Blaugust &mdash; Noisy Deadlines https://noisydeadlines.net/tag:Blaugust "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." - Douglas Adams Tue, 18 Aug 2026 12:03:05 +0000 https://i.snap.as/oLWMyXaX.png Blaugust &mdash; Noisy Deadlines https://noisydeadlines.net/tag:Blaugust The only woman in the room https://noisydeadlines.net/the-only-woman-in-the-room?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[I've been working in the construction industry for more than 20 years now. It's a traditional sector, very much male-dominated. But that has never deterred me from it. I also went to engineering school, and the majority of the students were male (I think less than 15% were female). I'm using an outdated binary classification here, I know. If women are considered a minority in construction, wait until you look at non-binary gender data. It's bad. What inspired me to write about this was a meeting I attended the other day at my company. It was a senior management meetup between my company and a major subtrade we frequently do business with. It was basically for introductions and discussions on future opportunities. I entered the boardroom, and after I introduced myself to everybody and everyone had arrived, I looked around and realized I was the only woman in there! There were 18 people in total in that room, giving us a 5.5% diversity representation. I'm not saying there are no women in my company. There are! In my department, there are 17 of us in total, of which 6 are women, so about 35%. I've heard that women make up close to 15% of the total construction workforce across Canada. That's low! My company is not the worst out there. We have inclusive diversity groups and initiatives, with regular webinars, events, and celebrations (like Pride Month, the Indigenous Employee Circle, and Black History Month, among others) to foster an inclusive workplace. But I am always surprised when I look at the senior leadership and find it hard to spot a woman. Anyway, this is a bit of a rant, I guess. I don't exactly feel excluded, but... do I? I don't have experience with how other industries are doing in terms of diversity in senior roles and high-level management (or anywhere else, to be honest). But I think we still have a long way to go! Post 07 of #Blaugust #NoisyMusings #diversity Thoughts? a href="https://remark.as/p/noisydeadlines.net/the-only-woman-in-the-room"Discuss.../a if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email ------- By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader. ]]> I've been working in the construction industry for more than 20 years now. It's a traditional sector, very much male-dominated. But that has never deterred me from it. I also went to engineering school, and the majority of the students were male (I think less than 15% were female).

I'm using an outdated binary classification here, I know. If women are considered a minority in construction, wait until you look at non-binary gender data. It's bad.

What inspired me to write about this was a meeting I attended the other day at my company. It was a senior management meetup between my company and a major subtrade we frequently do business with. It was basically for introductions and discussions on future opportunities. I entered the boardroom, and after I introduced myself to everybody and everyone had arrived, I looked around and realized I was the only woman in there!

There were 18 people in total in that room, giving us a 5.5% diversity representation.

I'm not saying there are no women in my company. There are! In my department, there are 17 of us in total, of which 6 are women, so about 35%. I've heard that women make up close to 15% of the total construction workforce across Canada. That's low!

My company is not the worst out there. We have inclusive diversity groups and initiatives, with regular webinars, events, and celebrations (like Pride Month, the Indigenous Employee Circle, and Black History Month, among others) to foster an inclusive workplace.

But I am always surprised when I look at the senior leadership and find it hard to spot a woman.

Anyway, this is a bit of a rant, I guess.

I don't exactly feel excluded, but... do I?

I don't have experience with how other industries are doing in terms of diversity in senior roles and high-level management (or anywhere else, to be honest). But I think we still have a long way to go!

Post 07 of #Blaugust #NoisyMusings #diversity

Thoughts? Discuss... if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email

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

]]> https://noisydeadlines.net/the-only-woman-in-the-room Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:25:00 +0000 How I’m Tracking Blaugust 2026 in My Bullet Journal https://noisydeadlines.net/how-im-tracking-blaugust-2026-in-my-bullet-journal-3j22?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[I created a collection page in my Bullet Journal to track and plan my 2026 Blaugust posts. It's dead simple, with my goal number of posts at the top followed by a weekly plan/log. I am loosely using some ideas from the festival calendar prompts but I'm not following them too strictly. For writing, I'm mostly drafting posts on a dedicated lined notebook that I set up just for blogging. (I wrote about this notebook here.) I have a page with ideas, and then I just have drafts. When I'm done drafting, I type the post into Write.as and that's where I do some final editing/corrections/add images before publishing. I don't carry this big lined notebook with me, so I only use it at home. This actually works great because I enjoy having some quiet time to sit down and write without pressure or interruptions. Very rarely, I will start writing a post while I'm at work. If I do, I just type it in Standard Notes. Sometimes a full post comes out of it, and other times I'll flesh it out later in my notebook at home. Here is a picture of my current Collection page in my Bullet Journal. As you can see, I've already had to shift some planned posts to a different week, because that second week was a bit crazy for me. So I’m not planning too much ahead, I’m going week by week. But anyway, that's how I'm doing it. It's a work in progress, but keeping it simple is giving me a clear overview of my progress and keeping me stay accountable. Post 06 of #Blaugust #Productivity #notes #journal Thoughts? a href="https://remark.as/p/noisydeadlines.net/how-im-tracking-blaugust-2026-in-my-bullet-journal-3j22"Discuss.../a if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email ------- By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader. ]]> I created a collection page in my Bullet Journal to track and plan my 2026 Blaugust posts.

It's dead simple, with my goal number of posts at the top followed by a weekly plan/log. I am loosely using some ideas from the festival calendar prompts but I'm not following them too strictly.

For writing, I'm mostly drafting posts on a dedicated lined notebook that I set up just for blogging. (I wrote about this notebook here.) I have a page with ideas, and then I just have drafts. When I'm done drafting, I type the post into Write.as and that's where I do some final editing/corrections/add images before publishing.

I don't carry this big lined notebook with me, so I only use it at home. This actually works great because I enjoy having some quiet time to sit down and write without pressure or interruptions.

Very rarely, I will start writing a post while I'm at work. If I do, I just type it in Standard Notes. Sometimes a full post comes out of it, and other times I'll flesh it out later in my notebook at home.

Here is a picture of my current Collection page in my Bullet Journal. As you can see, I've already had to shift some planned posts to a different week, because that second week was a bit crazy for me. So I’m not planning too much ahead, I’m going week by week.

But anyway, that's how I'm doing it. It's a work in progress, but keeping it simple is giving me a clear overview of my progress and keeping me stay accountable.

Post 06 of #Blaugust #Productivity #notes #journal

Thoughts? Discuss... if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email

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

]]> https://noisydeadlines.net/how-im-tracking-blaugust-2026-in-my-bullet-journal-3j22 Sun, 16 Aug 2026 19:53:54 +0000 I Was Always a Paper Person https://noisydeadlines.net/i-was-always-a-paper-person?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[I was talking to my partner the other day about how I am becoming an analog person: paper notebooks, pens, highlighters, etc. And right off the bat, he told me: "You are not becoming a paper person, you are just getting back to being one. You were always analog.” That was interesting to hear from a person I've known and interacted with for 27 years. So, I'm rediscovering my analog side. I've always been into handwriting, doing lettering and drawing when I was younger. After university and when I entered the workforce, in the early 2000's, everything was about high efficiency and productivity with these amazing digital tools: emails, computer-aided design tools, messengers, chats, word processors and spreadsheets. Of course that trend continued, and nowadays it has all become digital. I got fully into digital note-taking around 2013 with Evernote. From that point on I became a bit obsessed with digital productivity. I wanted to have everything digitally, work or personal, from photos to notes, task lists, calendars and books. But at the same time, I've always kept one single paper notebook with me at work. A notebook that worked as a daily planner where I would just add the day and take meeting notes or list the things I was working on. So even though 99% of my information world became digital, I still kept that one analog piece with me (which I still use to this day). I would say that my "re-awakening" to the analog world started when I tried Cal Newport's Time Block Planner. I realized how different it felt to write things down with pen and paper. I noticed that re-writing my digital calendar appointments onto paper made me less anxious about my day. It felt more real and manageable. Then I tried the Happy Planner last year because I was missing having a personal analog place to draft and view my monthly and weekly plans. Even though I use the Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology, I missed a visual planning tool. Attempts to plan digitally did not give me the clarity I experienced with paper. But then I started finding the Happy Planner too bulky to carry around and also too restrictive because of the fixed template. I wanted to have more space to write on some days and less space on others. And that's how I've landed on Bullet Journaling. It's been interesting to see how paper gives me this contained space, while at the same time providing freedom. With digital tools I became an information hoarder. It's so easy to dump articles to read, actions, websites to visit and random references into a digital list. I end up capturing things that don't REALLY have my attention, they are just noise. Paper acts as a great filter, because capturing becomes slower and more intentional. I would say that one experience during my recent trip to PEI pushed me towards paper. While I was at the Charlottetown Public Library, browsing the dedicated shelf of the author L.M. Montgomery, I saw that all her personal journals were published as books. I read a couple of entries while I was there, and it really inspired me to have some sort of analog journal. For years I thought that not having paper made me a true minimalist, because why would I create a pile of used notebooks taking space in my house? You know what? Now I am thinking that handwritten notes and journals are these precious personal things that are worth keeping. Post 05 of #Blaugust #Productivity #notes #journal Thoughts? a href="https://remark.as/p/noisydeadlines.net/i-was-always-a-paper-person"Discuss.../a if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email ------- By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader. ]]> I was talking to my partner the other day about how I am becoming an analog person: paper notebooks, pens, highlighters, etc.

And right off the bat, he told me:

“You are not becoming a paper person, you are just getting back to being one. You were always analog.”

That was interesting to hear from a person I've known and interacted with for 27 years.

So, I'm rediscovering my analog side. I've always been into handwriting, doing lettering and drawing when I was younger.

After university and when I entered the workforce, in the early 2000's, everything was about high efficiency and productivity with these amazing digital tools: emails, computer-aided design tools, messengers, chats, word processors and spreadsheets. Of course that trend continued, and nowadays it has all become digital.

I got fully into digital note-taking around 2013 with Evernote. From that point on I became a bit obsessed with digital productivity. I wanted to have everything digitally, work or personal, from photos to notes, task lists, calendars and books.

But at the same time, I've always kept one single paper notebook with me at work. A notebook that worked as a daily planner where I would just add the day and take meeting notes or list the things I was working on. So even though 99% of my information world became digital, I still kept that one analog piece with me (which I still use to this day).

I would say that my “re-awakening” to the analog world started when I tried Cal Newport's Time Block Planner. I realized how different it felt to write things down with pen and paper. I noticed that re-writing my digital calendar appointments onto paper made me less anxious about my day. It felt more real and manageable.

Then I tried the Happy Planner last year because I was missing having a personal analog place to draft and view my monthly and weekly plans. Even though I use the Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology, I missed a visual planning tool. Attempts to plan digitally did not give me the clarity I experienced with paper.

But then I started finding the Happy Planner too bulky to carry around and also too restrictive because of the fixed template. I wanted to have more space to write on some days and less space on others.

And that's how I've landed on Bullet Journaling. It's been interesting to see how paper gives me this contained space, while at the same time providing freedom. With digital tools I became an information hoarder. It's so easy to dump articles to read, actions, websites to visit and random references into a digital list. I end up capturing things that don't REALLY have my attention, they are just noise. Paper acts as a great filter, because capturing becomes slower and more intentional.

I would say that one experience during my recent trip to PEI pushed me towards paper. While I was at the Charlottetown Public Library, browsing the dedicated shelf of the author L.M. Montgomery, I saw that all her personal journals were published as books. I read a couple of entries while I was there, and it really inspired me to have some sort of analog journal. For years I thought that not having paper made me a true minimalist, because why would I create a pile of used notebooks taking space in my house?

You know what? Now I am thinking that handwritten notes and journals are these precious personal things that are worth keeping.

Post 05 of #Blaugust #Productivity #notes #journal

Thoughts? Discuss... if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email

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

]]> https://noisydeadlines.net/i-was-always-a-paper-person Sat, 15 Aug 2026 16:06:33 +0000 Week Notes - August 04 to August 10 2026 https://noisydeadlines.net/week-notes-august-04-to-august-10-2026?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[📝 I’m participating in Blaugust! And I create a page on my notebook to track my writing. I’ll share that in a different post soon. 📕 I abandoned a book I was reading for my local Book Club. It’s called “Amberlough” by Lara Elena Donnelly. I read up to 19%, which is actually a lot! I always want to give a book a chance, but sometimes I wish I was more ruthless. I pushed through and now I feel bad that I used all that time to read a book I wasn’t enjoying. Anyway, I’m getting better at it. There was a time when I would finish a book just to put on a check mark, even though I was hating the experience. 📘 On the other hand, I’m almost done with the last book of The Expanse series “Leviathan Falls” by James S.A. Corey. I love this series, and I don’t want it to end! 🎭 My energy levels have been a bit up and down these past few days. I don’t sleep well overall during Summer, and I can’t wait for Fall to arrive! It’s my favorite season. 👟 At least walking and running have been consistent this month. I went for a run three times and walked at least every other day. I was searching for a grammar checker tool and I found this open-source one called Harper. Pretty good without being annoying. I added to my browser. 🎬 I watched two movies: “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” and “Masters of the Universe”. The first is just 100% cuteness. The second is funny in this meta sort of way, and since I grew up watching the cartoons, it got me for nostalgia reasons. The plot is not great but it makes fun of itself, and that is what makes it watchable. Post 04 of #Blaugust #weeknotes Thoughts? a href="https://remark.as/p/noisydeadlines.net/week-notes-august-04-to-august-10-2026"Discuss.../a if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email ------- By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader. ]]>
  • 📝 I’m participating in Blaugust! And I create a page on my notebook to track my writing. I’ll share that in a different post soon.
  • 📕 I abandoned a book I was reading for my local Book Club. It’s called “Amberlough” by Lara Elena Donnelly. I read up to 19%, which is actually a lot! I always want to give a book a chance, but sometimes I wish I was more ruthless. I pushed through and now I feel bad that I used all that time to read a book I wasn’t enjoying. Anyway, I’m getting better at it. There was a time when I would finish a book just to put on a check mark, even though I was hating the experience.
  • 📘 On the other hand, I’m almost done with the last book of The Expanse series “Leviathan Falls” by James S.A. Corey. I love this series, and I don’t want it to end!
  • 🎭 My energy levels have been a bit up and down these past few days. I don’t sleep well overall during Summer, and I can’t wait for Fall to arrive! It’s my favorite season.
  • 👟 At least walking and running have been consistent this month. I went for a run three times and walked at least every other day.
  • I was searching for a grammar checker tool and I found this open-source one called Harper. Pretty good without being annoying. I added to my browser.
  • 🎬 I watched two movies: “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” and “Masters of the Universe”. The first is just 100% cuteness. The second is funny in this meta sort of way, and since I grew up watching the cartoons, it got me for nostalgia reasons. The plot is not great but it makes fun of itself, and that is what makes it watchable.

    • Post 04 of #Blaugust #weeknotes

    Thoughts? Discuss... if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email

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

    ]]>     https://noisydeadlines.net/week-notes-august-04-to-august-10-2026 Mon, 10 Aug 2026 22:21:30 +0000     A few strong opinions about AI https://noisydeadlines.net/a-few-strong-opinions-about-ai?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[I’ve been thinking about AI for a while now, since I am increasingly being surrounded by AI tools at work, with Microsoft adding a Copilot button everywhere I look. But that’s a topic for another time. What inspired me to write here was the recent controversy within the Blaugust community about the use of AI-generated images and text. And I knew about this controversy after reading Andreas’ post: Are we becoming too paranoid about AI slop? And then the contribution to the topic by Joel: Not paranoid, but respectful. I read the Blaugust Statement “Use of AI as a Blaugust Participant” and I found it made total sense, allowing AI assistance but not using it to substantially generate text. I believe most bloggers cherish the writing craft: having an idea, a thought, an emotion and putting it all into words for other human beings to read. I occasionally will use AI to “proofread” a text that I wrote to catch grammar and vocabulary mistakes, since English is not my native language. Other than that, I avoid using AI chatbots. I don’t like chatting with them. And that’s just me, I think the systemic harms these tools are causing to our society greatly outweigh the benefits right now. It seems the real Blaugust controversy was about the use of generative AI images. The Blaugust Statement actually accepts the use of some AI-generated images: An AI-generated image accompanying a human-written article is acceptable; a post whose only substantive creative element is an AI-generated image would not meet the spirit of the event. And that’s okay, since the main work is focused on the text, not on the image itself. Now some strong opinions. As of today, I don’t consider that AI-generated images with the use of prompts are human art. Or craftsmanship. Or anything that can be considered art by human standards. There is no soul behind it; there is no human brain that made big or small deliberate choices to craft that image. It’s like using a slot machine to randomly generate something. Can that be considered an artistic choice? Maybe these artifacts will become something different in the future, but today I feel that AI-generated content, be it image or text, is slop. I don’t like it when I see it; I can recognize this uncanny feel to it, and I basically avoid it at all costs. And that’s just my personal stand at the moment. I have the power to choose what I consume online, and I just stay away from places or services that “serve” this type of content. — Note: I didn’t have time to proofread this with an AI tool before posting, so all mistakes are my own. Post 03 of #Blaugust #NoisyMusings #AI Thoughts? a href="https://remark.as/p/noisydeadlines.net/a-few-strong-opinions-about-ai"Discuss.../a if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email ------- By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader. ]]> I’ve been thinking about AI for a while now, since I am increasingly being surrounded by AI tools at work, with Microsoft adding a Copilot button everywhere I look. But that’s a topic for another time.

    What inspired me to write here was the recent controversy within the Blaugust community about the use of AI-generated images and text. And I knew about this controversy after reading Andreas’ post: Are we becoming too paranoid about AI slop? And then the contribution to the topic by Joel: Not paranoid, but respectful.

    I read the Blaugust Statement “Use of AI as a Blaugust Participant” and I found it made total sense, allowing AI assistance but not using it to substantially generate text. I believe most bloggers cherish the writing craft: having an idea, a thought, an emotion and putting it all into words for other human beings to read.

    I occasionally will use AI to “proofread” a text that I wrote to catch grammar and vocabulary mistakes, since English is not my native language. Other than that, I avoid using AI chatbots. I don’t like chatting with them. And that’s just me, I think the systemic harms these tools are causing to our society greatly outweigh the benefits right now.

    It seems the real Blaugust controversy was about the use of generative AI images. The Blaugust Statement actually accepts the use of some AI-generated images:

    An AI-generated image accompanying a human-written article is acceptable; a post whose only substantive creative element is an AI-generated image would not meet the spirit of the event.

    And that’s okay, since the main work is focused on the text, not on the image itself.

    Now some strong opinions.

    As of today, I don’t consider that AI-generated images with the use of prompts are human art. Or craftsmanship. Or anything that can be considered art by human standards. There is no soul behind it; there is no human brain that made big or small deliberate choices to craft that image. It’s like using a slot machine to randomly generate something. Can that be considered an artistic choice?

    Maybe these artifacts will become something different in the future, but today I feel that AI-generated content, be it image or text, is slop. I don’t like it when I see it; I can recognize this uncanny feel to it, and I basically avoid it at all costs.

    And that’s just my personal stand at the moment. I have the power to choose what I consume online, and I just stay away from places or services that “serve” this type of content.

    —

    Note: I didn’t have time to proofread this with an AI tool before posting, so all mistakes are my own.

    Post 03 of #Blaugust #NoisyMusings #AI

    Thoughts? Discuss... if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email

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

    ]]>     https://noisydeadlines.net/a-few-strong-opinions-about-ai Wed, 05 Aug 2026 01:30:30 +0000     Week Notes - July 14 to August 03 2026 https://noisydeadlines.net/week-notes-july-14-to-august-03?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[✒️ I’ve been using a Bullet Journal for 2 months now. I’m starting to get a feel for what works for me, and I realized I don’t miss most of the digital tools I was using before. I still use a digital calendar, email and Standard Notes, but I’ve been very satisfied having my to-dos in analog form. 📘 I started reading the last book of The Expanse series, “Leviathan Falls” by James S.A. Corey. I love to have these beloved series to get back to, and I might be unconsciously taking longer to read it because I don’t want it to end?! 🫣 📕 Another series I’m almost done is The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold. I finished “Captain Vorpatril's Alliance” and I can’t wait to go to the next book. 🥳 I am now closer to being 50 years old than 45 years old, somewhere in between. And I feel great about it, no regrets. 🔎 I started doing the weekly Word Search and Sudoku that comes in a free weekly flyer with local store sales in my neighbourhood. It’s been ages since I’ve done any of these, and I am enjoying the experience. I love that the section on the flyer is called “Your Moment of Zen”. Anyway, I rediscovered Sudoku, and I heard about this thing called Murdoku that I now want to explore! 🎬 I went to see “The Odyssey” by Christopher Nolan in a regular IMAX cinema. I haven’t been to the movies since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, so that was interesting. The movie is great; it was more gory and bloody than I was expecting, but I enjoyed the narrative choices and the excellent sound design. 🤘 I discovered a new metal band! And by new, I mean really new: they have released only 2 albums so far. The band is called Castle Rat, led by a woman, with a sound clearly inspired by early doom metal and Black Sabbath. Also, they use this over-the-top medieval fantasy 80’s aesthetic that is retro and quirky and amazing. 📝 I decided to join the Blaugust Festival of Blogging !! My first post is here. 📺 I’ve been enjoying the series Connections by James Burke on Curiosity Stream. Post 02 of #Blaugust #weeknotes Thoughts? a href="https://remark.as/p/noisydeadlines.net/week-notes-july-14-to-august-03"Discuss.../a if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email ------- By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader. ]]>
  • ✒️ I’ve been using a Bullet Journal for 2 months now. I’m starting to get a feel for what works for me, and I realized I don’t miss most of the digital tools I was using before. I still use a digital calendar, email and Standard Notes, but I’ve been very satisfied having my to-dos in analog form.
  • 📘 I started reading the last book of The Expanse series, “Leviathan Falls” by James S.A. Corey. I love to have these beloved series to get back to, and I might be unconsciously taking longer to read it because I don’t want it to end?! 🫣
  • 📕 Another series I’m almost done is The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold. I finished “Captain Vorpatril's Alliance” and I can’t wait to go to the next book.
  • 🥳 I am now closer to being 50 years old than 45 years old, somewhere in between. And I feel great about it, no regrets.
  • 🔎 I started doing the weekly Word Search and Sudoku that comes in a free weekly flyer with local store sales in my neighbourhood. It’s been ages since I’ve done any of these, and I am enjoying the experience. I love that the section on the flyer is called “Your Moment of Zen”. Anyway, I rediscovered Sudoku, and I heard about this thing called Murdoku that I now want to explore!
  • 🎬 I went to see “The Odyssey” by Christopher Nolan in a regular IMAX cinema. I haven’t been to the movies since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, so that was interesting. The movie is great; it was more gory and bloody than I was expecting, but I enjoyed the narrative choices and the excellent sound design.
  • 🤘 I discovered a new metal band! And by new, I mean really new: they have released only 2 albums so far. The band is called Castle Rat, led by a woman, with a sound clearly inspired by early doom metal and Black Sabbath. Also, they use this over-the-top medieval fantasy 80’s aesthetic that is retro and quirky and amazing.
  • 📝 I decided to join the Blaugust Festival of Blogging !! My first post is here.
  • 📺 I’ve been enjoying the series Connections by James Burke on Curiosity Stream.

    • Post 02 of #Blaugust #weeknotes

    Thoughts? Discuss... if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email

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

    ]]>     https://noisydeadlines.net/week-notes-july-14-to-august-03 Mon, 03 Aug 2026 20:29:04 +0000     Blaugust 2026 https://noisydeadlines.net/blaugust-2026?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[Andreas from 82Mhz just published he is joining #Blaugust 2026. I remember I joined in 2024 and it was a fun way to keep blogging. I had an introduction post back then, and although most of it is still current, I will do a quick update here: I still work in construction as an estimator, and I am now considered a senior estimator in my team. I still love reading, and it is my main hobby, as attested by the posts on this blog. I am very much a sci-fi and fantasy reader, but I’ve been distancing myself from anything too dark or grim. I balance my reading with some fluffly romances sometimes. I’ve been better at dumping a book when it’s not working for me. Still an introvert and cherishing quiet time and actitivites that bring me calm: running, walking, reading, journaling, meditating and listening to music. I’ve started Bullet Journaling recently and it has been a big change for me. I plan on writing more about this experience. I am becoming more and more inclined to use paper and take notes by hand (I’m actually drafting this post by hand right now). I haven’t been playing a lot of video games lately, most of the time I will just prefer to sit down with a book. But I want to get back to some of the games I’ve started. So for the 2026 Blaugust I want to go for the Silver Award with 15 posts in August. I’ve been wishing to write and publish more frequently on this blog, so Blaugust is a great accountability tool to me keep me going. Some Blaugust references I came across that inspired me to join: Let's do Blaugust by 82MHz Welcome to Blaugust by Tangent Space Blaugust 2026 is Coming! by Nerd Girl Thoughts Edit: more participating bloggers that I saw who joined: Alexandra from the Wry Writer joelchrono Post 01 of #Blaugust #blogging Thoughts? a href="https://remark.as/p/noisydeadlines.net/blaugust-2026"Discuss.../a if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email ------- By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader. ]]> Andreas from 82Mhz just published he is joining #Blaugust 2026. I remember I joined in 2024 and it was a fun way to keep blogging. I had an introduction post back then, and although most of it is still current, I will do a quick update here:

    • I still work in construction as an estimator, and I am now considered a senior estimator in my team.
    • I still love reading, and it is my main hobby, as attested by the posts on this blog. I am very much a sci-fi and fantasy reader, but I’ve been distancing myself from anything too dark or grim. I balance my reading with some fluffly romances sometimes. I’ve been better at dumping a book when it’s not working for me.
    • Still an introvert and cherishing quiet time and actitivites that bring me calm: running, walking, reading, journaling, meditating and listening to music.
    • I’ve started Bullet Journaling recently and it has been a big change for me. I plan on writing more about this experience. I am becoming more and more inclined to use paper and take notes by hand (I’m actually drafting this post by hand right now).
    • I haven’t been playing a lot of video games lately, most of the time I will just prefer to sit down with a book. But I want to get back to some of the games I’ve started.

    So for the 2026 Blaugust I want to go for the Silver Award with 15 posts in August.

    I’ve been wishing to write and publish more frequently on this blog, so Blaugust is a great accountability tool to me keep me going.

    Some Blaugust references I came across that inspired me to join:

    Edit: more participating bloggers that I saw who joined:

    Post 01 of #Blaugust #blogging

    Thoughts? Discuss... if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email

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

    ]]>     https://noisydeadlines.net/blaugust-2026 Sat, 01 Aug 2026 14:49:26 +0000     What I read in August 2024 https://noisydeadlines.net/what-i-read-in-august-2024?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[This month I was surprised I read this much! Some books I devoured in a couple of days. I wasn’t too much in the mood for non-fiction, I just wanted some escapism. I finished 2 series: “Uptown Girls” and “Scott Pilgrim” and started two more that I want to continue reading. Great month! The Spymaster's Lady (Spymasters #1) by Joanna Bourne, 384p: When I first read this book 9 years ago, I gave it a 3 stars rating. I heard about it again in 2024 and I decided to re-read it because it sounded really good, but I didn't remember much about it. And I enjoyed it way more this second time! It's a historical romance espionage set during the Napoleonic Wars between France and England in the 1700's. The main character, Annique Villiers, is a bad-ass French spy; she has seen Napoleon’s plans to invade England and spies from all over are after her to get that information. She meets British spies, and the characters travel from France to England. The book is full of delightful plot twists with the enemies-to-lovers trope, I can't mention too much about the story because of spoilers. It was cool to notice how the author used slightly different writing styles for each character depending on the language they were speaking and their native languages. The book is written in English, but the characters speak English of varying dialects and accents, and also, they use French words here and there. It's super interesting! The prose is beautiful, the plot twists were well done, the heroine is clever. I'm curious to read the other books of this series. Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood, 379p: Rue and Eli are layered and complex characters. I love how Ali Hazelwood can get into deep emotions with her writing. The business/biotech engineering background was interesting with plot twists.  It has the enemies-with-benefits to lovers trope done in a way that I enjoyed. There are professional high stakes, and the main characters have personal issues that are believable. I liked the touch of hockey player + figure ice skating couple. This is a bit different from her previous books, the relationship is grittier and more complex, and I loved it for it! The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) by S.A. Chakraborty, 569p: Interesting folklore inspiration from Islamic mythology, djinns and magic in Egypt. There was lots of djinn politics, and I got lost between all the different djinn factions/groups. I didn't click with the characters, and I thought it hard to know who was who and what were their relationships to each other. Another point that bothered me was the romance. Why would a 1,500-year-old Djinn fall in love with Nahri? The romance was very unbelievable and not well developed. Nahri starts as strong independent female character and then becomes the passive lady-in-distress halfway through the story. The world building is great though, and it might be a good fit for people who aren't much into character development but enjoy lush word building. The Devil of Downtown (Uptown Girls #3) by Joanna Shupe, 346p: This series is something unique because it takes place in New York City during the Gilded Age (a change from the English Victorian romances out there). And I love it for it! This last third book follows the youngest daughter, Justine. She is so sweet and strong at the same time. Justine is a do-gooder with no regard for what others thinks of her. I was afraid the male protagonist was going to be one of those alpha-male-violent mafia dudes, but not really. The hero, Jack Mulligan, is a criminal kingpin, but he is a good criminal. He has profound respect for women and becomes more of a do-gooder and helps his community. There was good chemistry between the characters, and I loved how Justine was helping women abandoned by their husbands and fighting to end cruel child labour laws. Great series! Wicked Intentions (Maiden Lane #1) by Elizabeth Hoyt, 401p: Set in the 1730's I loved the "noir" feel of this one. There is a murder mystery that moves the plotline and also some mysterious characters that kept me guessing until the very end. It's a bleak reality. Temperance, the main character, is a widow and runs a home for orphans with her brother and they really need more financial support. The hero, Lord Caire (Lazarus Huntington), is grumpy and emotionally repressed with issues. He offers to help her find a new patron for the home if she accompanies him round St. Giles (a type of slum?) and helps him to uncover who killed his mistress, Marie. Despite the characters being deeply religious/conservative for my taste (lots of guilt and repentance feelings going on) I liked the story. It is a beautifully done slow burn romance. It has a type of gloominess that I enjoyed. I'm curious to read more in this series. Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour (Scott Pilgrim #6) by Bryan Lee O'Malley, 234p: It was a fun ride! I liked the "living in your head" metaphor and how everyone got closure from their past traumas and fears. The final boss fight scene was cool. It's filled with cute art and funny dialogues. I loved the happy-ending and the "Maybe we just need to hold on" message. — Post 40/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)! #100DaysToOffload #100Days #readinglist #books #reading #Blaugust2024 #Blaugust Thoughts? a href="https://remark.as/p/noisydeadlines.net/what-i-read-in-august-2024"Discuss.../a if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email ------- By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader. ]]> This month I was surprised I read this much! Some books I devoured in a couple of days. I wasn’t too much in the mood for non-fiction, I just wanted some escapism. I finished 2 series: “Uptown Girls” and “Scott Pilgrim” and started two more that I want to continue reading. Great month!

    1. The Spymaster's Lady (Spymasters #1) by Joanna Bourne, 384p: When I first read this book 9 years ago, I gave it a 3 stars rating. I heard about it again in 2024 and I decided to re-read it because it sounded really good, but I didn't remember much about it. And I enjoyed it way more this second time! It's a historical romance espionage set during the Napoleonic Wars between France and England in the 1700's. The main character, Annique Villiers, is a bad-ass French spy; she has seen Napoleon’s plans to invade England and spies from all over are after her to get that information. She meets British spies, and the characters travel from France to England. The book is full of delightful plot twists with the enemies-to-lovers trope, I can't mention too much about the story because of spoilers. It was cool to notice how the author used slightly different writing styles for each character depending on the language they were speaking and their native languages. The book is written in English, but the characters speak English of varying dialects and accents, and also, they use French words here and there. It's super interesting! The prose is beautiful, the plot twists were well done, the heroine is clever. I'm curious to read the other books of this series.

    2. Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood, 379p: Rue and Eli are layered and complex characters. I love how Ali Hazelwood can get into deep emotions with her writing. The business/biotech engineering background was interesting with plot twists.  It has the enemies-with-benefits to lovers trope done in a way that I enjoyed. There are professional high stakes, and the main characters have personal issues that are believable. I liked the touch of hockey player + figure ice skating couple. This is a bit different from her previous books, the relationship is grittier and more complex, and I loved it for it!

    3. The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) by S.A. Chakraborty, 569p: Interesting folklore inspiration from Islamic mythology, djinns and magic in Egypt. There was lots of djinn politics, and I got lost between all the different djinn factions/groups. I didn't click with the characters, and I thought it hard to know who was who and what were their relationships to each other. Another point that bothered me was the romance. Why would a 1,500-year-old Djinn fall in love with Nahri? The romance was very unbelievable and not well developed. Nahri starts as strong independent female character and then becomes the passive lady-in-distress halfway through the story. The world building is great though, and it might be a good fit for people who aren't much into character development but enjoy lush word building.

    4. The Devil of Downtown (Uptown Girls #3) by Joanna Shupe, 346p: This series is something unique because it takes place in New York City during the Gilded Age (a change from the English Victorian romances out there). And I love it for it! This last third book follows the youngest daughter, Justine. She is so sweet and strong at the same time. Justine is a do-gooder with no regard for what others thinks of her. I was afraid the male protagonist was going to be one of those alpha-male-violent mafia dudes, but not really. The hero, Jack Mulligan, is a criminal kingpin, but he is a good criminal. He has profound respect for women and becomes more of a do-gooder and helps his community. There was good chemistry between the characters, and I loved how Justine was helping women abandoned by their husbands and fighting to end cruel child labour laws. Great series!

    5. Wicked Intentions (Maiden Lane #1) by Elizabeth Hoyt, 401p: Set in the 1730's I loved the “noir” feel of this one. There is a murder mystery that moves the plotline and also some mysterious characters that kept me guessing until the very end. It's a bleak reality. Temperance, the main character, is a widow and runs a home for orphans with her brother and they really need more financial support. The hero, Lord Caire (Lazarus Huntington), is grumpy and emotionally repressed with issues. He offers to help her find a new patron for the home if she accompanies him round St. Giles (a type of slum?) and helps him to uncover who killed his mistress, Marie. Despite the characters being deeply religious/conservative for my taste (lots of guilt and repentance feelings going on) I liked the story. It is a beautifully done slow burn romance. It has a type of gloominess that I enjoyed. I'm curious to read more in this series.

    6. Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour (Scott Pilgrim #6) by Bryan Lee O'Malley, 234p: It was a fun ride! I liked the “living in your head” metaphor and how everyone got closure from their past traumas and fears. The final boss fight scene was cool. It's filled with cute art and funny dialogues. I loved the happy-ending and the “Maybe we just need to hold on” message.

    —

    Post 40/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)!

    #100DaysToOffload #100Days #readinglist #books #reading #Blaugust2024 #Blaugust

    Thoughts? Discuss... if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email

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

    ]]>     https://noisydeadlines.net/what-i-read-in-august-2024 Sat, 31 Aug 2024 01:28:42 +0000     Teams saying "No" https://noisydeadlines.net/teams-saying-no?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[I’m reading the book “Team: Getting Things Done with Others” by David Allen and Edward Lamont. I’m on chapter 12 and it discusses how teams should say “No” more often and understand the real team’s capacity. I’ve had years in the company I work for when there were always “more” to be done with new shiny projects every couple of weeks. I certainly felt overwhelmed but for some people it was just “normal” busy. In the past year or so the company started offering more mental health support, like online therapy with discounts, increasing services covered in the health insurance plan, a wellness webpage with resources and promoting wellness activities, like runs, beach volleyball, etc. But are they really a solution? So, in the book Team: Getting Things Done with Others this quote made sense to me: “Those initiatives are not wrong per se, but they are not a solution. They are a bandage. It’s like saying, “Just keep going hard until you get sick, and then, hey, here’s something to recover with.” - David Allen, Edward Lamont I mean, it’s nice that my company started the conversation, making all managers aware that the employees wellbeing is crucial. I noticed that my manager is saying “no” more often, and the department as a whole seems to be choosing more carefully which projects to engage with. I wonder if my manager read the book? Maybe I will ask him 🤔. He doesn’t seem the type of guy who reads books. Anyway, a few project managers got the wellness message, but I still see a lot of construction sites where things are crazy (and employees will get burned out quite often). The construction industry has been changing very slowly, and this is just one little step. — Post 39/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)! #100DaysToOffload #100Days #Blaugust2024 #Blaugust #work #reading Thoughts? a href="https://remark.as/p/noisydeadlines.net/teams-saying-no"Discuss.../a if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email ------- By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader. ]]> I’m reading the book “Team: Getting Things Done with Others” by David Allen and Edward Lamont. I’m on chapter 12 and it discusses how teams should say “No” more often and understand the real team’s capacity. I’ve had years in the company I work for when there were always “more” to be done with new shiny projects every couple of weeks. I certainly felt overwhelmed but for some people it was just “normal” busy.

    In the past year or so the company started offering more mental health support, like online therapy with discounts, increasing services covered in the health insurance plan, a wellness webpage with resources and promoting wellness activities, like runs, beach volleyball, etc. But are they really a solution? So, in the book Team: Getting Things Done with Others this quote made sense to me:

    “Those initiatives are not wrong per se, but they are not a solution. They are a bandage. It’s like saying, “Just keep going hard until you get sick, and then, hey, here’s something to recover with.” – David Allen, Edward Lamont

    I mean, it’s nice that my company started the conversation, making all managers aware that the employees wellbeing is crucial. I noticed that my manager is saying “no” more often, and the department as a whole seems to be choosing more carefully which projects to engage with. I wonder if my manager read the book? Maybe I will ask him 🤔. He doesn’t seem the type of guy who reads books.

    Anyway, a few project managers got the wellness message, but I still see a lot of construction sites where things are crazy (and employees will get burned out quite often). The construction industry has been changing very slowly, and this is just one little step.

    —

    Post 39/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)!

    #100DaysToOffload #100Days #Blaugust2024 #Blaugust #work #reading

    Thoughts? Discuss... if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email

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

    ]]>     https://noisydeadlines.net/teams-saying-no Thu, 29 Aug 2024 17:28:05 +0000     Multiple Library Cards and Libby https://noisydeadlines.net/multiple-library-cards-and-libby?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[I just saw this post: On Getting Multiple Library Cards | Notes by JCProbably and I do the same thing! Yeah, I read a lot as well, and I get 95% of my books through my Public Library. And 99% of them are in digital form, which I get on my Kobo reader. All this is possible with the Libby app, which is awesome! I can search for a title, and it shows me if it’s available or what is the wait time, and in which library it can be borrowed from. It works for e-books and audio books. The cool thing is that Ontario libraries are linked, so I don’t even need to go to these cities to get a library card, it’s all done online, and I can log in these libraries using my Ottawa card. I have an Ottawa Public Library card that also gives me access to these other 5 libraries in my province: Mississauga Library London Public Library Kingston Frontenac Public Library Hamilton Public Library Burlington Public Library So, it works great! I can borrow and return books right in the app. I have a list of all my holds and the estimated time for them to be available. Highly recommended if you have access to a Public Library and enjoy reading e-books (or audio books). — Post 38/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)! #100DaysToOffload #100Days #Blaugust2024 #Blaugust #reading #books Thoughts? a href="https://remark.as/p/noisydeadlines.net/multiple-library-cards-and-libby"Discuss.../a if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email ------- By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader. ]]> I just saw this post: On Getting Multiple Library Cards | Notes by JCProbably and I do the same thing!

    Yeah, I read a lot as well, and I get 95% of my books through my Public Library. And 99% of them are in digital form, which I get on my Kobo reader. All this is possible with the Libby app, which is awesome! I can search for a title, and it shows me if it’s available or what is the wait time, and in which library it can be borrowed from. It works for e-books and audio books.

    The cool thing is that Ontario libraries are linked, so I don’t even need to go to these cities to get a library card, it’s all done online, and I can log in these libraries using my Ottawa card. I have an Ottawa Public Library card that also gives me access to these other 5 libraries in my province:

    • Mississauga Library
    • London Public Library
    • Kingston Frontenac Public Library
    • Hamilton Public Library
    • Burlington Public Library

    So, it works great! I can borrow and return books right in the app. I have a list of all my holds and the estimated time for them to be available. Highly recommended if you have access to a Public Library and enjoy reading e-books (or audio books).

    —

    Post 38/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)!

    #100DaysToOffload #100Days #Blaugust2024 #Blaugust #reading #books

    Thoughts? Discuss... if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email

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

    ]]>     https://noisydeadlines.net/multiple-library-cards-and-libby Wed, 28 Aug 2024 11:24:28 +0000