I knew going in that May was going to be an insanely busy month, with two business trips of a week each. Thus, my battle plan for the month was going to have to be a little more sparse.
So here’s what I planned for May:
- finish that Tailwind CSS course that I started last month
- quit drinking Red Bull
So how’d it go? Pretty okayish.
Finishing the Tailwind Course
I managed to buckle down and finish this. I also discovered some amazing stuff along the way that I’m applying to a new WordPress theme for this site’s sister (danbailey.dev), and to another project I’m calling “Project Insight” for the time being. I wrapped up the last bit of the course on the 31st, which was, of course, cutting it fucking close. Win.
Quit Drinking Red Bull
Coming into May, I had been drinking a lot of this shit. And I decided I had to be done with it. The problem was I had just stuffed a case of it (12 cans of 8oz. each) in my desk at work. I decided that would be my taper-down supply, and that I would use that to ease myself out of this shitshow. (Next up: quick drinking soda.) As I write this, I haven’t touched Red Bull since May 20th, and I don’t feel any need to continue to consume it. Win.
Other Accomplishments
- Got another chunk of my Microsoft Azure AZ-104 coursework done, and am on-track to take the test for it in June or July of this year.
- Got started on the danbailey.dev site, which I plan to have up and running later this summer.
- Did a full analysis of my budget early in the month — comparing the planned budget to the reality. It’s been a bit tight the past couple of months with “oh shit, I forgot about my car registration renewal” and shit like that, and Di and I wanted to get a handle on where things are at. Feeling much better about things.
- Started building the data models for my startup project that Di and I are building together. Calling it “Project Insight” for the time being.
Blockers
- A week-long trip to NYC at the middle of the month. This was for a work conference for Didi, but I worked remotely and we had a great time in the city (again).
- A week-long trip to Seattle the week following NYC. This was for a work conference (Microsoft Build) for me, and I spent some time hanging out with college friends.
- Mom got out of transitional care, only to have to go back in to the hospital a week later. We finally have a diagnosis of Lewy body dementia, and a psychiatrist did declare her incapable of making her own decisions. Thus, a big chunk of my time in the coming weeks is going to involve getting her into a nursing home, holding garage sales, and getting the house ready to sell. Expect June to be low-productivity as well.
Conclusion
Given how insane this month went, it really wasn’t too bad. Next month is going to be hectic as it starts to warm up and as I take delivery of my custom gravel frame, and as we start to empty out mom’s house and prep it for sale. I suspect that there’s going to be a notable dip in productivity for the summer months, which is fine. Just fine.