A new year is here! I had some good long time off at the end of December and into early January which was nice and refreshing 😄 Here is what I have been up to:

• I graduated with my MBA in December! It is a bit hard to believe, but i'm very happy to be wrapped up. I had a pretty good experience in the program at Seattle University - i'm writing up something to share more about my experince soon.
• Finishing up my 70th book as the year ended! I read more last year than ever before in my life. I set a goal at the beginning of last year to read more - and I really took it to the extreme 📚 I'm doubtful i'll beat that number this year - but i'm looking forward to digging into lots of great stories in 2026.
• Over the break I played a TON of Hades II side by side with my partner which was an excellent experience. Cleard both sections of the game once each, then put down the Steam Deck for a while 🎮 It was as good and maybe better than Hades I and I'm looking forward to continuing through its depths and heights in a bit less of a manic rage through this year haha.
• Getting into Mahjong 🀄️ which seems to be everywhere right now!
• Working my way through the Google Data Analytics certificate on Coursera which has been great so far.
• Adding more social events to my calendar - a goal for this year now that I have a lot more free time.
• Finding a new volunteer opportunity to add to my regular schedule schedule after wrappign up a year of volunteering at the Seattle Central Library.

Winter is settling in and it's been rain, rain, rain rain, and more rain here in Seattle. A bit of sunshine peppered in to keep us sane - still better than the sliver of daylight I grew up with in Alaskan winters. The solstice is fast approaching - always look forward to the other side 🌅 This month I am:

• Finishing up my MBA program at Seattle University! I'm pretty excited to be done and also very happy I decided to start when I did. I never wanted to be limited by not having the degree, and it was a good learning experience overall. I am however, very much looking forward to directing my own learning instead of being required to take certain classes 😄
• Working my way through the first Google Data Analytics course on Coursera. I have some gaps in my knowledge around data generally, so I am working on filling some of those gaps.
• Continuing to move through the Boot.dev course, I'm really enjoying it still though I have slowed down a bit. I'm planning to get through the first project by the end of the year, then evaluate what direction I want to go next.
• Playing Is This Seat Taken on my Steam Deck, which was a very fun little puzzle game. Next, I'm looking forward to starting Hades II with my partner over the winter holiday, and inevitably getting lost for many hours. They got me into Hades I, and we have been waiting for the right time to dive into the sequel!
• Listening to the Shell Game Podcast and laughing along as chaos ensues - and also as I realize how far 'AI Agents' have to go before they are going to take over anyone's job.
• Reading about Shiro Kashiba and his part in shaping Sushi culture in the PNW. We just made a reservation for NYE at his Belltown restaurant - it will be a great way to round out the year 🍣

Fall has firmly settled into the PNW and the allure of cozy indoor spaces is hard to resist. I see many coffee shops and book stores in my future 🎱 This month I am:

• Working through the last full month of my MBA program at Seattle University! I have been in year-round classes for the past few years, and am very much looking forward to opening up more free time in my schedule to pursue other interests and projects!
• Reading 'Escaping The Build Trap', which has been full of excellent bits of product wisdom. It ties in very well to the short book I just read, 'Outcomes over Outputs,' and both feel very relevant to the current stage of development the products I currently manage at Cascade PBS are in.
• Working through the module on Boot.dev, which is focused on learning Python. I have had a few start and stop attempts at learning some programming, but so far I have really been enjoying their approach and focus on backend development. Their gamified RPG platform aligns well with my ADHD brain, and I'm looking forward to seeing how I progress with it!
• Integrating Atlassian's 'Rovo AI' into my workflos at work which I have found to be the most useful AI tool I have used to date. I have been using it to build PRDs, automating cleanup of bug and feature request tickets that come into Jira Work Managmenet, searching for tickts when I don't quite remember enough to find them, and other random tasks. I do wish the agents could do more tha

A beautiful shift in the seasons as I shift my seasons into my 35th year! This month I'm working on:

• Working through my choices for the SPL Summer Book Bingo - my partner and I are going for a blackout this year!
• Finishing up my final in-person classes for my MBA program, 3 more and i'm all wrapped up.
• Learning and re-learning the fundamentals of playing the piano from many different perspectives.
• Looking forward to a two-week stay-cation coming up soon!

This month I turn 35! Kinda crazy how time just keeps moving forward in life. I have been pretty happy with how I have been spending my time lately, here is what I have been up to:

• I started reading an excellent book Business School and the Noble Purpose of the Market - Correcting the Systemic Failures of Shareholder Capitalism by Andrew J. Hoffman. If I had read it a few years ago when I was just starting my MBA it would not have had the same impact, but almost two years into the program and nearing graduation the messaging hits home. I highly recommend it to anyone adjacent to business schools, or thinking about starting a program soon.
• Continuing on my music learning journey I have been putting time into learning Ableton Live and also picked up a Novation Launchkey MPK4 25 key MIDI controller. For under $200, I'm really happy with the purchase, and it has been a lot of fun to play around with!
• I picked Duolingo's Spanish course back up after being away for a while and dabbling in some other languages. In college I took a few years of Spanish and a lot of it is still in my brain so I decided to head in that direction again and have been enjoying it. My next step is to start conversing more with others.
• Another great purchase was a 13" iPad Air. I picked it up to read sheet music on at a more natural size but have found that it is excellent for reading my cooking magazines and cookbooks on as well! I was worried it would be too big and heavy but overall neither has been true.

Spring is in the air here in the PNW - the time of year when it looks bright and sunny outside, but it's still way colder than you thought it was, and you really should have brought a jacket...but at least there is sun! 🌞

This month I have:

• Keeping up with my one book/week pace, which has been very rewarding! I track everything I read over on Stroygraph and would love to connect with others over there!
• Starting Piano lessons with an in-person teacher for the first time. I had been teaching myself through Piano Marvel but I found the lack of a guide difficult.
• Enjoying the two classes i'm taking this quarter which are an intro to Cybersecurity class and an overview of 'Great Leaders'. With my program coming toward it's end it has been nice to be able to take intersting electives that have been feeling more meaninguful and enjoyable than many of the core classes did.
• Exploring a bit of vibe coding with Coda and other tools, and also being blown away by Gemini's deep research feature. It is hard to believe just a few short years ago I could not effectively querey the entire internet in natural language!

It's been a chilly and soggy last bit of winter here in the PNW with a few wonderful days of 'false spring' - when we all dig out our shorts for a day or two until the cold comes right back. Lots of time inside working on projects and learning new things. This month I have been:

• Continuing my way through the Free Code Camp curriculum. I made it all the way through the HTML and CSS modules and am onto Javascript! I have found myself really enjoying the learning and am excited to keep moving forward. My goal is to be finished up with the whole course by the end of the year.
• Reading (and finished) Impact First Product Teams by Matt Lemay. The book brief and excellent. I also recommend his other book Product Management in Practice.
• Deepening my commitment to learning the Piano and Music Theory. I picked up my learning again at the beginning of the year using Piano Marvel and have been having a lot of success - and fun with it! I love the app, but the one thing it seems to lack is a depth of Music Theory teaching - so I found a supplemental course from Berklee School of Music on Coursera which has been very helpful so far!
• Finishing my winter quarter in my MBA program at Seattle University. Two more classes in the spring, then three more and i'll be finished!

I'm thrilled to be through the darkest part of the year here in the PWN - growing up in Alaska there is actually much -more- light here than where I grew up but December and January are always the hardest to get through for me. Here is what I'm focusing on this month:

• Continuing my journey through the Free Code Camp curriculum, now working on the CSS module.
• Reading Lean Analytics and working my way through the Data-Driven Decision Making certificate on Coursera.
• Playing Sable whose soundtrack is done by one of my favorite artists Japanese Breakfast

The beginning of the year is always a great time for...well...beginnings! 😄 Here is what I am focusing on this month:

• Starting to build out this site which is meant to be my home on the net. I plan to use it as both a portfolio and blog space - and expect it to evolve over time.
• Beginning the new Free Code Camp curriculum they just released and am working my way through the HTML section. So far I have been more successful at sticking with the course, the redesign added instructional videos and also broke up the course differently than it was before. I'm finding it engaging, and fun!
• Using Beeminder to track my goals and habits. I began late in 2024 then really leaned into it during the new year. Tracking goals with a monetary penalty seems like an odd thing to do, but it is also working for me so I'll keep at it and see if that continues!
• Working on reading at least 25 pages a day rotating through a variety of books
• Starting to volunteer at the Seattle Central Public Library every other Saturday at the volunteer desk 📚