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I think kids need me to spend some time with me. They don’t say it. In some ways it almost seems like they don’t want to spend time with me, but I think they do. They long to be with me and it’s something I need to take advantage more of. I knew this all along. But today, I learned even more. Victor first resisted me playing with him with his fortnite characters, but after a few minutes, he actually wanted to do it. He wanted to play with me more. And that was a good feeling!

How can I be a better leader? I know that a good leader makes others better, at a cost of making himself less better, or at a cost of himself. Leadership is not about being in charge, it’s about taking care of those in charge. I want to make it a habit of taking care of those that I am in charge. I want to do something everyday that will confirm that I am a leader, because I believe I am!

I have been getting my hands dirty on a few things now. And also struggling a bit, which is probably understandable, as I have not played around too much with that technology. But docker is something I want to keep pushing, and I know we will get there.

I have learned a few words as well, which is very good. I know the cells we’ll be dealing with. I know cryo cassette, cryo box, vapor shipper, and more!

I need to find ways to interact with my kids more. Victor likes to come down and just do things on his own. I need to bring him together more often. 

I am making progress at work. I am learning new words about the biotech industry. It may seem like a small thing, but it actually means a lot.

I am also enjoying what I’m doing so far. It is sometimes hard to concentrante at work, with constant meetings and other things going on, but there is nothing being hidden, things are being shown as is, which is transparancy that I enjoy.

I am also getting a good excercise! I get to walk about a mile from the train station, which is something I actually quite enjoy. Perhaps I will feel different in the summer, but for now, I quite like it!

Today was my 2nd day at a new job. So far, I am noticing a few good things. I like the general mood of the office. It’s a bit on a loud side. I’m hearing a lot of things, making it hard to focus, but I am managing. 

I learned what a cryobox is. It’s what holds tubes. It is really a lot to learn, but with the right focus, with the focus on getting better, I can conquer it!

We have some decision ahead of us. We will be be selecting a tool for source control. We will later select a tool for documentation.

Exciting times ahead!

I had a somewhat productive day at work. I should say, 1st day on the job went fine! I am liking the energy in the office, the culture. I think it’s going to be fun, hard working, and a good learning experience! What else can I ask for?

I learned what a biobank is. It’s a facility that stores specimen for long term storage. Lots of the terms are new to me. I will have to learn them and as long as I keep improving, I don’t see why not!

It’s been a while since I wrote to this journal… 1 year, 2 years, probably more! I think it’s time I start doing it. It’s time I reflect more on what I learn, what I want to learn, and write it down so I don’t forget.

I learned how to play a better 3v3 soccer today. During a goal kick, players check in, and if need to, they play back to the player that did the checkin. So simple, yet I could not figure it out, nor could the players. Oh, well. Will’s dad eventually did.

Well, learn something everyday!

I am starting a new job tomorrow. I want to make sure it’s a successful one. I want to dedicate 100% to it, and maybe 20-25% to self development, but 0% towards non-self development. I don’t want to waste any time. They’re investing a lot in me, and I have to make sure they think they made the right choice!

Projects I’m proud of

Rtb Reports

* started as running queries
* side project

Pluggable Openrtb

Geotiles

* get lat/long in brq
* convert it to a grid, get other locations associated with the grid (precise)
* lookup segments for those locations (segments is how we group devices)
* if there is a segment and we have a campaign targeting it, we bid

we output the geo location details to kafka
* make sure the cache is hot (1st lookup)
* produce  

I started to get more agressive in learning, being a better manager, as well as expecting more from me. I also want to get into interview shape so I can go out and get the job I want. It’s not easy and not trivial, but it’s doable.

I like high pressure environments. I like when a lot is expected. I like when what I deliver is of high quality. 

But I also have to be real. It’s been some time since I worked on starting from scratch. I I have been focusing on managing and improving mu team. I haven’t done project development. I’ve been closely involved, just not too much hands up.

I am still struggling to focus at work. I constantly try to check emails. I focus a lot on news rather than dev. I have to stop that.

I want to focus on dev, work and dev related items. That’s where I get my edge. I can’t do that if I waste my time doing other things. I just can’t.

I realized something important today. I need to spend more time being a manager. Being a manager is not the same as a leader, but it is important for velocity. I’ve been more of a leader, but sometimes if I’m not on top of things, not spending time managing, then things slip. 

That happened while I was away on vacation in Mexico. When I came back, things were still not totally finished. I did not like that. It almost felt that something went wrong. I felt bad. But I think I had it coming. I left things not in a state where everyone knew what was expected. People tend to relax if they don’t know what’s expected of them. 

I will spend more time on managing. More time on setting clear expecations. Making sure the process has accountability. Without it, things slow down.