Day: 2013/08/12

Gear up

Posted on by Kosma Moczek

A professional deserves professional gear. Recently I started to accumulate some spare dough, so I decided to plug the holes and bridge the gaps in personal belongings. Started with a huge pile of new clothes and a RAM upgrade I’ve been putting off for two years. Then a violin – I’m amazed how easy it is to learn & play. Then a mute and a set of new strings to make the experience more enjoyable (and less screeching). Then I had my bike serviced to make it super-reliable; I considered getting a new one but fixing was way cheaper. Then I bought a blender to finally be able to cook all those healthy meals.

Buying random stuff gives a quick rush of pleasure mixed with guilt. Buying (or caring for) quality things improves your quality of life – and makes you happier and free to live your life and express yourself.

Even if it’s just a blender.

Burnout, pt. 2

Posted on by Kosma Moczek

I just came back from a week-long traditional music/dance/art workshop. It was intense; the pace so hectic I barely had time for anything. As I attended the Basic Violin class I learned enough to play several traditional songs and figure out new ones. Apart from being an almost impossibly positive experience the workshops provided a constant flow of attempt-success cycles, reducing the burnout damage I mentioned just two weeks ago.

It’s not completely gone. Coming back to my fantastic startup office I still face some degree of paralysis, but mostly it has receded. I’m going to keep reinforcing that loop, throwing task after task after task at myself – and as hell make sure the tasks are easy enough to be able to succeed with ease. Started with porting today – the new hardware revision conveniently called HW REV 1.3 just arrived and I’m applying required software changes to make it even boot.

Might as well make a schedule out of it. Three easy things, one hard. At the end of day, shuffle the list to prevent stuck tasks from stretching to days then weeks. And if it doesn’t work – toss it.

Cold Shower Therapy

Posted on by Kosma Moczek

I’m starting the Cold Shower Therapy tomorrow. It sounds crazy and that’s why I find it a great idea.

By the way, the only time so far I had a cold shower willfully was after watching Fight Club; I actually stepped into the tub fully clothed and poured ice cold water on my head for two minutes until I could think a little bit clearly. I might have been humming where is my mind? to myself but it’s pretty hard to recall accurately.

Can’t wait until the tomorrow morning.