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diff --git a/posts/2019-04-review.mdwn b/posts/2019-04-review.mdwn new file mode 100644 index 0000000..401010e --- /dev/null +++ b/posts/2019-04-review.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1,194 @@ +[[!meta title="A quarter in review"]] +[[!meta author="Daniel Silverstone"]] +[[!meta date="2019-04-08 10:00:00"]] +[[!tag draft]] + +The 2019 plan - First-quarter review +==================================== + +[At the start of the year][2019-plan] I blogged about my plans for 2019. For +those who don't want to go back to read that post, in summary they are: + +[2019-plan]: ../2019-01-plans/ + +1. Continue to lose weight and get fit. I'd like to reach 80kg during the year if I can +2. Begin a couch to 5k and give it my very best +3. Focus my software work on finishing projects I have already started +4. Where I join in other projects be a net benefit +5. Give back to the @rustlang community because I've gained so much from them already +6. Be better at tidying up +7. Save up lots of money for renovations +8. Go on a proper holiday + +At the point that I posted that, I promised myself to do quarterly reviews and +so here is the first of those. I am a few days late/early depending on your +view of things, but today seems a good day to do this since it's the day before +my 39th birthday. + +1. Weight loss +-------------- + +I started the year at 101.7kg, and when I posted my plans I was 101.3kg which +wasn't the best start to the year. My goal is 80kg this year, and when I +started I figured that'd be pretty easy to achieve given my previous 6 months +or so of consistent weight loss. Sadly that has not proven out. It *is* +harder to lose weight as you get lighter; the more you lose the harder it gets. + +I started the year out pretty strong, reaching 90kg in early March. Sadly my +body seems to really like 90kg. It's not really a "set point" in that I can +easily gain weight from there, but losing weight from 90kg has proven to be +really tough for me. Since that first time dipping to 90kg in early March, +I've been up as high as 91.5kg and down as low as 87.5kg, though I'm currently +88.6kg. + +Previously on weight plateaus, I've been able to kick-start loss again either +by doing a stronger fast for a few days, or by eating more for a week and then +returning to my loss-level diet. This hasn't worked in the past month yet. + +Since this month includes when my father was very unwell before ultimately +dying last year, and also my birthday, I figure that I'm going to end this +plateau with a huge pig-out on protein tomorrow for my birthday and then going +somewhat strict with myself for a few weeks to try and get things going again. +I know that by my goal estimate, I have basically 8 months to lose 8kg, but I +ought to be able to do that in 4 months or even less if I try harder. + +Other fitness goals have been sidelined in favour of the couch-to-5k effort +(see below) but perhaps in my next review things will change… + +I give myself a solid "B" for this + +2. Couch to 5k +-------------- + +This was started, and I have been doing my best. It has been a really +interesting experience since it has taught me that the "training wall" really +exists. One week a while ago, I hit it really hard, and had to stop my run +about 10m in, because I simply could not make my legs go any further. Since +then I've reduced the amount of non c25k training I do, and that has allowed +my body the time to adapt to running more effectively. + +I managed a 5k run for the very first time last Thursday, and I'll be +attempting another on Thursday of this week. I'm amazed at my progress and +super-proud of being able to say that I have pretty much nailed this one down. +I have hopes that at the next checkin I'll to have to say that I've met my goal +(a parkrun in May, running the whole thing) and so be setting a different +fitness goal for the rest of the year. + +So far, so good, I'm giving myself an "A+" + +3. Finishing projects +--------------------- + +I managed to sort things so that [Gitano][] won't drop out of Debian, and I've +done a bit more on [NetSurf][] than I did previously, but in the past quarter +I've not done a lot on the pub software I mentioned at the start of the year. + +Rob and I have booked off a chunk of April, so perhaps I'll get a chance to do +some of that then. + +Sadly, I've also *started* a bunch of projects, including beginning to plan +work with [Lars][] on a [Yarn][] re-design. + +So over-all, this one gets a "C" - satisfactory but could do a lot better. + +[Gitano]: https://wiki.gitano.org.uk/ +[NetSurf]: https://www.netsurf-browser.org/ +[Lars]: https://liw.fi/ +[Yarn]: http://git.liw.fi/cgi-bin/cgit/cgit.cgi/cmdtest/tree/README.yarn + +4. Be a net benefit +------------------- + +I have restricted what projects I am part of this year. My presence in Debian +I think just about counts as a net-benefit to the project, but it's a pretty +slim margin. + +I do my best on the [Lua][] community support (ML, webhosting, etc) but I've +not really been a *part* of the community for a couple of years now. I'd like +to think they still appreciate my efforts, but that's about it. + +I've really heavily invested my efforts into Rust related stuff as you will +see. + +I think that, over all, I'm doing okay here, a "B-" since I could do better +but I'm not negative-impact anywhere to my knowledge. + +[Lua]: https://www.lua.org/ + +5. Give back to the Rust community +---------------------------------- + +This is one software/community place where I think I've done pretty well. I +started the year looking at various parts of the Rust ecosystem, but ended up +settled into [Rustup][] where I joined the working group and began in earnest +to help deal with issues and improve what I see to be the gateway to the Rust +ecosystem. + +As you will know if you follow this blog, I ended up making the +[Rustup 1.17.0][release] release, which was a nerve-wracking experience that I +will do better with next time. Fortunately the community is amazing and they +were super-forgiving of my cockup. + +I also hang around on the `#wg-rustup` [Discord][] channel and other channels +on that server, helping where I can. I've been running the Rustup working +group weekly meetings, and I feel like I've made a pretty positive impact on +things. Rustup is a slow moving tool which we try and change only +conservatively, but it is a critical part of the experience of the Rust +ecosystem so we do want to make it as good as it can be. + +[Rustup]: https://rustup.rs/ +[release]: ../rustup-1.17.0/ +[Discord]: https://discord.gg/cKdYFVz + +All in all, I think I deserve an "A" for my efforts here. I could do a bit +more and that'd give me the "+" but for now I'm satisfied. + +6. Be better at tidying up +-------------------------- + +I started the year out strongly, doing well at this, but over the months I've +slipped back into my bad habits. I'm still very bad at this part of "adulting" +and have nothing useful to report beyond "Trying to develop multiple habits +simultaneously is super-hard". I think that once the c25k effort is over +and I can reduce my running efforts, resuming "normal" gym routines etc, I may +have some mental energy left to try and develop better tidying habits. + +All in all this is a big fat "F" for fail. + +7. Save up money for renovations +-------------------------------- + +I believe that I've been doing pretty well at this. Since I don't go out much, +I don't eat out anywhere near as much as I used to, and I don't generally buy +toys (e.g. I recently got an upgraded graphics card for free because Rob +decided he needed a shinier one and so I got a hand-me-down), I've been able to +put a good chunk of cash away. Not enough yet for a new kitchen, but it's +getting there slowly. Of course, the next point might eat away a good chunk of +it… + +I'm giving myself an "A" for this, because I *do* have a pretty healthy looking +savings account, even if I can see all the looming bills for renovations :D + +8. Go on a proper holiday +------------------------- + +Well, this one hasn't happened yet, though I do have a week off booked for +after easter, that's in next quarter so I'm guessing it doesn't count for now. + +Rob will be off to Japan in the summer, so perhaps I'll take some time off at +that point to have a break. Of course, with Rob away, it'd be a staycation +which isn't quite what I had in mind, so who knows what I'll do instead. I'm +so much of a homebody that a staycation is still a good holiday in my view, but +it's not what I meant when I said a "proper holiday" since that needs to be a +break from all the "normal" stuff in my view. + +Giving myself a "C" here because I've not failed at it, but I've not made major +inroads into planning or somesuch. + +Summary +======= + +All-in-all I think I've done pretty well. My scores are B, A+, C, B-, A, F, A, +C, which, if we ignore the F is an average of A, though the F does ruin things +a little. Hopefully in another 3 months I'll be able to report better +progress. |