2019 Highlights
Keep on moving
I’ve been publishing these Year In Review posts since 2014. They started as a way to reflect on the things that happened outside of work, mostly for myself, but also for family and friends.
This year I feel like I should be reflecting on the decade — or on having recently turned 40 — but life has been so hectic I haven’t had the time or space to properly process it all.
Saying work was busy this year would be an understatement. Progress is never a straight line, but things at Range are going well and the work has been very rewarding. That has meant I’ve had a harder time disconnecting than usual; though by investing in a remote-friendly work environment I have felt comfortable being out of the office and we’ve had some great family trips as a result.
Lyra turned four and became a precocious preschooler. Our sleep is better and her adventurous spirit is keeping us busy and active.
As a result, most of the year was a blur of gym classes, dance classes, birthday parties, trips to the Exploratorium or the Childrens’ Museum, visits with friends, and outings down the coast.
Over 2019, the Range team grew from 5 to 9 full-timers. We welcomed Michael and Chris early on in the year, quickly subjecting them to a classic team hike. D’nae and Nick joined later in the year and have so far gotten off lightly.
Lyra and I continue to commute to school by bike, though we upgraded our wheels to a Surly Big Dummy cargo bike.
We’ve been happy about the progress made on SF bike lanes, but have been saddened by the number of accidents this year. Including my former colleague Tess Rothstein 😔.
At the start of the year, Lyra’s sleep was still troubled. Her dentist identified enlarged tonsils and after talking to some specialists we did a sleep study. She was super brave.
Ironically, soon after doing the study her sleep got radically better. Perhaps she finally grew into her tonsils.
In March, we all went to Maui while I attended The Lobby Enterprise. Such a terrible place for a conference…
In August, we road tripped to Oregon for a week with the cousins in Sun River.
In October, I managed a backpacking trip with some friends. I’d been looking forward to going up to the Sierras, but a cold snap had us redirect to Henry Coe State Park, where we did about 18 miles and 3,000 feet.
For the last few years I’ve been trying to hit a relatively modest running goal of 350 miles. This year, I started off well but I ended off only managing 235 miles over 79 runs.
Half-way through the year I was diagnosed with Osteophytosis in by big toes and had to dial back substantially. Shorter runs are ok, but I get random flair-ups and a fair amount of pain.
I read/listened to 19 books this year, including three epic novels by Brandon Sanderson that occupied most of my reading time.
Highlights for me were The Broken Earth trilogy, Culture Code, and Art of Gathering. Lowlights were Team Human and GRR Martin’s Fire and Blood, which felt like reading a history book.
Finally, we ended the year with our first trip back to the UK in 18 months.
Happy New Year… Happy New Decade.
