's Cybertruck + exists I think I'll *accelerate* 🤣 my plans to obtain one. + + 4. Filmmaker + + I'm a big fan of doing things myself, which is why I self-host a + lot of things (including my own email server). For my + space-centric novels I always imagined how they'd look + cinematically and what changes I'd need to make to the story to + allow the reader to visualize what *I* see in my mind. It only + makes sense that I'd film my stories to ensure correctness. To + flesh out the world of my novels I'd need to film faux commercials + and recently have jotted down some humorous concepts. + + 5. Fitness + + I've been roughly 145 pounds since high school thanks to a fast + metabolism and sporadic eating/sleeping habits. While I have good + body positivity I've always been curious to see how I'd look with + muscle and more meat on my bones. I'Robot is one of my favorite + films and with Will Smith being one of my favorite actors (and + rapper, don't @ me), his home workout scene[3] solidified the body + type I want to achieve. My dad was in the Army and jogged + shirtless in way too short shorts that were tight so you *know* he + was fit. Physical fitness also improves mental health and mood so + *why not* delve into this? + + 6. Fluency in Japanese + + A couple things from my high school years influenced my desire to + visit Japan and absorb the culture. + + - Anime: Samurai Champloo, Tenchi Muyo, Yuyu Hakusho, Dragonball + Z, Rockman.EXE, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, + Cowboy Bebop + - Games: Megaman Battle Network + - Music: Samurai Champloo and GITS:SAC OSTs + + I often watched fan-subbed versions of anime when they weren't + officially available in English (sometimes for *years*). Every now + and then I would think about learning Japanese so I could skip + over all that and well, something else was always more + "important". In hindsight, it'd be easier to learn then due to + better brain elasticity but my work ethic/dedication/diligence is + stronger now. + + Fun fact! I learned how to use chopsticks from watching the + Rockman.EXE anime. I also learned a couple phrases like, "Roger + that" (Batou from Ghost in the Shell says that a *lot* to Major), + "Cool/Awesome", "What?!", "Excuse me", "Damn you", and so on. Most + anime l̶o̶v̶e̶r̶s̶ connoisseurs know these phrases too. + + 7. Hardware Product + + I think I'm pretty good with software but *hardware* is something + I have zero knowledge about. I own probably every Raspberry Pi + that has been released thus far and have done NOTHING with them. + At ALL. For me to really get into something I need to have an + ambitious goal. Creating functioning kimoyo beads is definitely + ambitious and would require sourcing research and probably + microcontroller programming. I just made that up, not sure if + that's necessary but that goes to show that I don't know what I + don't know. What I learn along the way is gonna open up so many + more mental pathways and that excites me. + + 8. Home Ownership + + Ownership is something that is becoming increasingly important to + me as the years go on. Having a landlord absolves you of certain + responsibilities but you are also not the master of your domain. + In high school I used to daydream about having a custom home built + (and recently I learned of a startup[4] in that space). I would + like my kids to have a "childhood home" to grow up in, move out + of, and visit. + + 9. Media Network + + Y'know that space novel series I mentioned above? Over the years + it has evolved into something that spans many creative + disciplines. 2000s-era Toonami is what I have in mind for this + network. A series of shows with space-centric idents between them. + Video content is expensive and time-consuming to create so + initially the network would have the music I create on shuffle + (essentially) with generative visuals. Naturally, having a record + label and publishing house under this umbrella makes sense and + would fund the content creation. What if it was part incubator? + Seems like a great way to curate content for licensing. HMM. + + 10. Musician + + When I was actively making music I did so under a number of + aliases and in different genres, namely, rap/hip-hop and + house/lounge with some experimental EPs. The rap content was + semi-conscious, braggadocious, and space-centric. The lounge + content was mostly instrumental but when there were lyrics I + focused on topics of love and longing. I made my own beats and + attempted to make them sound mastered but uh, to my ears now they + sound kinda terrible. + + My DAW of choice was Acid Pro, which is a Windows-exclusive + application. When I entered the web industry full-time I + transitioned to macOS and haven't looked back. Acid Pro is still + in active development and the latest features are *incredible* but + sadly (for me), it remains Windows-exclusive. I could always learn + how to use another DAW but every one I've tried since just don't + *feel* right so a custom PC build is in my future. + + 11. Podcast + + While working at the flagship Converse store in Boston many years + ago, a middle-aged woman followed me around the store asking + questions about virtually anything; just to hear me speak. She + said I had a nice radio voice and that's when I knew a rap career + could work for me. Can you imagine? + + > "Boy, his lyrics are hot *garBAGE* but his voice is smooth AF!" + + I like making money so that's why I didn't pursue rap as strongly + as web design. + + Anyhoo, I get into fascinating discussions with friends and family + and some of those conversations would make for excellent podcast + content. I have a dope name in mind for it too, all I need is a + home office again. Because my interests are so varied my podcast + would probably be in the "lifestyle" category. Gaming, design, + technology, animation, Blackness, &c; I'm passionate about a lot + of things. I'd make good use of the drum machine I currently have + in a box as a soundboard. + + 12. Revenue Generating Businesses + + I come from an entrepreneurial family and I have *way* too many + side projects to not have any of them generating income. Then + again, all of them are in alpha/beta status and in varying states + of neglect. An immediate change I am making in the new year is + seeing my projects to completion or out of test status. One of my + services has been in operation and virtually unchanged for more + than two years. It's amazing I was able to hack together something + that still works, haha! It certainly *feels* like hacks compared + to my knowledge now. + + *SIGH* + + The struggle of a creative. Everything you ever made is absolute + trash almost immediately, no matter how much time you spent on it + before releasing it onto the world. + + 13. Teacher + + I like sharing what I know, and figuring out how to distill high + level concepts to easily understandable concepts is an interesting + challenge. About a month ago I had a dream where I was teaching + middle-/high-school kids about web development. And they were + listening! Seems to bode well for the future. In terms of industry + titles, I could be considered a senior front-end/ux developer and + the next step up is managerial. I just call myself an architech; + someone who designs and builds technology (there's no ego tied to + it and is a better descriptor for me). It'd be nice to have a + mentor in 2020 though, I've been teaching myself everything I know + since the recession of '08. 👨🏾🦳 + + FIN + + The beautiful thing about the Internet is that it has democratized + a *lot* of industries so I *could* complete several things on my + list within the next year no problem…well, the only problem being + me half-assing things just to say I did them. Barring that, I will + seriously attempt to accomplish everything within the decade. The + main trait I lack is *discipline* and it will be difficult to + instill greater levels of accountability into myself. 😥 But + not impossible! + + The other benefit of being in my 30s is having the financial means + to invest a bit more into my ventures. With a decade of experience + in the web space I can fetch a pretty good salary and put + non-trivial amounts of money away for more ambitious projects. + + What a ride life has been thus far. A decade ago I had no kids and + could barely code my way out of a paper bag. The services and + sites I've created in that time since were mere thoughts scribbled + in a notebook on my lunch break. Wild! I can only imagine what my + 2040 blog post will contain. 🕸 + +References + + [1] <https://standardnotes.org> + [2] <https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/stick+to+my+guns> + [3] <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv83ZKIZSoI> + [4] <https://www.homebound.com> |