What I did in 2021
(updated: )
What did I even do last year? A quick look back at the end of the year.
A Hakone trip in our first year of marriage
We hadn’t been able to travel properly since getting married because of COVID, so we finally went at the one-year mark.
That trip is about all I remember from the first half of the year. We were basically nested at home, so even looking back at photos, that was pretty much the only event.
A new desk at home
The old desk broke, so I replaced it with something a bit wider.
I got Sanwa Direct’s simple work desk.
I’d been seeing people around me spending real money on tabletops they cared about, so I did think once about dropping a few tens of thousands of yen on a nice desk. I went with a cheap, sturdy, office-oriented one instead, on value.
The width went from 90cm to 120cm. Being able to spread out made remote work feel maybe 1.5x more efficient. I like it enough that next time I’ll probably just get the same kind, larger.
First time building a PC
I turned 30 and wanted to try something new. The PC I was using was getting old too, and I wanted better specs for games, so I tried building one.
I wrote up the details on Ameba Blog if you want to read them. The specs jumped enough that games and development both became zero-stress, which was basically a paradigm shift for my PC life. One of the better purchases I’ve made.
https://ameblo.jp/ryo9ra/entry-12701968342.html
A chair for working at home
Work is almost entirely remote, so I spend most of the day in a chair. The old one had a flimsy seat, and by the end of each day the line from my tailbone to my lower back was a mess. I figured I’d wreck my back if I kept this up (it was already going, so I wanted to act before it got irreversible) and replaced the chair.
I bought Herman Miller’s Sayl Chair, Gaming Edition. It’s expensive, so submitting the request to my wife was nerve-wracking, but it went through and I got it.
It arrived around mid-December, and after about two weeks the tiredness I used to feel from sitting was pretty much gone. The sit is good enough that it feels like I could work at the desk forever (which taught me I need to stand up now and then, because my hips get tight from sitting too long, ha). Along with the desk and the PC, it was one of the better buys of the year.
What I want to do next year
I invested in the environment this year, so I want to use that and try new things in development too.
What I’m thinking about: learning a new programming language, building with Deno, posting a bit more on the blog. I’d like to spend the year with output in mind.
I don’t want to forget hobbies either. This year I want to put in steady practice, mostly around VALORANT, and actually get better. Aim high: Immortal.
It’s going to be a year of new experiences too, so I’ll be even busier, but I’d like to keep stacking up more of the good stuff.