This decade I left the enterprise software game and entered the open source software part of the industry. I left on-premise and moved to cloud. I went from strictly database design to that plus API level programming. I moved from ksh + Perl to bash + Ruby and played with Go and Python. I went from mostly doing data marts and outsourcing data warehouse to mostly doing data warehouse backends and data management. I went from mostly batch to mostly continuous near-realtime feeds. I completely dropped Wintel and went over to Mac + Linux. Although I always had Ubuntu, I picked up Alpine, Kali, Centos. I didn't do Hadoop at all. I went from being a traveling consultant to working at home. I became much more of a Los Angeles person than in the previous two decades.
I engaged in a lot more business running responsibilities and a great deal more sales and marketing. I learned to do a lot more marketing which had been intimidating and mysterious. I shifted my writing attitude to be more wry and less provocative.
I stopped following politics in the prior decade, but weighed in on a lot. I switched from Republican to Independent. I made sense of the difference between Liberals, Leftists and Progressives and evaluated them from a moral point of view. I moved from blogging more to Facebook. I attended a large number of professional meetups. I moved more off of Facebook and more to Quora. I joined Instagram, Twitter and Reddit. I wrote fan fiction. I built a computer rack and began puttering at home with that.
I put one kid into the military and two kids through college. I moved from a large beach community to a smaller downscale suburb. I got rid of by BMW and bought a Toyota SUV. I played with a motorcycle then got rid of it. I stopped playing beach volleyball. I became more of a patriarch in the family as my brother died and my son, mother and father suffered serious illnesses. I decided that I definitely want a Porsche. I participated in more activities that are affiliated with military service as a Blue Star dad. I bought a lot of knives. I did a GoRuck light, and an all day ruck walk. Oh yeah and tea. I have given up Red Bull for loose leaf Earl Grey tea.
I started circuit training and lost 15 pounds and put on muscle. I had a lot of dental work finally done. I earned a yellow belt in TKD. I learned to prepare marvelous salads. I cut down my fast food intake. I started wearing boots, tac pants and T-shirts with slogans. I put bumperstickers on my truck. I continued to wear my hair, and moved to keeping the beard short and clean. I started reading a great deal more science fiction as well has historical fiction. I built up my bar and learned to make some new cocktails. I settled on my favorite spirits. I tried and failed to find a local bar where everybody knows my name and ended up at a breakfast joint. I made new friends and solidified old friendships. I changed my attitude about money and adopted a barbell strategy. I massively increased my creditworthiness, and rang up a bunch of debt. I made a pile of money on Bitcoin and Amazon stock. I paid off my tax debts and then cranked them up again.
I developed my peasant theory and made a lot of progress on my novel. I began and mostly completed my martial education. I purchased two pistols and learned how to shoot them in a combat style. I attended CERT training and a citizens police academy. I attended the FBI citizens academy. I attended a NAMI program. Each of these were at least 12 weeks long. I attended a variety of church services and cleared up my position on Christianity. I studied Stoic philosophy and that continues. I started the American Wag podcast with my best friend Marc. I volunteered and organized for Rights International.
I marginally increased my Spanish. I visited Germany, Switzerland, Australia and Colombia. I learned to love Las Vegas, New Orleans and Bogota. I cranked up my cigar habit but drank a lot less. I began a love affair with ramen. I got used to taking pills. I went through anxiety and depression and spent a lot of time in therapy. I improved my cardio, flexibility, strength and endurance. I have made peace with yoga. I began taking a great deal more video diary and slowed down my still photography. I have increased the size of 'The Terabyte' by 20 fold and now run Southwall. I admitted my love affair with cars and followed Formula 1 and IMSA racing.
---
The next decade.
My intention is to dramatically reduce my consumption and learn to live simpler and cleaner. I aim to produce rather than to interact. I intend to cap my martial education by practicing BJJ and learning to hunt with a rifle. I want to start my own company with venture capital. I want to buy and build a Porsche. I want to marry off my daughters, and bury my parents with the least amount of fuss possible. I want to produce a more coherent set of writings and video. I am aiming for completion. I expect to retire never. I want to visit southeast Asia and Tokyo. I'd like to get to London again and see if I really want to live in Texas. I want to begin composing and performing music again. I will try guitar and piano. I would like to correspond with my intellectual heroes and gain some academic associations. I would like to build my final audiophile system. I'd like to improve my horsemanship and go on a horseback vacation.
Recent Comments