may 2026
unsorted writings from a busy month
Welcome! As the daylight hours get longer, being in front of a laptop gets harder. Here’s what I was able to write down.
follow up to ‘on my phone’
It’s been about a year since I wrote the principles dictating my phone use and the tricky questions raised around distraction. Perhaps because of that writing, I bought a Brick. Ever since, I’ve felt more in control!
To be specific, I have Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok blocked (both the app and in-browser). The block is permanent until I tap my phone against the Brick, which is on my fridge.
Somehow, the inconvenience of those few steps is more than enough to dissuade me from scrolling.
Because I check less frequently, I tend to miss announcements or cool posts that my friends make until days later (when I go on my laptop or Ashley tells me about it). But I’m eventually aware of most things.
It’s an evolving situation too - just because Youtube optimizes for long-form content, doesn’t mean it can’t be distracting. But the shorts algorithm hasn’t enthralled me yet.
If Apple allowed me to access more than two weeks of screen time data, this is where I’d paste a chart of my daily phone usage going down.
driver’s ed
Ashley is learning to drive and I’m quite proud. She’s doing great 😊
I think Victoria is a good place to learn - drivers here are remarkably timid. Or maybe I’m just remarkably abrasive, who knows!? It’s also fun how strange it feels to be sitting in the passenger seat of my own car. The parked cars certainly feel closer from there.
focaccia
I’ve been enamored with this focaccia recipe this May. I can start the dough in the morning and, if I’m diligent enough with the folding, it’s ready to bake in the evening.
Also, it’s never once turned out bad - always airy, light and bubbly by the time I want to bake it. To be fair, one of the advantages of working from home is that I’m very close to the dough throughout the day. I can keep a close eye.
I love this dough in particular because there are seemingly endless ways to customize. It’s a great vehicle. I’ve done tomato sauce and mozz, caramelized onions, cherry tomatoes and red onion, thyme and rosemary. There’s way more variety than my normal loaf recipe.
suited
I got fitted for a suit this month for our dear friends Alex and Carmen’s wedding. Despite mostly being an accessory to my gorgeous girlfriend and her dress, I felt a hint of ethereal confidence that comes with wearing a nice suit. It does, in fact, feel like a coat of armor.
This is a disadvantage of working from home; less opportunity to wear suits.
snack recommendation
I perpetually forget about the combination of good bread and good cheese. A notable food combination this month was:
good bread
marmalade or jam
brie
Also, sliced apple and good cheese. It’s a real tragedy that nice cheese is so expensive.
gardening
We started working on Ashley’s grandmother’s front yard this month. The plan is to reset it, clean it up and plant some native species. It turns out that working outside with your hands is a fantastic complement to a day job behind a computer. Many thanks to Elaine for the opportunity. It’s quite satisfying to see progress happen in front of you.
camping
While camping over May long, I managed to burn a hole in the pocket of my down jacket with my flashlight. I must’ve been holding down the ON button which generated so much heat that it melted the material. Feathers everywhere.
At the time, I was thoroughly confused about the cause - How did an ember from the campfire get inside my pocket!? I bought a patch kit at MEC a couple days later and patched it. Good as new now! I should be careful with that flashlight.
mechanical pencils
Michael from Vsauce does a podcast and they had an episode about his favorite stationery. I love it. I think I’ve seen the video three times all the way through. The result was my conversion to all the pencils he’s using (the Pentel Kerry and Orenz with 2H lead) as well as his notebook of choice.
work
I’ve been wanting to explore something different at work for a while. Shopify is a big company and I feel it’s a shame to spend my whole time focused on a single area. In fact, it feels almost necessary at this point to try and disrupt the routine.
Talking to different teams at the company has made me realize a couple things:
People love talking about problems they care about.
(especially if you can follow along)
I enjoy talking to people about their work.
One of the disadvantages of not being in an office is I rarely speak to people outside my team! Intros and coffee chats are great!
misc
went climbing outdoors with satish! (my first time doing it) - 05.01
did a band photoshoot with bonus round! - 05.03
used the hammock outside on two occasions
That’s it! see you next month