Swimming With the Light On

This was the first annual Adoptee Literary Festival, which I enjoyed immensely. I’m hoping to see this event continue on, perhaps even taking place in person sometime soon.

Here are some random thoughts I recorded right after the last session:

• So many great overall sessions where I learned a lot from the panelists, not only about their personal stories but, the stories that they uncovered during their writing research, interaction with fans, families, and other adoptees.
• I wasn’t planning on watching every session but ended up doing so because everything seemed so fascinating and poignant. Thankfully there were 45-60 minute breaks between most of the sessions so I was able to get a few things done in between each one.
• It was really nice, almost comforting, to learn that so many started writing poetry (many having been published) before getting their novels (YA, children’s literature, Fiction, Non-fiction, memoirs, etc.) published. Comforting because I’m currently focused on my poetry before diving into anything bigger.
• I especially liked Jan Beatty’s talk about how her poetry writing helped inform her memoir writing.
• One of my favorite things is that I found so many new writers to follow and whose works to read.
• I bought/ordered so many books throughout the course of the day, and my TBR list has almost doubled. It was really neat to hear most of the panelists share their author recommendations, specifically the ones who influenced them.
• Also cool is that adoptee-owned Loyalty Bookstore was not only a supporter but made a special page/list of all of the panelists’ books for sale. They’re in DC and Maryland, which I wish I had known about when I lived there.
• Though admission was free, I enjoyed the event so much that I had no qualms about sending the organizers a donation (via Venmo).

This week I’m grateful

• that Instagram’s changes and pivot towards Reels (video), and seeing a measurable increase in the number of ads I see on that platform, are making it easier for me to spend less time on the platform.
• for the IIBA webinar that gave me a few ideas for new approaches to my work.
• for the Adoptee Literary Festival and the participating speakers for the variety of topics and experiences shared.
• for getting a good start at the beginning of the week (at work) and being able to carry most of that momentum for the rest of the week.
• for meals where a good sandwich and/or salad is perfectly satisfying.

WordPress.com released an announcement on their pricing plans, er… plan. They’re “streamlining” from multiple plan options (and pricing tiers) to a single plan/tier above their new (severely feature-reduced) free tier.

While this doesn’t affect me (this site) in the immediate, and there is still more information to come about plan add-ons and pricing, it does amplify how a platform’s changes can remind one how little control over their site/content they have.

And it has me considering alternative options… again.

This week I’m grateful

• for protein shakes, learning how to make them both delicious and effective at tamping down hunger/cravings.
• that moving the (potted) lemon tree to a better location has paid off, already seeing plenty of buds appear.
• For a webinar where I learned about a few more career paths I wasn’t aware of before.
• again, for allergy medication.
• For friends and family that check in.

This week I’m grateful

• for peaceful drives on county roads, surrounded by orchards and pastures instead of suburban neighborhoods and box store centers.
• for quiet a quiet week (at work) which allowed me to really focus on learning some new UI approaches, and get some inspiration for things we might do on our sites.
• for allergy medication.
• for adoptees who share their stories, their feelings, and the work they’re doing through blogs, social media, and podcasts.
• for slow weekend mornings.

This week I’m grateful

• for continued flexibility at work, being able to maintain my hybrid work schedule.
• for Tuesday’s rain, which was perfectly timed to take care of watering the yard which I didn’t have time for, as that turned out to be quite a busy morning, and
• for the light rain that periodically happened throughout the rest of the week.
• that “uneventful” can be a good thing.
• for homemade corned beef hash and eggs for breakfast.

Weekend things (March 13 2022)

• It’s amazing how long I have been buying shoes in the wrong size. On Saturday we went to a running store where I got my feet laser measured and my walk (gait?) analyzed. The difference properly fitting shoes makes.
• The running store was the start of a really nice day out, spent mostly in nearby Davis. We explored a small nursery and got lunch (patio dining) before taking out time heading back home.
• The “command center” is back. I rearranged the home office to have all of the computers and monitors on the same desk. Giving this a try again because I noticed that I’m moving back and forth between computers more often.
• Felt good to work in the yard a little bit. Hands in the soil, sun warming up the day to feel like actual Spring, and enjoying a glass of iced tea on the patio afterwards.
• I missed seeing most of micro.camp’s sessions in real time and have some catching up to do (with the recordings). It’s a really good community and I find myself continually drawn to it, even though I haven’t found a way to feel “part” of it.
• I enjoyed taking a week off of blogging (last week), though I kept writing daily in my (offline) journal. Breaks are good things.