Week Notes â Jan 01 to Jan 12 2026
- đ My partner and I drove to Montreal on New Yearâs to spend some time with our friends there. Itâs always nice to get on the metro, check out some stations, and walk around downtown Montreal. It was very cold (-20°C), so being able to walk through Montrealâs underground city was very welcome!
- đ§ My #linux Journey is going well. It was actually easier than I thought to make the switch to Ubuntu. A consequence of this change is also moving away from Microsoft and Google services for my personal digital life. So far, pCloud and Fastmail have been working well for my needs. Iâm testing Fastmailâs calendar, which seems good enough, and I like that I can sync it with GNOME Calendar.
- đïž I started using a mini Happy Planner which I find is the perfect size for me. Itâs much more portable, so itâs easier to have it with me. I donât use it to track hourly appointments; instead, I use it for weekly/monthly planning and logging cool things.
- âžïž I'm back on my ice skating classes! I was so happy that in the first class this weekend, I was able to remember how to do cross-overs in both directions. I mean, I wasnât as afraid anymore to actually lift my feet and cross over! I used to have a terrible mental block with this movement. So, I think the muscle memory is there, I just need to work more on it now (I canât do them in sequence yet; I only do one at a time, slowly). It also looks like there will be lots of backward skating practice this time around.
- đ I took some time to do my Yearly Review and set some intentions for 2026. The overall theme for me will be continuing the good things that I established last year. I chose the word FLOW for 2026: trusting my routines & tools, creating less friction, focusing on what brings me joy, and being open, relaxed, and grounded.
- đ We completed another maintenance project in our house: upgrading our attic insulation to R-60. We hired a contractor to do blown-in cellulose insulation, adding to the existing Rockwool batt insulation we installed there when we moved in. One more house task checked off the list.
- đż I was supposed to start classic ski lessons this past weekend, but because of the weather (it warmed up to +7C and rained) the trails were closed. The entire three-day weekend class was cancelled, and the only option offered was to enroll in evening classes instead. So, starting tomorrow, I'll have ski classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays until the end of the month! I'm very excited because I've never done this before and I want to build a solid foundation before hitting the trails on my own. It's gonna be tough, since the classes start at 8pm, and will disrupt my bedtime a bit, but it's only for two weeks, so I think Iâll survive.
- đ I started reading Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey (Book 7 of The Expanse series). I'm loving it! I forgot how much I LOVE this series! I keep finding excuses to stop what I'm doing just to read. And it's even more fun because we are doing an online book club. Thanks, Joel, for inviting me!
- đź I want to get back to playing video games this year. I barely played anything after last summer. So I made a list of games I want to continue or start in 2026: Stardew Valley, Pillars of Eternity, Pathfinder: Kingmaker, Citizen Sleeper, Trine 4 and Temple of Elemental Evil (the Steam updated edition!)
đ Cool online reads:
- Gaming Recap 2025 by Joel: Wow, this is an impressive log! It has stats, finished/started/completed/in progress games divided by platform and even purchase costs.
- The Case for Blogging in the Ruins by Joan Westenberg: Great discussion on the importance of reclaiming our own spaces by writing blogs. I loved that it starts with Diderotâs EncyclopĂ©die.
- Thinking about email workflows | Brain Baking : I like this approach to processing email inboxes.
- Why You Need A Stack of Thinkpads by R.L. Dane: Hey, I got one already! (but not the old ones...) But mine will be old someday!
- Winnie Lim » may 2026 be a boring year: Yeah, boring is underrated.
- Spreading misinformation on the internet â 82MHz: It's scary how we can't trust online information anymore. I agree we should all make an effort to publish accurate information out there, whenever possible.
- I'm a wanted criminal in Italy. Well, maybe. Probably not â 82MHz: A fun read!
đș Cool Videos:
- The War on Privacy | Nebula by Jared Henderson: Interesting discussion about the right to privacy, with insights from philosophy and history.
- You're Wrong About Birth Rates & Aging Populations by Philosophy Tube: A well-researched video that explores population growth beyond the usual âinfinite growth or economic collapseâ framing. A refreshing broader perspective.
- Having Kids Vs Child Free: What's the Right Choice? by Philosophy Tube: This is a continuation of the previous video, presenting different points of view and arguments around the choice of having children. As a child-free woman in this day and age, I really appreciated the honest exploration of the topic.
- Pourquoi lâinternet est brisĂ©, et comment le rĂ©parer? Avec Cory Doctorow | DĂ©crypteurs: Cory Doctorowâs interview on Radio-Canada discussing Enshitification! (the interview is in English, the intro is in French)
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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.