Noisy Deadlines

“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” – Douglas Adams

I saw this going around the web a while ago and I saved it for later so that I could write one as well. So here it goes!

Do you floss your teeth?

Yes, every single day, without fail.

Tea, coffee or water?

Mostly water, but I love a mid-day cup of tea, especially in the winter. Lately, I’ve been sneaking in a shot of espresso after lunch when I feel my energy drops too much. I avoided coffee for years because of stomach issues, but now I can handle it in very small doses. I've always enjoyed the aroma.

Footwear Preference?

Comfort above all. Indoors, it’s Crocs in the colder months and slippers in the summer. I can’t stand walking barefoot or just in socks, I have to have something on my feet even inside the house. For outdoors, I love my hiking boots, running shoes or my winter boots in the winter.

Favourite Desert?

Dark chocolate! Lindt’s Caramel and Sea Salt is my weakness.

The first thing you do when you wake up?

I hug my knees in bed to loosen my low back, then I go to the bathroom to remove my nightguard and splash some water on my face. Then I sit down at my yoga mat to do yoga/bodyweight exercises and then meditation. If I skip this routine, my whole day feels off.

Age you'd like to stick at?

Around 35. I was in peak physical shape then, with enough maturity to know what makes me happy. Ideally, I’d keep the body of 35 and combine it with the wisdom I have now.

How many hats do you own?

Two running caps (one regular, one visor), three warm beanies for winter, and a summer hiking hat.

Describe the last photo you took

A photo of my workplace new office renovation showing the new kitchen area: a modern look area with exposed ceilings (apparently trendy), a blue island in the middle, two frigdes, two microwaves, beige cabinets all around with wood-look laminate tiles on the floor.

Worst TV Show?

I have not been watching too much TV lately, but I can't stand reality TV shows. They feel like manufactured drama with no substance, and I’d rather spend my time elsewhere.

As a child, what was your aspiration for adulthood?

I was fascinated by how things worked and how they were built. My wildest dream was to be an astronaut. I ended up studying Engineering, more specifically, construction.

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🙌 Thanks for the inspiration:

#NoisyMusings

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

  • 🏢 I dealt with some stress at work when a younger colleague got fired. He was part of a project I was leading, so that was a bit of a challenge to rearrange things and get the deliverable on time.
  • 💪 I got back to the gym, since now it's too cold for me to run outside.
  • 🧐 I started Tai Chi classes and I didn't like them that much. I felt some discomfort on my knees and my low back. Maybe it's because I'm doing it barefoot, and it's mostly standing poses. This experience actually made me appreciate yoga even more.
  • 🎧 I finished my listening to Nightwish official albums. I also watched some live performances and their official live albums. It's so cool that they have instrumental versions of some of their albums too, and these are great to listen to while I'm working, and I don't want lyrics.
  • 🤘The Nightwish exploration led me to another band: Epica. I've had 2 Epica songs on my playlist called “Epic Metal” for years, but I never really listened to any of their albums. They are a Dutch symphonic metal band with orchestral arrangements and operatic choirs. I've listened to their first 4 albums so far. The cool thing about them is that they have concerts with full orchestras and live choirs.
  • 📕I had an interesting discussion with my local Book Club about Neuromancer by William Gibson. I recognize its importance, even though I don't like the writing style. During the discussion, someone mentioned that Gibson got inspiration from an action movie called “Escape from New York” for aesthetics. Now I want to re-watch this movie, because I probably saw it when I was younger, but I don't remember much.
  • 📖 I'm reading Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson now, which is a nice follow-up to Neuromancer that we planned for our book club discussion. I've never read it before, and while Neuromancer is gritty and minimalistic in its writing, Snow Crash is very expository. There are whole chapters with the main protagonist having a chat with The Librarian (which reminds of LLMs like ChatGPT) talking about Sumerian religion myths. It's very nerdy.

📌 Cool online reads:

📺 Videos I enjoyed:

#weeknotes #music #heavymetal

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

I just realized it's been seven years since I got my current wristwatch. I was chatting with a colleague at work, and he mentioned that he got tired of replacing his smartwatch every year, so he switched to a mechanical one.

I've never owned a smartwatch because I've never felt the need for one. I considered getting one when Fitbits first came out to track exercise, but then they evolved into Google devices doing all sorts of things, and that changed my mind.

My wristwatch needs are very basic:

  • Show me the time
  • Show me the day of the week/month
  • Timer/Stopwatch to time runs and rest periods

And that's it. I don’t want to receive notifications, read emails, or respond to messages. I just want a watch that tells me the time.

I bought my IronMan Classic Timex in 2018 for $50. It was a quick purchase. I just wanted to try out a Timex. Before that, I had a Casio Baby-G for years. I still have it; it needs a new battery and a good cleaning. It’s one of those with a transparent case, and since I wore it 24/7, even while swimming, it ended up looking a bit grimy. But I suspect it still works. I will try to find it, I think I had an issue with the strap as well.

My Timex is surprisingly still going strong. I’ve only changed the battery once in the seven years I’ve had it. The only downside now is that it’s no longer waterproof because I didn’t replace the seal after the battery change. So, I don’t wear it in the pool anymore and take it off before showering. I forgot to remove it a couple of weeks ago before my aquafitness class, and it died temporarily. Luckily, my partner helped me open it up, let it dry, and it came back to life.

I’ve never felt the urge to replace it. My Timex still works, does exactly what I need, and fits my minimalist approach to everyday tools.

I think mechanical watches are super cool, but the one I have still fills my needs. I’m not searching for upgrades or features I won’t use. It's reliable and simple. It tells the time and doesn’t try to be anything more. That’s all I want from a watch.

#NoisyMusings #tech

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

So many audiobooks this month!

  1. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams [audio 5h 51min]: This was the first time I've listened to the audiobook version narrated by Stephen Fry. All I can say is that it’s excellent! I've read this a couple of times before (years ago now) and I truly enjoyed the audiobook experience.

  2. His Secret Illuminations (The Warrior's Guild #1) by Scarlett Gale, 442p: Such a cool change for a romance novel: the female protagonist is a big and experienced warrior while the male protagonist is a sheltered, innocent monk. The POV is from the monk, Lucien, and he absolutely adores Glory (also known as the “She-Wolf”) in the few chances he had to look at her while at the monastery. It's a sweet, slow-burn romance with emphasis on consent and respecting boundaries. With Glory, Lucien goes out of the monastery and sees the outside world for the first time. He feels overwhelmed at first, but Glory is always there to help him. Lucien is a scribe, and he has some cool magic abilities that are useful for them to track down some missing manuscripts. It was a nice, refreshing read.

  3. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #2) by Douglas Adams [audio 5h 47min]: This was the first time I've listened to the audiobook narrated by Martin Freeman. It’s impressive how Freeman voices all the characters so distinctly.  It’s excellent! Highly recommended!

  4. The Rook (The Checquy Files #1) by Daniel O'Malley, 512p: Definitely a page turner! It's an amnesia/mystery/special powers/secret organization plot with a female lead character. I enjoyed the pace of the book: it kept me interested until the end. The sense of humour is delicious and reminded me of Dr. Who. I still don't know how to say the lead character name, Myfawny Thomas, but I really liked her! It was interesting to get to know her by the letters she wrote to herself. But you gotta have an open mind and turn on your “suspension of disbelief” mode at full power. Lots of crazy things happen and the characters have all kinds of unimaginable powers.

  5. Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism by Yanis Varoufakis [audio 7h 39min]: Interesting read exploring how our global economy is changing with the rise of tech giants. The author presents his theory of how Capitalism has been turned into Technofeudalism, where powerful tech companies act like feudal lords, controlling digital platforms and data instead of land. Users and smaller businesses are like “serfs” who provide data and labour, often for free, to gain access to these platforms, which then extract value from them. I'll admit that I didn't grasp all the economic concepts, but Varoufakis makes the subject accessible through his conversational approach. The book is framed as if he's explaining these ideas to his father, which helps break down complex theories into more digestible pieces.

  6. Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood [audio 4h 24min]: This was a nice cozy novella with nerdy protagonists working in the video game industry. The story centers on team members from rival gaming companies who are unexpectedly forced to collaborate during a wintery team-building retreat. The novella leans into the miscommunication trope, with nice banter and book loving nerdery. It’s a quick read with low-stakes drama and high levels of geeky chemistry.

  7. Neuromancer (Sprawl #1) by William Gibson, 271p: I first read this book 12 years ago, and honestly, I remember finding it confusing. This time around I think I'm grasping more of it, but still, I don't know what exactly is going on half of the time. I can see how this book is a cultural reference to the whole cyberpunk genre, but, wow, it is a strange ride. It's gritty, it's dark and, honestly, the writing style doesn't capture me too much.

#readinglist #books #reading

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

  • 🍂 I love this season of the year. I like the colors, the cool air, the golden light at sunset. There's something so peaceful about this transition into winter. With no trips or major commitments ahead, I'm really looking forward to a few quieter months.
  • 🍁 This week also marks eight years since my partner, and I immigrated to Canada! What an adventure it’s been! 🥳
  • ✏️ Lately, I’ve returned to private journaling with 750Words. The interface is beautifully simple, and I love how the stats gently nudge me to write every day. I’d fallen out of the habit, and I’ve noticed how much that affects my mood. So, I’m committing to the November 750Words challenge!
  • 🏊‍♀️ My aqua fitness class has also resumed after the summer break, another small joy!
  • 📖 I am re-reading Neuromancer by Willian Gibson for my local Book Club. I first read it 12 years ago, and honestly, I remember finding it confusing. This time around I think I'm grasping more of it, but still, I don't know what exactly is going on half of the time. I can see how this book is a cultural reference to the whole cyberpunk genre, but, wow, it is a strange ride.
  • 📅 One thing I've noticed this month: I stopped doing my Start of the Day review with time blocking. I was being more relaxed on how I plan my days. I was still getting things done at work, but I noticed I stopped taking breaks and I was completely skipping my shutdown routine. Even the lunch break was affected, with me not properly stopping for lunch. That's not how I want my work routine to be. So, I’ve gone back to time blocking. On paper. That tactile process makes all the difference for me. It's the only way I will mentally prepare myself for the day and I will remember to pause.
  • ✉️ I received a couple of lovely messages from readers sharing their feelings about listening to full albums in response to my blog post. Thank you! 😊
  • 🎧 I am still listening to Nightwish albums, there is so much to unpack there.

📌 Cool online reads:

  • Career Snakes & Ladders | Kev Quirk: I loved this post about career and identifying what’s truly important in life. This quote is perfect: “As a result of all this, I’ve realised that success isn’t just about upward motion. It’s about endurance, purpose, and perspective. It’s about being content in the work we do. Being challenged but not overworked. And most importantly, being in a position to spend time with loved ones.”
  • Listening to Full Albums Again by Joel: he also wrote about listening to full albums! We share similar feelings.
  • Music Monday by Nick Booth: I loved this idea of randomizing the act of choosing a full album to listen to, and the doing some reflection about it. I will try it.

📺 Videos I enjoyed:

I discovered a channel with an opera singer analyzing vocals in metal songs: The Charismatic Voice by Elizabeth Zharoff. I’m loving her enthusiastic approach, and I’ve been learning a bit about the art of singing. Oh, I found her channel because she has some cool videos with Nightwish music 🤗. And she interviewed Bruce Dickinson and Floor Jansen.

#weeknotes #music #heavymetal

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

🎧 This year I realized that I had stopped listening to full albums. I have been using Deezer for 11 years now (yes, I checked). Deezer is a music streaming service, not as famous as Spotify, I guess. One of the main reasons I subscribed was its great selection of Francophone artists. I was learning French at the time, and music has always been one of my favorite ways to learn a language. It also had albums from all my favorite bands, including many that were hard to find back home in Brazil.

Before that, I also went through the mp3 phase: Napster, LimeWire, Kazaa. I burned my own CDs, made personalized covers, and curated playlists long before streaming platforms existed.

I also had physical albums from my favorite bands such as Metallica, Iron Maiden, Queen, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, and Angra, to name a few. Finding CDs from European metal bands like Stratovarius, Blind Guardian, Grave Digger, or Nightwish in Brazil was not easy. So (ahem, illegally, I know) downloading mp3s was the only way to listen to some of them.

After the mp3 boom and the rise of streaming, something changed. I almost stopped listening to albums as complete works. I was missing that feeling of sitting down with a cohesive experience, where each song connects to the next and the order matters.

I have been listening to the same playlists on Deezer for years, with almost no changes. So, this year I decided to return to full albums. I started manually choosing what to play and listening in the order the artist intended, without shuffling or letting algorithms take over.

Streaming services do not make this easy anymore. Albums tend to be buried under playlists, mixes, and endless recommendations. It requires a bit more effort, that's for sure. But it's still possible!

I also use Deezer's option of showing the lyrics while I listen, which is cool.

🤘 And since rediscovering Nightwish, this experience has become even more enjoyable. Listening to their full albums from start to finish has made me genuinely happy. Their music reminds me of why I fell in love with albums in the first place: the storytelling, the emotion, and the sense of being transported somewhere else entirely.

Listening to an album from beginning to end feels like reconnecting with the artist, and also with the version of myself who used to sit with the CD booklet, reading lyrics and discovering hidden tracks.

Maybe that is what I was missing all along: the feeling that music is not just background noise or mood filler, but a complete experience meant to be lived from beginning to end. 😊

I found some pictures of my old CD’s. I don’t have them anymore; I sold them all before my move to Canada. I don’t regret not having them anymore, since I can still listen to them via streaming services.

#NoisyMusings #music #heavymetal

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

  • 🤘 I created a project to listen to the entire Nightwish discography. Yes, I’m obsessed with this band right now. I started with the first five albums, which mark the end of the Tarja Turunen era (1996–2005). Then I moved on to the two albums featuring vocalist Anette Olzon (2007–2012). Now I’m exploring the albums with the current vocalist, Floor Jansen and I’m still amazed by her. I’m not done yet!
  • 🎧 It was a lovely surprise to finally receive the audiobook I’d placed on hold at the library nearly a year ago. I’d almost forgotten about it: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, narrated by Stephen Fry. I listened to it with my partner, who’s also a Douglas Adams fan. It’s excellent!
  • 🎧 And then we started the second book in the series, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, narrated by Martin Freeman. It’s also excellent. It’s impressive how Freeman voices all the characters so distinctly. Highly recommended!
  • 📖 These audio experiences have sparked a new interest in audiobooks. I don’t usually listen to books, but another title I had on hold was delivered this week, and I’ve started it. It’s a nonfiction book: Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism by Yanis Varoufakis. I’ve been listening during my commutes and in the mornings before work. It’s been interesting so far!
  • 🌳We also went for a 7km hike this weekend along Lime Kiln Trail and Beaver Trail to enjoy the fall colors.

📌 Cool online reads:

📺 Videos I enjoyed:

This list will exclusively include stuff related to the band Nightwish, so get ready (or skip it)!

#weeknotes #music #heavymetal

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

  1. Mirror Dance (Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) #8) by Lois McMaster Bujold, 600p: This book dives into some really intense stuff, and while I usually shy away from stories involving torture and body horror, I felt like Bujold handled it with a lot of emotional nuances. That being said, it was an amazing read! Both Miles and Mark go through horrible experiences, and we see them overcoming all sorts of challenges. The pace is excellent and the suspense with the dual POV was great (even though Miles is absent for most of the book). There is lots of trauma in this book, but it is used as character transformation, it's not gratuitous. Mark's pain isn't romanticized, and yet his journey toward healing feels earned.  Watching him confront the legacy of being a clone, a tool, a shadow of someone else, and then slowly carve out his own space in the world was incredibly moving. Bujold's writing doesn’t flinch from the darkness, but she also doesn’t wallow in it. There are hope and resilience and it's probably the best book in the series so far for me.

  2. The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t with Her Mind (The Frost Files #1) by Jackson Ford, 496p: This was one of my local book club's picks.  It starts strong with a high-intensity action scene, and the premise is intriguing.  However, I felt it lacked deeper character development.  It opens as a murder mystery but loses momentum midway through. The villain, who gets his own chapters and point of view, felt flat and underdeveloped. The main character is Teagan Frost, a young lady with telekinetic powers working for the government in covert operations alongside a team of former criminals and outlaws. Her powers only work on inorganic matter.  It bothered me a bit that Teagans' explanation was that she couldn't move anything containing carbon or hydrogen molecules, which does not quite translate to “organic matter” in a scientific sense. I found spelling errors and typos in the text which pulled me out of the story. Overall, it wasn’t really my cup of tea, but the fast-paced action kept me reading.

  3. The Leopard Prince (Princes #2) by Elizabeth Hoyt, 255p: Lady Georgina Maitland (or George), an aristocrat who refuses to marry just because society expects it (I love an unconventional heroine), meets her new land steward, Harry Pye, and finds him quite dashing.  When sheep begin mysteriously dying in the area, George teams up with Harry to uncover the truth. Harry is a broody type with a big heart, deeply connected to the land and nature. I especially enjoyed how his mysterious past was gradually revealed throughout the story. Another nice touch is George’s retelling of a wild fairy tale about a Leopard Prince, and it becomes a charming inside joke between the couple. The story blends a well-crafted cross-class romance with a strong heroine, a compelling mystery, and a hint of fairy tale magic.

  4. Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living by Pema Chödrön, 151p: This book introduces Tibetan Buddhist wisdom through the lens of lojong slogans, which are brief, thought-provoking phrases designed to encourage reflection and shift habitual patterns.  Many of the slogans center on cultivating compassion in daily life. It's written in a conversational tone with some light humour making it more approachable. I thought the number of slogans was a bit overwhelming and felt repetitive after a while. But beneath that, the book offers a powerful and timely reminder: to be less judgmental of ourselves and others, and to practice the art of letting go.

#readinglist #books #reading

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

Note: So, I started writing this post at home and planned to finish it during my lunch break on my work laptop. I had added a few more points, links to videos and articles I’d read, it was all ready to publish. Then something happened, and the draft didn’t save. I suspect it had something to do with my work network not liking the write.as link or something. All I know is everything I added was gone!

Now I’m tired, and it’s too late to re-add everything, so I’ll do that next time or in a separate post. I just wanted to publish this one as-is for now.

  • ✏️ I have not been writing too much lately, even my private journaling has been less regular. But today I felt that I was able to write some week notes, so here goes.
  • ⚒️ Work has been extremely busy, with some truly unreasonable deadlines lately. After work, I’ve been feeling completely drained. Some days, all I can manage is a walk, dinner, a bit of reading, and then bed.
  • 💼 One more note about work: the big lump sum job is finally over. It closed on a Friday, and even though I was prepared, it was still incredibly stressful. I felt the aftereffects of that stress in my body for days afterward.
  • 👟 The highlight of these past weeks was the Canada Army Run! I wasn’t sure I’d be able to participate this year because of my knee issues. But I got my custom orthotics and new running shoes, and I ran the 10K! I was so happy I felt no pain or discomforts! It was amazing! I ran slower than last time to avoid injury, and I was satisfied with my final time of 1h05min.
  • 🎮 I got the early access to the game STAR BIRDS on Steam! Star Birds – The New Game by Toukana and kurzgesagt. I finished the first part and really enjoyed it.
  • 🍂 I’m loving the fall colours. We went out on the trail a couple of times for some beautiful hikes.
  • 📖 I’ve updated my Kobo, and now I can read Instapaper articles on it! I used to rely on Pocket, but it shut down recently.
  • 🎧 I went on a bit of a nostalgia trip rediscovering the band Nightwish.I remembered loving their early albums from the 2000s. They’re a Finnish symphonic metal band with a female lead singer, blending heavy and speed metal with keyboards and melodic vocals. Some songs are gloriously over the top, and I love them!

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Post 100/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)! 🥳

#100DaysToOffload #100Days #weeknotes

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

  • 😇 I’ve been quiet lately because there’s a lot going on at work, and I’ve mostly kept myself away from the computer at home. The past two weeks at work were intense and completely drained my energy. I’m still recovering.
  • 🦿 I ordered custom orthotics to help with the pain in my knees. They should be ready for pickup later this week. I was planning to get a new pair of running shoes, but I’ll wait until I have the orthotics so I can try new shoes with them.
  • 👟 I’ve been going out for walks instead of running, because, yeah, my knees. I don’t want to push through pain just for the sake of routine.
  • 📕 I finished reading “Mirror Dance”, which is #08 in the Vorkosigan Saga (by publication order). It was excellent! I’m reading the series in internal chronological order, so my next book will be “Memory”, which is #10 in publication order.
  • 📖 I started reading “The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t with Her Mind” (The Frost Files #1) by Jackson Ford for my local book club. I’m enjoying it so far!
  • 📒 I’ve also returned to using my Happy Planner to organize my week. I’ve decided to finish 2025 with this planner and choose a new one for 2026 later on.
  • ⌛ One thing I noticed over the past couple of weeks is that not doing time blocking made me feel overwhelmed and unsatisfied with my day. I tried using my digital calendar again, but it just doesn’t give me the same results. So, this week, I’m going back to time blocking on paper.
  • 🎮 I’m also trying to get back into gaming, so I started a game I bought a while ago called “Citizen Sleeper”. I like it because it feels like a text-based RPG set in space, with beautiful art. There’s no action stress or need for quick reflexes and coordination. It has interesting characters and great storytelling.

📌 Cool online reads:

📺 Videos I enjoyed:

—

Post 99/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)!

#100DaysToOffload #100Days #weeknotes #music #heavymetal

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

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