We are well into one of the strangest springs, well really years, that I can remember. Read no further if you’re looking for anything technical. As the title says this post is going to be a bit of rambling from me as I come off the series of posts on Azure DevOps.
COVID-19
COVID-19, Coronavirus, SARS-Cov-2, The Rona, or whatever your favorite name for the virus is the cause of this year being so strange. The virus has been devastating. We have been lucky that we don’t know anyone who has died so far. I don’t think anyone in the world has escaped the effects. Even if you or your loved ones haven’t been sick or died I’m sure like us you know someone who has lost their job at a minimum. More this as affected life will be mixed in the rest of the post, but I thought it best to make it clear upfront that the virus is the root of what is to follow. I also wanted to drive home that I realize how much it has changed life for so many people even when the rest of the post may not convey that level of seriousness.
Working from home
I have been lucky that my company basically went fully remote in March so I have been working form home for around two months now. Getting the job part of working remotely has been good. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I had so much time to focus. It is crazy how much time gets consumed with random interactions when you are physically in the office. One of the downsides is I really miss the level of interaction I had with the teams I work with. A lot of my random interactions aren’t personal and deal with answering questions and providing different perspectives on problems and I really enjoy that part of my job. It isn’t that those interactions don’t still happen when really needed, but they do seem to be much more intentional.
If you are working from home make sure you are willing to invest in your setup. While I was effective when I first started working from home my setup wasn’t 100% on par with work. I ended up buying a 4k monitor and a couple of things to switch inputs between my work and home equipment and it has made a huge difference. My home setup is now much better than the one I have at work. Being able to exit work mode and be back in home mode in seconds has also been great for when I finish work and the family has some stuff to do on the computer.
Blogging, reading, podcasts, etc.
Blogging in this new world hasn’t been easy for me. Thankfully I had a good set of content planned out with the Azure DevOps posts. Part of the reason for this post is I’m not sure what topics I am going to move to next. If anyone has any requests let me know!
I have slowed down a ton on reading and listening to podcasts since I’m no longer commuting. I have found a good way to fit in the same level of content when I’m not driving 1.25+ hours a day. While I don’t miss driving or the traffic it was a useful time to learn and a good transition period to and from work mode.
On the positive side not having a commute means that finding time to exercise has been easier, not that having time helps with the motivation to do so. It also means more time with the family which is also great, most days.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully, you enjoyed my spring rabblings. I try and keep this type of post to a minimum and stay focused on technical topics, but at times I need a break and this help. While I don’t say it much I really appreachte you all taking the time to read my blog.
Also published on Medium.