weekly stats
- applications sent: 2
- interviews: 0
- rejections: 0
- networking events attended: 0 (cancelled due to rain)
- hiking miles: 6.7 miles
- exercise time: 11 hours
- words written: 7,475
- books read: 1
- items baked: lemon poppy seed streusel bread
- tech learning of the week: admittedly none. I was on vacation.
- non-tech learning of the week: Ace Hardware has an amazing hot sauce selection.
pre-week journaling
I did not do any pre-week journaling as I did not yet know how I was going to manage my job search time! I did, however, map out a very ambitious schedule on my calendar. I was going to clean my entire apartment, hike and work out everyday (some days, multiple times), and do a lot of website upkeep work I'd been putting off.
thoughts for the week
I severely overestimated my physical shape and motivation. I severely underestimated how long it would take to clean a room. After rearranging my calendar several times throughout the first few days, I deleted everything from the calendar and decided to take a more day-by-day approach.
First, I am supposed to be resting. My work schedule was structured so that I would work continuously for 16 weeks and then take two weeks off. Taking a leisurely morning to prepare an excellent brunch is a very good way to spend my time.
The physical training will require more thought. In August, I am hiking 7.25 miles in Wyoming on a volunteer project to restore the historic Anderson Lodge. Once I manage the hike, I then have to do construction work for a week. And then, somehow, I have to find the energy to hike out again?!
To ask the real questions, do I have to hike out again? I don't have to be back at work and there is already a cabin there. I can probably just live in the wilds of Wyoming, right?
Anyway, training for this is non-optional. I'm taking any advice on getting your body ready for strenuous activity with little time.
how I'm tracking my job search
While hiking through Staunton State Park, which is my favorite Colorado State Park for anyone looking for recommendations, I realized I should track my job searching time by numbers! I'm a data person, so collecting all my data is tempting already. I've also wanted to play with some front end visualization libraries and this is the perfect excuse.
I've chosen some stats that seem relevant right now, but let me know if you can think of other things that are interesting to track.
post-week journaling
final calendar
what I accomplished this week
I made an effort to take time away from my computer this week. I didn't make a GitHub commit until Friday. I haven't written any code.
I figured out unemployment (I think). As part of the process, I had to apply for at a Colorado Workforce Center and am now getting invites to career fairs, networking events, and hiring events that have nothing to do with software. There is one for the aeronautics industry I'm thinking about going to. I really like planes.
I also got back on my bike. Pro tip: don't bike 12 miles on the first day you get back on your bike.
I did two hikes and had a great time getting out in nature.
I cleaned my bedroom, half of my bathroom, and thought about cleaning my kitchen.
I read some. I wrote some. I got on a documentary kick and watched a few of those. (I'm also taking recommendations if your have favorite documentaries.)
strangest thing that happened
In an effort to eat somewhat cheaply and get a lot of protein to survive this training regime, I decided my future will hold a lot of chicken, rice, and beans. My friend Brian Aston recommended Secret Aardvark hot sauce to help spice things up.
Unfortunately, I can't order just a single bottle from their website and my local grocery stores don't carry it. But someone on Reddit says, "Just go to Ace."
Ace like the hardware store?
Yep. Ace Hardware has a really great selection of hot sauces. They sell grills, and they've apparently extended into all the rubs, sauces, and whatever else you need for grilling.
I secured my hot sauce and enjoyed it on some chicken.
best thing that happened
I planned early on to celebrate this change. I settled on omakase at Sushi Den in Denver. On the reservation form when they asked what I was celebrating, I put in "work layoff."
And then I forgot I did it.
When I arrived, they couldn't stop laughing at me. The restaurant makes little signs for whatever you're celebrating, but they couldn't decide what to put on my sign. I like what they settled on.
Also, the food was amazing. The chef's brother lives in Japan and selects the fish from the local market each day and then they fly it to Denver. I can't wait to go again when I get my next job!
priorities for next week
Next week will be a lot of the same. I will be hiking, climbing, and doing yoga. I also really need to finish my cleaning. In my downtime, I'm looking forward to doing some writing.
On the tech front, I have some work on websites to do and then it's time to get back to my RadomRhythms app.
