A D8 Roll of Random Thoughts, II
The last D8 Roll of Random Thoughts post started like this:
It has been a very long time since I last updated my blog. So consider this a vomitus of life updates and random musings.
Well, it's sort that again although not that very long. But I'm not sure if I have 8 things to write about this time.
1.
I complain about work a lot. Maybe I should stop, because I fear I'm starting to sound like a broken record. Maybe I care too much about my work. Let me clarify. By caring too much, I mean to say I care more about how I think my company should be doing things than the value I place on the actual work itself. You know what this reminds me of? My former Christian life. It was an equally sad and liberating feeling when I came to the realization that the passion I had for my faith had far less to do with the radical lifestyle that is demanded of the Christian and much more to do with the practices and guiding principles of the Church.
For example, I would always have strong opinions around the format of worship services, or the activities around small group, than I had about the daily living of the parisioners by my side.
You couldn't make a 1:1 analogy to work life, but I hope I'm explaining how there's a similarity with my approach to work.
“We should be organized in this manner to run our business.” “We need these roles to do these things.” “We should be marketing ourselves in exactly these ways.” “We should be doing product development in this specific way.”
It's never “I really care about software development and how it'll make the world better” or some shit like that.
2.
According to US-based Twitter trends, yesterday was National Pet Day or something. What company or marketing campaign is coming up with these “special” days?
We really love Louie. We see him less as a pet and more as our fur-laden, 4-legged son that we cherish with all of our hearts.
A few weeks ago he did his annual dental cleaning, which is done under anasthesia. Any medical procedure done under anasthesia has its slight risks, but for dogs, and especially for brachycephalic dogs, the risk goes up. Thus needing to sign a waiver every time the procedure's done. And every time he does it, I go through these worst-case scenarios during that leave me slightly pre-occupied during the day.
The vet had to pull a tooth because it was rotting. We were really sad for Louie.
Also, really important note: a dog's dental condition is paramount to their health. Yes, that means brushing regularly is critical. Negligence can lead to significant health issues elsewhere. And, again, it appears to be worse for brachycephalic breeds. We are not the best at caring for it. We have to be more diligent.
Lastly, rest in peace Rocky. You'll always be a good boy. ❤️
3.
Elizabeth Warren.
Still my much-preferred candidate for POTUS. But she's had a month or so of a rough patch, both from an elections and media narrative perspective. And yes, while she had a big performance pounding on Michael Bloomberg in this last Nevada debate, I fear it won't be enough, despite the big post-debate fundraising numbers.
So it's been very frustrating to see some unforced errors from her campaign because I do believe she's the very best candidate in the field. We'll see what shakes out of Nevada and South Carolina, but my expectations are low.
Either way, I'll continue to show my moral and financial support until the end.
And I will, without question, vote blue no matter who down the ballot in the general.
Anybody in Atlanta (Brookhaven and Chamblee areas) want to knock on doors with me this Sunday?
4.
Someone hacked my brain. I love TWICE so much now. What's happened to me? What explains this?
I'm still parsing it out, but I think it's just still largely what I wrote in my Favorite Media of 2019 post.
I just care so much less about musical purity tests now, and can now appreciate different aspects of talent that are evident in musical acts like K-pop groups.
They'll never be able to write and produce such beautiful and thoughtful music that makes me so envious like Wilco does. But Wilco will never be able to make such catchy pop, dance, and make me feel so happy like TWICE does. And I can love them both equally. It feels liberating getting off this particular high horse. It's a shame I didn't get off sooner.
It's pretty funny watching those videos above one after the other. Life is a mystery.
This sudden and paradoxical embrace of k-pop recently has had me thinking a lot about my Korean American identity these days. I'll write next about that.
OK this is enough for now.