what I'm doing now

Updated: 2026-04-04

job searching and trying to enjoy unemployment

Unfortunately, despite being close so many times, I still haven't been able to land that new job. The job market seems to (still) be in a really tough place, but I choose to remain optimistic despite everything. I believe that my skills and experience are good enough to land a good job. It's just a matter of time and patience.

One of the only upsides of unemployment is having more time to focus on other things, like my health and exercising. To me that's more gym and ice hockey. It's been great for both my physical and mental health. I'm in better shape than I've been in a long time, and it keeps getting better.

I've really tried to focus on this positive aspect of my life right now. Because I'm beginning to realize that there will come a time when I'll be struggling with my time and energy to take care of my physical health once you start adding things like a full-time job, a relationship, kids, etc.

So although I would like this phase to be over soon, I'm also kind of glad to have the opportunity to build a stronger base in these areas.

reading and learning more, writing less

I had a nice run of consistent posting at the end of last year, but I started to feel like I was running out of things to write. It makes sense, too, since I wasn't able to read and take in new ideas at the same rate I was posting. This is why, after a period of increased output, I now want to focus on input. Hopefully, this will provide me with new and improved perspectives, which I can share with you via my notes soon.

I would love to write useful and valuable posts all the time, but in the end, I would much rather optimize my notes for quality and value than volume or daily traffic. I still write here and there, but not as frequently or regularly.

currently reading

• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
  • Kind of forgot I was reading this one and now picked it back up. The subtitle is pretty accurate with this one. Great, fund advice for writing, most of which also apply to life.
• Alex's Adventures in Numberland by Alex Bellos
  • Got me hooked for the first half of the book with great storied related to how human perceive numbers and mathematics on the most basic level. However, the last half has kind of lost my interest. Going on for tens of pages about how the record for counting Pi decimals has progressed through the years has been a bit much, even for me. I think I'll try for one more chapter, at least, but considering to just DNF.
• The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant
  • Already read the first chapter, which sort of got me hooked, but I want to finish my current books first.
• Sum by David Eagleman
  • A very unique and interesting book. Easy to read, sometimes difficult to understand, which is probably the whole point.

recently finished or DNF (starting from most recent)

• Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
  • Another masterpiece. For some reason it's often referred to as a love story, which is a bit misleading. Without spoiling anything, I think it's about much more — the complex and sometimes paradoxical nature of life and humans.
• Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
  • Mysterious, beautiful, and captivating read. Finished in two sittings. Instantly one of my all-time favorites. Best enjoyed by knowing as little as possible beforehand.
• Certified Beauties: More of Hockey's Greatest Untold Stories by James Duthie
  • Fun, easy, and casual read. A collection of mostly fun (few sad) stories the world of hockey. Might actually be a fun read even for a non-hockey fan, to get a glimpse of how unique that world is. If you're a hockey fan, you should definitely read this.
• The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin (DNF)
  • I tried, but couldn't get through this one. Too much of an effort. This books needs someone to edit it into a more readable format.

planning to read next

• Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
  • I really want to re-read this slowly and thoroughly.
• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  • For some reason I haven't read this yet, but I'm 99% I'm going to love it.
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
  • Same as with Brave New World.

NOTE

• The idea for a now page came from Derek Sivers.