Legacy Open Source Fridays, which kicked off in April, has immediately become a pleasant surprise: several regular participants are returning every week, and others are merely saying nice things in public. We began by finding a small notqmail pull request to review, noticing that we wish the code had been covered by tests first, and jumping through the various hoops required by C in order to write those tests. (A few seats are still open. Tell your friends and coworkers.)

Another pleasant surprise: a well-known software company has me facilitating a private version of the same material. I’m excited that sharing my excitement for one of my favorite Open Source projects is causing it to be reflected back to me, and pleased that I’m able to carve out time and attention for it simply by honoring other people’s time and attention. (Still wishing for more, though. So much I want to do.)

Other client work these days includes facilitating ensemble programming sessions several times a week for a pharmaceutical company, introducing ensembling (a.k.a. mobbing) at a food delivery service, doing management consulting at a no-code platform provider, and observing for a few days’ assessment at an online retailer. It’s a satisfying mix, especially considering I’d never be able to travel regularly between Dubai, Frankfurt, Manchester, New York, and Austin. My work plate is healthful and filling.

The big guy’s two weeks shy of 4. We’ll be in New York in time for his birthday. The remodeling effort at that house is done (including Ethernet to my new office, if I’m lucky), and not one but two brothers-in-law have been on-site helping get the house ready for our international arrival. Everyone’s coming home to a new bedroom arrangement, including the kid we added since last time we were there.

The remodeling effort at this house will continue (and get all the way done, if we’re lucky) while we’re gone for the summer. But it’s been done enough for us to live in for the last month, and that’s been a difference-maker. When it’s time to come back, we’ll be comfortable.

The little guy finally got his followup MRI. Surgeon says thumbs up, looks great, follow up again in another year. (We already thought he was doing great, talking and singing and walking and flinging himself, so this was just confirmation.) The big guy got a comparatively minor surgery a month ago and that’s all fine now, though it hasn’t magically made him better at sleeping.

June JC-JUG will be almost sort of local. We’ve all gotten the hang of my workdays in Central Europe time with afternoon kindergarten. We’ll have to find a new equilibrium in US/Eastern with Montessori preschool four days a week.

Stopped our mail forwarding a few weeks ago. Bought short-term US health insurance for the whole family. Defrosted my monthly meat delivery service, first shipment coming a few days after we arrive. Ordered new shoes, clothes, and a new M1 MacBook Air. Scheduled a piano tuneup for our arrival and a dentist appointment for July (by which point we’ll be thoroughly vaccinated). Set up an account for grocery delivery from our favorite place so there’s no further futzing when we need to order. Our car, having sat in the driveway for two springs and a winter, will need towing (thanks in advance, AAA!) and who knows how much service. So the airport rental car won’t be getting returned for at least a couple weeks.

What’s this?

It’s a /now page.

nownownow.com is a directory of people with /now pages. I’m listed there.