Gritty's Now page

Work

I'm a big believer of privacy so I won't share what I currently do for work, but suffice it to say that I sit at a cube-farm desk for 40 hours every week. In a previous life I tried my hand at being a professional programmer but I got fired after 7 months and ran back to what I knew. I could have given it another shot but my experience left me with mental burnout every single day. I recently got promoted (June 2023) so that comes with its own host of responsibilities but I'm hoping it does me well and preps me for the next step.

Family

I have two small kids and they keep my spouse and I fairly busy. They're awesome and exhausting all at once. Aside from work it's the hardest thing I've had to do in my life, but it's also amazing to watch babies turn into people.

Current Interests

• Gemini - I've been headlong into the protocol for just over a year now. I rarely blindly surf the internet anymore and avoid most things with an infinite scroll, to include - most recently - #Mastodon.
• Billiards/Pool - I used to play on a league but that ended when we had our first child. I was hoping to get back into it but I have to pick this or racquetball, and currently it's racquetball. One, because it's healthier, and two, it takes a lot less time. If you don't shoot first on your team, pool can have you out late on a work night.
• Racquetball - I found this sport several years ago, and LOVE it. It's so much fun. But, there's really not a big demand for it these days so finding folks to play against is the challenge. Even so, playing by yourself in an empty racquetball court can get your heart pumping just the same. Over the past few months I've been playing this one guy that I met by posting on a cork board. overall nice guy and is a little better than I am so it works to my advantage here in order to get better. Great cardio and full-body workout. Recommend.
• Reading - I read at least a few pages of fiction every night before bed. It's mostly sci-fi and fantasy because reading non-fiction, to me, right before bed feels like more work. You can see my bookshelf from my main page. At the time of this writing, I'm re-reading book 2 of The Expanse because I couldn't remember anything I read about it 3 years ago before going on to book 3. I also refuse to watch it on Amazon Prime before I read it. Yes, I'm one of those.
• Bicycling - I used to ride a lot but, again, I haven't carved out the time with the tight schedule with the kids. I bought a road bike in 2004('03?) that I've been maintaining over the years, and hope to ride soon.

Updated: 2023-06-27