I try to write once a month about what I’m up to, but it’s been five months. Well, let’s start the new year off right.

One change since August that accounts for much of the above and more: after nearly a year of parental leave, I’ve returned to the workforce. I’d been looking around without much clarity about what I’d like to do and be able to do when a friend I’d worked with before invited me to join a small new software development team focused on legacy codebases, working remotely and with very flexible hours, in the form of regular employment with benefits, with no interview hoops to jump through. A few months in, it’s exactly what I’ve been needing as I relearn how to have uninterrupted conversations with grownups and express shared understanding as running code. My teammates are very strong in areas where I’m either still rusty (including my energy, attention, and focus) or have no previous level of fluency to regain (such as modern JavaScript). That contributes to our effectiveness as a team, of course — but I’m also eager to be pulling my weight, and each week I’m getting a bit closer.

We’re wrapping up a month in Germany, Galila’s first visit. Finias was born here under trying circumstances at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and every time we’ve driven past the hospital I’ve felt a mix of how frightening it was for us then and how lovely things are now. For Taavi it must have felt like this every single place we’ve been. By having become better able to process his version of those experiences, he has put us more at ease about whether our parenting actions under duress were okay enough. We’ll never feel sure, but we can take a deep breath.

When work started, my Daily Piano Miniatures turned into Weekly. I kind of miss the intensity and urgency of needing to get something shipped every day. Once a week still fits my schedule, though. One happy outcome from DPM is that if a day occasionally goes by without any pianoing, it’s a weird day. Not everything about me is well in order, but one thing I did allllll the way right this year was giving myself the gift of nonstop music-making. I bet, with a little more room, I can do more things right with me.


What’s this?

It’s a /now page.

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