Things That Happened in 2016

This is super overdue, but 2017 has been busy!

Celebrated being bed-bug free after a harrowing couple of weeks.
Blizzard!
I got a standing desk setup at work.
Kyle and the kitties got me an All-Clad pan for Mother’s Day.
I squatted 175lbs.
I started doing CrossFit.
Shortly after starting CrossFit, my face got into a fight with a 20-lb ball. My face lost.
Kyle and I started planning our 2017 trip to Japan.
I started learning about React, Redux, and functional programming in JavaScript, and using these skills at work.
We all survived Dad’s hip surgery, part IV.
I spent a week in Miami to celebrate my best friend’s birthday.
Mom and I spent a day exploring Philadelphia’s Market St (and adjacent areas) from 30th to 3rd.
Another great year of teaching with ScriptEd.
Many walks and foods around NYC.
Visits from parents.
Met some family members from another branch of the tree.
Saw Fully Committed.
I shaved my head for the first time.

And probably a lot of other stuff I can’t remember right now!

JavaScript Code Kata

Dave Thomas was recently on the CodeNewbie podcast and talked about code kata for a few minutes.

A kata is an exercise in karate where you repeat a form many times, making little improvements each time.

The code kata is a way to bring practice sessions into programming.

In my day-to-day work, the problems I solve with JavaScript are not complicated:

• sticky nav
• add/remove class based on behavior
• handle click tracking
• carousels
• form validation
• lightbox

So this seems like a great way to stretch my JavaScript legs, so to speak. There are many places online to find code kata; I signed up on Codewars. Even at the beginner and novice levels, I’m working through problems that extend my abilities.

But also, math.

If you’re interested in doing code kata yourself, LMGTFY. If you happen to sign up on Codewars, I’d love to know so we can compete against each other!

Things that happened in 2015

I proposed and helped shepherd changes in tools we use at work for QA and HTML emails.
I planned and executed a field trip for my ScriptEd students to my office, with a lot of help from my awesome coworkers.
I spoke at Career Day at Chelsea Career and Technical Education High School.
I worked on a Chrome extension to help coworkers write presentations in markdown.
Some coworkers and I (wo)manned a table for Career Day at Harlem Village Academies High School.
I spoke about learning web development at Django Girls NYC.
I helped The Story Exchange produce their 1000 Stories project about women entrepreneurs.
I worked on more than 30 websites.
I closed more than 700 tickets at work.
Kyle and I saw Kinky Boots.
I was in the office 2 blocks away when an armed veteran walked into the lobby of a federal building, shot and killed an armed private security guard and then shot himself.
I went to Smorgasburg in Brooklyn and Queens.
Kyle and I went to the Queens Night Market, where Kyle discovered lumpia.
Kyle and I went to an Atlas Obscura event in Greenwood Cemetery.
Kyle and I spent 8 days running around Prague and Southern Germany. We rented a Mercedes and drove >200 MPH on the autobahn. We ate amazing food. We saw beautiful things. We stayed in a hostel.
My family survived my Dad’s hip surgery with minor bickering.
I visited high school friends in the DC area.
Pixel earned the nickname “String Butt” after an emergency trip to the Animal Hospital.
Kyle and I went to the The Rocky Horror Picture Show Experience at the Museum of the Moving Image.
Kyle and I went to the Great Big Bacon Picnic with some of my coworkers.
Kyle and I saw Louis C.K. at Madison Square Garden.
Kyle and I got renters insurance.
I went to the Hamptons for the first time with some great people from ScriptEd.
I played ping pong (badly) with my Mom.
I redesigned the Bummer Bears website to be responsive.
Kyle and I reached the peak of adulthood by buying a frame for our bed.
I learned to like guacamole.
I started lifting weights with a personal trainer.
I went to physical therapy and resolved my back and neck problems.
Kyle and I started saving up to buy a house (someday).

And probably a lot of other stuff I can’t remember right now!

Chelsea Career and Technical High School Career Day

I talked to a couple of classes about my job as a front-end web developer this morning for Career Day at Chelsea Career and Technical High School.