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diff --git a/memos/WM-093.txt b/memos/WM-093.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b73f4c4 --- /dev/null +++ b/memos/WM-093.txt @@ -0,0 +1,244 @@ + + + + + + + +Document: WM-093 P. Webb +Category: Life 2026-05-30 + + Sabbatical Retrospective + +Abstract + + What I imagine life would be like with F.U. money and no worries + +Body + + A few weeks ago I was presented with an opportunity for paid leave, + for a month. I’ve never taken off work for more than two weeks, ever + (aside from being unemployed). When employers boast "unlimited PTO," + I assume they’re lying and will work you to the bone which will + require you to take time off because your doctor looks upon you in + horror at how you’ve destroyed yourself for a check and demands so. + No, I save vacation days for when I get irritable with my job (or + they kindly yet firmly suggest so) and I cap said break at two weeks. + No more, sometimes less. + + Here is my checklist of tasks I thought I’d accomplish with this + month off work: + + - read + - write + - get out of the house + - music creation/production + - Dap[1] testing + - learn 3D + - paint room + - organize garage, for good + + I’ve done almost none of this LMAO! Would two months make a + difference? I doubt it. What I _have_ done is: + + - landscaping[2] + - play Fortnite[3] + - music production[4] + - Disc testing[5] + - finalize paint colors[6] + - take lots of pictures[7] + - enjoy life[8] + - gain perspective[9] + + Additionally, this month included my son’s birthday, Mother’s Day, my + wife’s graduation, and a time was had. + + + + ## Landscaping + + Lakeisha was annoyed with the way the front of our house looked with + sturdy weeds growing amongst sad-looking rocks that came with the + place. We decided to look at options at Home Depot. I severely + underestimated the number of bags we needed (we bought six, I think + we need at least six more). I learned that Mexican beach rocks look + REALLY good. The varied shades of blue are pretty. + + 📸[Mexican beach rocks][IMG1] + + + + ## Play Fortnite + + My launch day excitement for Arc Raiders waned after I completed the + grind towards the in-game expedition. That’s when you collect + materials for your character across five stages to prepare for the + next journey…that brings you right back to where you started, but + you get a neat icon next to your name in the lobby! Anyhoo, Fortnite + is less stakes with zany weapons and movement items, which provides a + more Looney Tunes flare for excitement (whereas Arc Raiders feels + like playing a semi-serious film). + + + + ## Music production + + I’ve been sitting on an unreleased album for nearly 15 years because + of all manner of bullshit excuses; perfectionism, insecurity about + mixing/mastering skills, and the unwillingness to pay someone to do + it for me. I’ve missed the deadline I set for myself to release it + this month (in time for Subvert’s launch[11], which coincided with my + son’s birthday trip). Last week I found a tutorial for vocal effects + and learned that the particular Ableton built-in plugin used + (Spectral Resonator) requires the most expensive version of Ableton + (Suite)…and I own the Standard version. ~~I’ll budget for the~~ + ~~upgrade soon.~~ I have Suite now so the album should be out before + the summer is over. + + In the meantime, there’s a method of mixing that requires the use of + pink noise where you solo the noise with one of the tracks in your + song and change the volume of said track until you can barely hear it + above the noise. Repeat with the rest of the tracks and when you mute + the noise track, your song _should_ sound good. After I get my vocals + how I want them, I’ll apply the YouLean Loudness Meter and someone’s + Ableton mastering chain (it’s in a background tab somewhere) and I’ll + finally be done with it! And, **finally** free my mind from this + musical albatross. + + + + ## Disc testing + + I took this time off to work on _side_ side projects and one is a + fork of the Gel[12] database. I’m not keen on experiencing the pain + of building atop a dead database[13] again; I wanted to try my hand + at building a successor that works for my purposes and…it works? + + Even though I’m working on a couple for-profit projects, I found + myself finding equal (if not more) enjoyment from working on Disc. A + full write-up will come once I officially launch this thing but + here's a few screenshots. + + [📸[Disc CLI in the Terminal][IMG2]](https://cdn.webb.page/blog/2026/wm-093-b.PNG) + + [📸[Disc UI, showcasing schema][IMG3]](https://cdn.webb.page/blog/2026/wm-093-c.JPG) + + [📸[Disc UI, showcasing CRUD][IMG4]](https://cdn.webb.page/blog/2026/wm-093-d.JPG) + + As a designer/developer, it’s gratifying to build to spec something + I’ve always wanted AND to have the developer experience not assume I + write SQL like I speak English (fluently). IDK WTF I’m looking at + with SQL half the time. + + If you understand TypeScript, you can figure out how to run Disc, no + ORM needed; automatic code generation from your schema should be a + given. C’mon, it’s 2026. + + + + ## Finalize paint colors + + Lakeisha and I have talked about painting our room for a year…it has + yet to be done. Ridiculous. We decided we didn’t like what we painted + the ceiling so we went and got more swatches and found one we like! + In conclusion, we will paint in the fall. It’s about to be summer and + we don’t have AC. It’s possible I’ll paint the room myself, + we’ll see. + + 📸[Painted swatches on the wall and ceiling][IMG5] + + 📸[Finalized swatch for white][IMG6] + + + + ## Take lots of pictures + + I’m an enthusiastic photographer. If I remember, I’ll leave the house + with my Moment telephoto lens[14] to get beautiful portrait shots + with sunny bokeh. Otherwise, I’ll use mood.camera[15] to capture what + I feel. I love this app; there’s nothing distracting you from taking + the damn picture until _after_ you do (when you check what the filter + looks like). There’s no previewing ahead of the shot. Snapping pics + with mood.camera feels like disposable cameras of old. You can see + every pic I took this month, here[10]. + + + + ## Enjoy life + + Lakeisha was finishing up school and writing sewing pattern tutorials + for her job[16] while I had this time off, but we were able to go out + for lunch several times. That alone was nice because we don’t have to + deal with kids complaining about food choices, a welcome reprieve + from our usual experience. I didn’t get as much writing as I thought + I wanted to get done because of all my Disc testing. When I needed a + break from that, I played video games. + + The way I’m wired, I’ll get a sudden burst of motivation and + inspiration to finish writing one of the books I’ve been working on + for…half my life? Good grief I’m slacking! Wabi-sabi. + + + + ## Gain perspective + + This month has been a great experience and it made me realize a + few things. + + 1) "We have the same 24 hours" sounds nice on paper but that phrase + is flawed. 24 hours exists as a _thing_ but this _thing_ we all + have access to is differently shaped. Pulling ourselves up by our + boot straps requires sacrificing time from a less-constrained area + of our lives — no easy feat when you have dependents or depend on + others, aren't neurotypical, &c. + + 2) I’ve been incredibly privileged to do this and now that I’ve + tasted what I’ve wanted out of life since I entered the workforce + more than half my life ago, I’m motivated to explore opportunities + that’ll get me there. As ambitious as I am, I sense I’m not doing + enough, I’ve gotta embrace the crazy. Delusion’s got me this far, + there’s more where that came from. + + 3) I have low to zero interest in "content creation." I created + Nickel[17] for the purpose of helping content creators better + monetize their communities and be an alternative to other + short-form video sites. Granted, the primary types of videos I've + uploaded have been gaming clips but I haven't uploaded anything in + about a month and a half, possibly two (I also learned I need a + few more servers for transcoding…makes me want to build a + ridiculous home server and open it to the internet, that's gotta + be more cost-effective than renting). + + + + ## FIN + + TL;DR: Month-long sabbatical went great, the point of relaxation is + to relax, and my relaxation involves recreational coding LOL! If you + want something done, you've gotta do it yourself. 🕸️ + +References + + [1] </WM-074> + [2] <#:~:text=## Landscaping> + [3] <#:~:text=## Play Fortnite> + [4] <#:~:text=## Music production> + [5] <#:~:text=## Disc testing> + [6] <#:~:text=## Finalize paint colors> + [7] <#:~:text=## Take lots of pictures> + [8] <#:~:text=## Enjoy life> + [9] <#:~:text=## Gain perspective> + [10] </WM-092> + [11] <https://www.subvert.fm> + [12] <https://www.geldata.com> + [13] <https://rethinkdb.com> + [14] <https://www.shopmoment.com/products/58mm-tele-lens?source=referral-68SlyIVHzDVybhw&discount=68SlyIVHzDVybhw> + [15] <https://www.mood.camera> + [16] <https://www.ellieandmac.com/products/suzie-square-neck-tie-back-top-and-dress-sewing-pattern?aff=820> + [17] <https://nickel.video> + [IMG1] <https://cdn.webb.page/blog/2026/wm-093-a.JPG> + [IMG2] <https://cdn.webb.page/blog/2026/wm-093-b.PNG> + [IMG3] <https://cdn.webb.page/blog/2026/wm-093-c.JPG> + [IMG4] <https://cdn.webb.page/blog/2026/wm-093-d.JPG> + [IMG5] <https://cdn.webb.page/blog/2026/wm-093-e.JPG> + [IMG6] <https://cdn.webb.page/blog/2026/wm-093-f.JPG> |