Web Witch's Grimoire: September 2024
September was incredibly busy across work and personal life. I am out of a routine and trying to find my way back to writing regularly (among creating in general) while also making sure I spend time doing things I enjoy. As soon as I publish this I'm off to decide what to bake and then go hang out and read and maybe make some soup. It's soup season.
Life in England #
We celebrated our anniversary with a trip up to Suku Saunas in Towcester and then went out for my first proper actual sit down roast dinner and omg. It was incredible. The sauna experience was lovely as we had the whole sauna to ourselves. It's a sauna cabin in the English Countryside on someone's farm. It was a delightfully moody and rainy afternoon.
Pegsdon Hills Hike/Walk #
Is it a hike or a walk? Regardless I got out to go explore and drove down to Pegsdon with the pup and did some view hunting. My PNW heart has been aching for a mountain climb and views. So I did the Pegsdon and Deacon Hill loop. I didn't realize there were medieval cultivation terraces...literally walking through history around here.
Seattle Trip 1 of 2 #
September was busy with a trip back stateside to visit Seattle and attend the first of two weddings in my friend group. We had a very chill week, staying in a cottage in West Seattle before going to Port Townsend for the 3 day event. We ate a lot of good food, spent a lot of time in Lincoln Park, and tried a new coffee shop every day...it was lovely. The transient orcas even graced us with their presence while we were on the ferry, which checks off my dream of seeing them while on the ferry.
Career Stuff #
- I spoke at State of the Browser in London about Sustainable Funding in the Web Ecosystem (which applies to the entire open source ecosystem).
- Celebrating a year of Design for Developers being in print!
Currently... #
Watching #
- Rings of Power
- The Penguin (Incredible)
Playing #
The Legend of Zelda: Echos of Wisdom - It's super cute and enjoyable but when have I ever not enjoyed a Zelda game.
Chicken Journey - is on pause while I play Zelda.
Reading #
Finished:
I have finished ACOTAR and now have an entire universe of Sarah J Maas books to consume while I wait for the next book.
Started (and/or continued):
- Nine Years Among the Indians, 1870-1879: The Story of the Captivity and Life of a Texan Among the Indians
- The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia #1) Available on Kindle Unlimited
- House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1)
- Children of Dune - which has traveled back and forth to Seattle twice and I have not even made a dent in yet but the intent is there.
Vlogging #
I published 3 vlogs last month. Editing is getting better but I'm still struggling with balancing out my sound. I think half of it is not speaking loud enough so that's something else I'm working on.
Here's the shorter of the three, which highlights my Pegsdon Hills walk:
The others are obviously up on YouTube (Seattle vlog coming this weekend!)
Mental Health Bits #
Navigating life in a different country is already stressful. I've been getting better at identifying triggers for bipolar depression and it feels like a big win. Even if I can't always immediately counteract things, I am aware of what's going on and why I'm feeling a certain way. It's a big accomplishment. Some days are a struggle and others are fine. It's nothing to be ashamed of.
Postscript #
I don't need another to do list item but the blog design is feeling stale so time to go through an endless design cycle and put needless pressure on myself :)
