New year, new shenanigans, as we say in Finland. A new decade! 1 I, on the other hand, am back to my bullshit. Please allow me to talk about me in the year 2019.
It was a difficult year for me, but I don’t want to delve on that too much. Instead, let’s focus on the good stuff.
Working
I continued to work as a software developer. In autumn, I started to work for a new client. This is my first time working for a big (in the Finnish scale) tech organization. Finally I get to see in action all the big organization dynamics that I’ve only read and heard about.
Working in a big organization is much more performative than in a small one. It’s not enough to do work – the others must also know that you’ve done it.
Thoughleadering
Year ago I wrote that I want to level up my thoughtleadering game. I did succeed, in a small way!
- My post on brewing coffee made it to Hacker News front page.
- I gave a lightning talk at :clojureD.
These two experiences made me realize that I prefer blogging to public speaking, both as a writer/speaker and as a reader/listener. Accordingly, I gave up on my public speaking plans and started blogging regularly.
I attended three Clojure conferences in 2019: :clojureD, Heart of Clojure, and ClojuTRE. Heart of Clojure was especially good, but all of them were a pleasure.
I don’t think I will attend as many conferences in 2020, but I hope to get a chance to meet up again with at least some the cool people I’ve gotten to know from the Clojure community.
Traveling
In April, I travelled to Japan for three weeks. I loved to hike up the mountains in Hakone and in Yakushima and to eat dorayakis at every occassion. This was my first time in Japan, but I do get it now why so many people here in Finland love the country. It’s such a foreign place, yet so easy to travel in.
In October, I hiked Karhunkierros. It was my first solo hike and it left me wanting more. I don’t have many plans for 2020, but doing another long hike is one of them.
Traditional commentary on Finnish politics
I can’t believe that Antti Rinne’s cabinet already fell apart. I hope that Sanna Marin will have a better run.
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As a mathematician, I assert that the 20s begin in the year 2020. ↩︎