Creating sustainable futures in unsustainable times: Bicycles, justice, and resistance - Sabat Ismail, Cyprine Odada, Deepti Adlakha, Rachel Wang

Posted: - Modified: | sketchnotes, biking, life

[2025-05-29 Thu]: Updated links for Cyprine Odada and Rachel Wang.

W- has been volunteering for Bike Brigade for a number of months now. A+ and I occasionally tag along. It's encouraging to be part of this initiative to deliver groceries and other essentials to people who need help. One of the organizers spoke at this panel discussion about bicycles and social justice organized by York University.

Session description

Bicycles hold immense potential for addressing today’s pressing social and climate justice challenges. However, coordinating and sustaining grassroots cycling movements remains difficult, especially as global development aid for climate action and broader humanitarian work rapidly declines. Indeed, we are living in a moment of profound global injustice, where imperialism, colonial violence, and systemic oppression dictate whose struggles and resistances are recognized. In this context, grassroots organizing and local self-determination have become more pressing than ever. This webinar explores how bicycling serves as a tool for justice, sustainability, and collective resistance. Indeed, we see bicycling/mobility justice in responding to uncertain global contexts, including a rise in right-wing fascist governments, climate change and its unequal effects on vulnerable communities, and an escalation on anti-immigrant policies and sentiments. Those most affected – racialized, Indigenous, low-income, and gender-diverse communities – are leading powerful mobility justice movements. They are reclaiming space, resisting exclusion, and challenging systemic inequalities through cycling activism. Speakers will share insights from different regions, highlighting how bicycles are more than transportation – they are a means of survival, self-determination, and community care. This conversation will thus bring together activists, researchers, and practitioners striving to make transportation more accessible and equitable.

Panelists:

  • Dr. Deepti Adlakha (Associate Professor, Delft University of Technology)
  • Sabat Ismail (urban planner, multi-disciplinary artist, and writer)
  • Cyprine Odada (urban planner, cycling advocate, Founder of Women Shaping Cities)
  • Rachel Wang (Founding Executive Director, The Bike Brigade – Toronto; environmental practitioner and community organizer)

Here are the notes I took:

Text and links from sketch

Creating sustainable futures in unsustainable times: Bicycles, justice, & resistance

  • Sabat Ismail: urban planner
    • Mid to late 2010s: books on cycling, inequality, gentrification
    • Couriers in Toronto, Albert Koehl (2024)
    • Food delivery couriers - Do Lee
    • Migrant farm workers
    • Girls on Bikes
    • Gaza Sunbirds
    • Gaps in conversation, data: race, gender (incl. trans/queer) - not just commuters
    • Disability access: CultureLink, Trailblazers
    • Bike hubs
    • Equity lens
  • Cyprine Odada: urban planner, Critical Mass Nairobi
    • The goal is to get people back on bicycles.
    • I started noticing inequalities.
    • We needed to diversify our cycling experiences.
    • Nairobi bike train: Commute to work
    • Children: Bigger impact than main ride
    • Kenya Cycling Women
    • Need for Speed
    • Cycling marketplace
    • CSR
    • New:
      • ride buddy
      • city bike tours
    • Access: pairing, tandems, training
    • Teen mobility & pregnancy in rural
    • Equity: give voice to marginalized, package for the city
  • Deepti Adlakha: assoc. professor, Delft University of Technology
    • Extreme heat & lack of shade
    • Active transport… has to be built into city priorities.
    • 8 Ds: local urban design principles
    • healthysustainablecities.org
    • societies, environment, people, systems
    • Score cards
    • commuting vs. trip chaining
    • connecting the dots, looking at mobility through a justice lens
    • Academic institutions can take a bigger role: research, data, evidence
    • Building accessibility into infrastructure (ex: storage)
    • Rural: Linking to transport
    • Equity: Require assessment, weighted scoring
  • Rachel Wang: founding exec. director, Bike Brigade
    • Before pandemic: 1 in 5 households were food insecure; many >1km from food
    • Food banks shifted to home delivery (no gathering in lines)
    • 40+ mutual aid groups
    • Beautiful stories of how people get involved: starting w/ deliveries, becoming community organizers
    • Equity: Allies are important - strategic messengers
  • Lyndsay Hayhurst, Jess Nachman
    • Bicycles are powerful tools for justice.

https://sachachua.com/2025-05-21-03

Feel free to share or remix this under the Creative Commons Attribution License.

I like that so many people are thinking about this from different perspectives around the world: from the ground up with the experiences of people who are out there, to groups like Critical Mass Nairobi and Bike Brigade where people can work together to make things better, to academics and urban planners who can think about how systems are designed.

We probably lean more towards the very small scale end of things, for now: whatever little deliveries we can squeeze into our schedule. A+ is particularly proud of putting things in her own basket and also hauling a full bag of groceries once we get to the recipient's building. Who knows, maybe we'll find ourselves moving along that pipeline from volunteer grocery deliveries to community organizing…

Anyway, I don't know if a recording will get posted, but if I come across one, I'll update this.

View org source for this post

2025-05-19 Emacs news

| emacs, emacs-news

Links from reddit.com/r/emacs, r/orgmode, r/spacemacs, r/planetemacs, Mastodon #emacs, Bluesky #emacs, Hacker News, lobste.rs, programming.dev, lemmy.world, lemmy.ml, planet.emacslife.com, YouTube, the Emacs NEWS file, Emacs Calendar, and emacs-devel. Thanks to Andrés Ramírez for emacs-devel links and thanks to tusharhero for some links as well. Do you have an Emacs-related link or announcement? Please e-mail me at sacha@sachachua.com. Thank you!

View org source for this post

Week ending May 9, 2025: E-mail newsletter, gardening

| review, weekly
  • I started helping Bike Brigade with their e-mail newsletter. I read through their Slack history and a couple of years of newsletters to build up a library of newsletter blocks. I made a collage of the Jane's Walk photos. I didn't get around to editing the photos and posting them on Facebook. Maybe next week. We also did some more deliveries.
  • We biked to the Stockyards so that we could buy clover seeds, flower seeds, plants, and other gardening supplies from Canadian Tire and Rona. A+ also took the opportunity to have har gow and some quick playtime at the arcade. I moved the strawberries into pots. I potted the dahlias (including the new ones) and scattered many of the flower seeds we bought. I also pruned the mini roses.
  • We attended an IPRC meeting to confirm A+'s exceptionality.
  • We went to the dentist. So far so good.
  • A+ improved the organization of the bathroom by putting away less-used things.
  • I dropped my phone and damaged the screen protector. Fortunately, the screen was fine. I found the other screen protector and applied it.

Blog posts

Sketches

Toots

I have some reflections on these topics bouncing around in my head.

  • I made a keychain – avdi.codes (toot) From @avdi@avdi.codes:

    “The truth is I still put a lot of pride into being Very Good At Ruby. I cling to that pride, sometimes. I want to show that I've “still got it”. In a life drowned in caregiving and homemaking and survival, I often feel like I'm vanishing. Like I have so much still to offer, if only—and then there is screaming from another room, and I must defuse a meltdown, or mediate an argument, or make a belated dinner, or chase down a meds prescription, or or or…”

    This is something I remember struggling with. I think I've come to terms with it now, mostly by giving up the idea of being good at stuff. I've been making peace with the fact that I make silly errors, and that's okay. I've come to realize that it's not even entirely due to the distraction and time constraints of parenting, and that I like how I'm growing even if it feels less certain.

  • Freedom – Butterfly Mind (toot)

    ‘This morning, as I wrote my morning pages, I felt a little fearful. All my life I've yearned to be creative. I frequently think, “If I only had more time, I'd…” All those things I've said I wished I had more time to do — write, draw, learn French, exercise, meditate — now it's time to see if I really do want to do them. What if time was just an excuse? I guess that would be okay. I'd learn what really does matter to me. Maybe it turns out I like the idea of being creative more than I actually am creative. Maybe what I really love is long walks and sitting in the garden reading books.'

    This feels like a related thought. I'm glad I did my experiment with semi-retirement. That period of having plenty of time autonomy showed me that I tend to be more of a slacker than a hustler, and that's also okay.

Time

Category The other week % Last week % Diff % h/wk Diff h/wk
Business 0.1 2.8 2.7 4.7 4.5
Personal 11.6 12.4 0.7 20.8 1.3
Sleep 32.7 33.0 0.2 55.4 0.4
Discretionary - Play 1.6 1.7 0.1 2.9 0.2
Discretionary - Family 0.8 0.4 -0.4 0.7 -0.6
Unpaid work 6.3 4.5 -1.8 7.6 -3.1
A+ 32.2 28.8 -3.5 48.3 -5.8
Discretionary - Productive 14.6 7.9 -6.7 13.3 -11.2
2025-05-03 23:57 - 06:58: Sleep2025-05-03 22:54 - 23:57: Personal - Routines2025-05-03 21:12 - 22:54: A+ - Childcare2025-05-03 20:57 - 21:12: Discretionary - Productive - Writing2025-05-03 20:14 - 20:57: Discretionary - Productive - Writing2025-05-03 19:09 - 20:14: Personal - Routines2025-05-03 18:54 - 19:09: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-05-03 18:25 - 18:54: Personal - Routines2025-05-03 17:55 - 18:25: Unpaid work - Cook2025-05-03 16:18 - 17:55: A+ - Childcare2025-05-03 16:03 - 16:18: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-05-03 15:00 - 16:03: Discretionary - Play - Other2025-05-03 14:49 - 15:00: Unpaid work - Tidy up2025-05-03 14:47 - 14:49: Discretionary - Productive - Writing2025-05-03 13:50 - 14:47: Personal - Routines2025-05-03 13:46 - 13:50: Business - Earn - Consulting - E1 - General2025-05-03 13:00 - 13:46: Discretionary - Social2025-05-03 12:46 - 13:00: Personal - Routines2025-05-03 12:05 - 12:46: Personal - Routines2025-05-03 12:00 - 12:05: Discretionary - Social2025-05-03 10:30 - 12:00: A+ - Childcare2025-05-03 09:47 - 10:30: Business - Earn - Consulting - E1 - General2025-05-03 09:15 - 09:47: Discretionary - Productive - Music2025-05-03 09:04 - 09:15: Discretionary - Productive - Gardening2025-05-03 08:04 - 09:04: A+ - Childcare2025-05-03 07:02 - 08:04: Personal - Routines2025-05-03 00:24 - 07:02: Sleep2025-05-02 22:35 - 00:24: Discretionary - Play - Read - Fiction2025-05-04 23:37 - 06:37: Sleep2025-05-04 22:37 - 23:37: Discretionary - Productive - Nonfiction2025-05-04 22:19 - 22:37: Personal - Routines2025-05-04 21:02 - 22:19: A+ - Childcare2025-05-04 19:38 - 21:02: Discretionary - Play - Other2025-05-04 18:56 - 19:38: Personal - Routines2025-05-04 18:43 - 18:56: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-05-04 18:10 - 18:43: Personal - Routines2025-05-04 17:40 - 18:10: A+ - Childcare2025-05-04 15:58 - 17:40: Discretionary - Productive - Gardening2025-05-04 10:12 - 15:58: A+ - Childcare2025-05-04 10:05 - 10:12: Business - Earn - Consulting - E1 - General2025-05-04 09:54 - 10:05: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-05-04 09:21 - 09:54: Discretionary - Productive - Gardening2025-05-04 08:40 - 09:21: Discretionary - Productive - Music2025-05-04 07:35 - 08:40: A+ - Childcare2025-05-04 06:58 - 07:35: Personal - Routines2025-05-03 23:57 - 06:58: Sleep2025-05-05 22:22 - 06:55: Sleep2025-05-05 22:15 - 22:22: Personal - Routines2025-05-05 21:32 - 22:15: A+ - Childcare2025-05-05 21:02 - 21:32: Discretionary - Productive - Bike Brigade2025-05-05 20:22 - 21:02: Personal - Routines2025-05-05 19:45 - 20:22: Discretionary - Productive - Bike Brigade2025-05-05 19:25 - 19:45: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-05-05 19:07 - 19:25: Personal - Routines2025-05-05 18:48 - 19:07: Discretionary - Productive - Bike Brigade2025-05-05 17:00 - 18:48: A+ - Childcare2025-05-05 16:22 - 17:00: Discretionary - Productive - Gardening2025-05-05 16:18 - 16:22: Personal - Routines2025-05-05 14:48 - 16:18: Business - Earn - Consulting - E1 - General2025-05-05 13:45 - 14:48: Unpaid work - Cook2025-05-05 13:17 - 13:45: Discretionary - Productive - Emacs2025-05-05 13:08 - 13:17: Personal - Routines2025-05-05 12:52 - 13:08: Business - Earn - Consulting - E1 - General2025-05-05 12:22 - 12:52: Unpaid work - Cook2025-05-05 12:11 - 12:22: Business - Earn - Consulting - E1 - General2025-05-05 12:06 - 12:11: Personal - Routines2025-05-05 11:37 - 12:06: A+ - Childcare2025-05-05 11:25 - 11:37: Personal - Routines2025-05-05 11:15 - 11:25: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-05-05 10:55 - 11:15: Unpaid work - Cook2025-05-05 10:42 - 10:55: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-05-05 10:23 - 10:42: Unpaid work - Cook2025-05-05 10:19 - 10:23: Discretionary - Productive - Bike Brigade2025-05-05 09:59 - 10:19: A+ - Childcare2025-05-05 09:06 - 09:59: Discretionary - Productive - Music2025-05-05 08:51 - 09:06: Discretionary - Productive - Writing2025-05-05 08:29 - 08:51: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-05-05 08:24 - 08:29: Unpaid work - Cook2025-05-05 08:09 - 08:24: Personal - Routines2025-05-05 07:36 - 08:09: A+ - Childcare2025-05-05 06:37 - 07:36: Personal - Routines2025-05-04 23:37 - 06:37: Sleep2025-05-06 22:39 - 06:55: Sleep2025-05-06 22:34 - 22:39: Personal - Routines2025-05-06 22:11 - 22:34: A+ - Childcare2025-05-06 21:31 - 22:11: Discretionary - Productive - Bike Brigade2025-05-06 20:17 - 21:31: A+ - Childcare2025-05-06 19:42 - 20:17: Personal - Routines2025-05-06 19:20 - 19:42: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-05-06 19:00 - 19:20: Personal - Routines2025-05-06 18:40 - 19:00: Unpaid work - Cook2025-05-06 18:00 - 18:40: Discretionary - Family2025-05-06 15:50 - 18:00: A+ - Childcare2025-05-06 14:44 - 15:50: A+ - Childcare2025-05-06 14:14 - 14:44: Business - Earn - Consulting - E1 - General2025-05-06 13:48 - 14:14: Discretionary - Productive - Gardening2025-05-06 13:43 - 13:48: A+ - Childcare2025-05-06 13:06 - 13:43: A+ - Childcare2025-05-06 12:09 - 13:06: Discretionary - Productive - Bike Brigade2025-05-06 11:55 - 12:09: Discretionary - Productive - Bike Brigade2025-05-06 11:25 - 11:55: A+ - Childcare2025-05-06 10:16 - 11:25: Discretionary - Productive - Bike Brigade2025-05-06 10:02 - 10:16: Discretionary - Productive - Bike Brigade2025-05-06 09:45 - 10:02: A+ - Childcare2025-05-06 09:31 - 09:45: Discretionary - Productive - Gardening2025-05-06 08:21 - 09:31: Discretionary - Productive - Music2025-05-06 06:55 - 08:21: A+ - Childcare2025-05-05 22:22 - 06:55: Sleep2025-05-07 22:35 - 06:31: Sleep2025-05-07 22:04 - 22:35: Personal - Routines2025-05-07 21:34 - 22:04: A+ - Childcare2025-05-07 21:19 - 21:34: A+ - Childcare2025-05-07 21:08 - 21:19: Personal - Routines2025-05-07 20:53 - 21:08: A+ - Childcare2025-05-07 20:06 - 20:53: Personal - Routines2025-05-07 19:28 - 20:06: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-05-07 19:03 - 19:28: Personal - Routines2025-05-07 18:03 - 19:03: Discretionary - Productive - Bike Brigade2025-05-07 13:22 - 18:03: A+ - Childcare2025-05-07 12:37 - 13:22: Business - Earn - Consulting - E1 - General2025-05-07 12:07 - 12:37: Discretionary - Productive - Bike Brigade2025-05-07 11:01 - 12:07: A+ - Childcare2025-05-07 10:25 - 11:01: Discretionary - Productive - Bike Brigade2025-05-07 10:16 - 10:25: Discretionary - Productive - Drawing2025-05-07 10:11 - 10:16: Discretionary - Productive - Gardening2025-05-07 09:53 - 10:11: Discretionary - Productive - Gardening2025-05-07 09:38 - 09:53: A+ - Childcare2025-05-07 09:31 - 09:38: Discretionary - Productive - Drawing2025-05-07 09:20 - 09:31: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-05-07 08:31 - 09:20: Discretionary - Productive - Music2025-05-07 08:01 - 08:31: A+ - Childcare2025-05-07 06:55 - 08:01: Personal - Routines2025-05-06 22:39 - 06:55: Sleep2025-05-08 22:11 - 06:51: Sleep2025-05-08 22:06 - 22:11: Personal - Routines2025-05-08 21:44 - 22:06: A+ - Childcare2025-05-08 21:37 - 21:44: Discretionary - Productive - Music2025-05-08 20:37 - 21:37: A+ - Childcare2025-05-08 19:55 - 20:37: Personal - Routines2025-05-08 19:40 - 19:55: Personal - Routines2025-05-08 19:18 - 19:40: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-05-08 14:53 - 19:18: A+ - Childcare2025-05-08 14:44 - 14:53: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-05-08 11:51 - 14:44: Discretionary - Productive - Bike Brigade2025-05-08 11:41 - 11:51: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-05-08 11:14 - 11:41: Personal - Routines2025-05-08 09:15 - 11:14: Discretionary - Productive - Bike Brigade2025-05-08 08:49 - 09:15: Discretionary - Productive - Gardening2025-05-08 08:21 - 08:49: Discretionary - Productive - Music2025-05-08 07:21 - 08:21: A+ - Childcare2025-05-08 06:31 - 07:21: Personal - Routines2025-05-07 22:35 - 06:31: Sleep2025-05-09 22:43 - 06:54: Sleep2025-05-09 22:34 - 22:43: Personal - Routines2025-05-09 21:04 - 22:34: A+ - Childcare2025-05-09 20:14 - 21:04: Personal - Routines2025-05-09 19:55 - 20:14: A+ - Childcare2025-05-09 19:02 - 19:55: Discretionary - Productive - Bike Brigade2025-05-09 18:43 - 19:02: Personal - Routines2025-05-09 18:28 - 18:43: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-05-09 17:37 - 18:28: Personal - Routines2025-05-09 17:26 - 17:37: Unpaid work - Laundry2025-05-09 14:38 - 17:26: A+ - Childcare2025-05-09 14:23 - 14:38: Discretionary - Productive - Coding2025-05-09 14:18 - 14:23: Discretionary - Productive - Writing2025-05-09 13:54 - 14:18: Personal - Routines2025-05-09 13:21 - 13:54: Business - Build - Paperwork2025-05-09 13:15 - 13:21: A+ - Childcare2025-05-09 12:25 - 13:15: Discretionary - Productive - Bike Brigade2025-05-09 12:06 - 12:25: Discretionary - Productive - Music2025-05-09 09:29 - 12:06: A+ - Childcare2025-05-09 09:21 - 09:29: Discretionary - Productive - Bike Brigade2025-05-09 08:51 - 09:21: Discretionary - Productive - Gardening2025-05-09 08:21 - 08:51: Personal - Routines2025-05-09 07:51 - 08:21: A+ - Childcare2025-05-09 06:51 - 07:51: Personal - Routines2025-05-08 22:11 - 06:51: Sleep
View org source for this post

2025-05-12 Emacs news

Posted: - Modified: | emacs, emacs-news

[2025-05-13 Tue]: Fixed link to The Emacs Widget toolkit. Thanks, MPL!

Links from reddit.com/r/emacs, r/orgmode, r/spacemacs, r/planetemacs, Mastodon #emacs, Bluesky #emacs, Hacker News, lobste.rs, programming.dev, lemmy.world, lemmy.ml, planet.emacslife.com, YouTube, the Emacs NEWS file, Emacs Calendar, and emacs-devel. Thanks to Andrés Ramírez for emacs-devel links. Do you have an Emacs-related link or announcement? Please e-mail me at sacha@sachachua.com. Thank you!

View org source for this post

2025-05-05 Emacs news

| emacs, emacs-news

Links from reddit.com/r/emacs, r/orgmode, r/spacemacs, r/planetemacs, Mastodon #emacs, Bluesky #emacs, Hacker News, lobste.rs, programming.dev, lemmy.world, lemmy.ml, planet.emacslife.com, YouTube, the Emacs NEWS file, Emacs Calendar, and emacs-devel. Thanks to Andrés Ramírez for emacs-devel links. Do you have an Emacs-related link or announcement? Please e-mail me at sacha@sachachua.com. Thank you!

View org source for this post

Week ending May 2, 2025: Bike brigade, independence, pottery, visualization

| review, weekly
  • A+ enjoyed the pottery painting class at Clay with Me. She painted a small bowl, a tiny dish, and a rainbow.
  • I let A+ scoot ahead to her class. I didn't even see her when I got there, but I did find her scooter and her helmet neatly put away, so I assume that she made it there safely. Another big step towards independence!
  • We did a few Bike Brigade deliveries as a family, and I decided to help with their newsletter.
  • We visited Popo and helped her with tech.
  • I wrote some code to visualize a specific day or set of days, and I added that to my blog post about time.

Blog posts

Sketches

Time
Category The other week % Last week % Diff % h/wk Diff h/wk
Discretionary - Productive 8.9 14.6 5.7 24.5 9.6
Personal 10.6 11.6 1.1 19.5 1.8
Sleep 31.8 32.7 0.9 55.0 1.5
Discretionary - Family 0.0 0.8 0.8 1.3 1.3
Unpaid work 5.9 6.3 0.5 10.7 0.8
Discretionary - Play 1.2 1.6 0.4 2.7 0.7
Business 4.1 0.1 -4.1 0.1 -6.9
A+ 37.5 32.2 -5.3 54.1 -8.9
2025-04-26 23:39 - 06:55: Sleep2025-04-26 23:09 - 23:39: Sleep2025-04-26 22:31 - 23:09: Personal - Routines2025-04-26 22:01 - 22:31: A+ - Childcare2025-04-26 21:51 - 22:01: A+ - Childcare2025-04-26 21:51 - 21:51: Personal - Routines2025-04-26 20:55 - 21:51: A+ - Childcare2025-04-26 20:45 - 20:55: A+ - Childcare2025-04-26 20:39 - 20:45: Discretionary - Productive - Writing2025-04-26 19:13 - 20:39: Discretionary - Productive - Emacs2025-04-26 19:12 - 19:13: A+ - Childcare2025-04-26 18:40 - 19:12: Personal - Routines2025-04-26 18:20 - 18:40: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-04-26 17:50 - 18:20: Personal - Routines2025-04-26 17:24 - 17:50: Discretionary - Productive - Emacs2025-04-26 17:11 - 17:24: Unpaid work - Cook2025-04-26 17:04 - 17:11: Unpaid work - Tidy up2025-04-26 16:55 - 17:04: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-04-26 16:50 - 16:55: Personal - Routines2025-04-26 16:03 - 16:50: A+ - Childcare2025-04-26 15:48 - 16:03: Personal - Walk - Other2025-04-26 14:43 - 15:48: Discretionary - Productive - Drawing2025-04-26 14:08 - 14:43: Personal - Walk - Other2025-04-26 12:35 - 14:08: A+ - Childcare2025-04-26 12:25 - 12:35: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-04-26 11:49 - 12:25: Personal - Routines2025-04-26 10:21 - 11:49: Discretionary - Productive - Gardening2025-04-26 09:04 - 10:21: A+ - Childcare2025-04-26 08:26 - 09:04: Discretionary - Productive - Music2025-04-26 08:11 - 08:26: A+ - Childcare2025-04-26 07:57 - 08:11: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-04-26 07:46 - 07:57: Personal - Routines2025-04-26 07:23 - 07:46: Unpaid work - Cook2025-04-26 06:53 - 07:23: A+ - Childcare2025-04-26 06:38 - 06:53: Personal - Routines2025-04-26 06:38 - 06:38: A+ - Childcare2025-04-26 06:37 - 06:38: Personal - Routines2025-04-25 23:04 - 06:37: Sleep2025-04-27 22:36 - 05:28: Sleep2025-04-27 22:21 - 22:36: Personal - Routines2025-04-27 20:12 - 22:21: A+ - Childcare2025-04-27 20:07 - 20:12: Personal - Routines2025-04-27 20:04 - 20:07: Discretionary - Productive - Writing2025-04-27 19:35 - 20:04: Personal - Routines2025-04-27 18:58 - 19:35: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-04-27 18:43 - 18:58: Personal - Routines2025-04-27 18:28 - 18:43: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-04-27 18:13 - 18:28: Unpaid work - Cook2025-04-27 18:04 - 18:13: Unpaid work - Cook2025-04-27 17:57 - 18:04: Personal - Routines2025-04-27 13:13 - 17:57: A+ - Childcare2025-04-27 13:08 - 13:13: A+ - Childcare2025-04-27 13:02 - 13:08: Personal - Routines2025-04-27 12:47 - 13:02: Personal - Routines2025-04-27 12:17 - 12:47: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-04-27 11:34 - 12:17: Unpaid work - Cook2025-04-27 11:33 - 11:34: A+ - Childcare2025-04-27 11:25 - 11:33: Unpaid work - Cook2025-04-27 10:58 - 11:25: A+ - Childcare2025-04-27 10:53 - 10:58: Discretionary - Productive - Writing2025-04-27 10:28 - 10:53: A+ - Childcare2025-04-27 10:02 - 10:28: Discretionary - Productive - Writing2025-04-27 09:51 - 10:02: A+ - Childcare2025-04-27 09:43 - 09:51: Discretionary - Productive - Gardening2025-04-27 09:34 - 09:43: A+ - Childcare2025-04-27 08:14 - 09:34: Discretionary - Productive - Music2025-04-27 07:29 - 08:14: A+ - Childcare2025-04-27 07:14 - 07:29: Personal - Routines2025-04-27 06:56 - 07:14: Personal - Routines2025-04-27 06:55 - 06:56: Personal - Routines2025-04-26 23:39 - 06:55: Sleep2025-04-28 21:56 - 05:58: Sleep2025-04-28 21:24 - 21:56: A+ - Childcare2025-04-28 20:50 - 21:24: Discretionary - Productive - Emacs2025-04-28 20:43 - 20:50: Discretionary - Productive - Emacs2025-04-28 20:33 - 20:43: Discretionary - Family2025-04-28 20:26 - 20:33: Discretionary - Productive - Emacs2025-04-28 19:43 - 20:26: Personal - Routines2025-04-28 19:38 - 19:43: A+ - Childcare2025-04-28 19:34 - 19:38: Discretionary - Productive - Emacs2025-04-28 19:19 - 19:34: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-04-28 18:54 - 19:19: Personal - Routines2025-04-28 18:34 - 18:54: Discretionary - Productive - Emacs2025-04-28 17:58 - 18:34: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-04-28 11:17 - 17:58: A+ - Childcare2025-04-28 11:14 - 11:17: A+ - Childcare2025-04-28 10:46 - 11:14: Discretionary - Productive - Emacs2025-04-28 10:44 - 10:46: Discretionary - Productive - Emacs2025-04-28 09:42 - 10:44: Discretionary - Productive - Music2025-04-28 09:26 - 09:42: Discretionary - Productive - Emacs2025-04-28 08:50 - 09:26: A+ - Childcare2025-04-28 07:30 - 08:50: Personal - Routines2025-04-28 07:00 - 07:30: A+ - Childcare2025-04-28 05:30 - 07:00: Personal - Routines2025-04-28 05:28 - 05:30: Personal - Routines2025-04-27 22:36 - 05:28: Sleep2025-04-29 22:25 - 06:45: Sleep2025-04-29 22:15 - 22:25: Personal - Routines2025-04-29 21:44 - 22:15: A+ - Childcare2025-04-29 21:30 - 21:44: A+ - Childcare2025-04-29 21:25 - 21:30: Discretionary - Productive - Coding2025-04-29 21:15 - 21:25: A+ - Childcare2025-04-29 21:04 - 21:15: Personal - Routines2025-04-29 20:05 - 21:04: Unpaid work - Tidy up2025-04-29 19:35 - 20:05: Discretionary - Family2025-04-29 19:35 - 19:35: A+ - Childcare2025-04-29 19:21 - 19:35: Personal - Routines2025-04-29 19:15 - 19:21: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-04-29 19:15 - 19:15: Personal - Routines2025-04-29 18:09 - 19:15: Personal - Routines2025-04-29 17:49 - 18:09: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-04-29 17:36 - 17:49: Personal - Routines2025-04-29 16:23 - 17:36: Unpaid work - Cook2025-04-29 16:11 - 16:23: Discretionary - Productive - Coding2025-04-29 16:02 - 16:11: Personal - Routines2025-04-29 15:59 - 16:02: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-04-29 14:50 - 15:59: A+ - Childcare2025-04-29 12:34 - 14:50: Discretionary - Productive - Coding2025-04-29 12:14 - 12:34: Discretionary - Productive - Writing2025-04-29 11:13 - 12:14: A+ - Childcare2025-04-29 10:33 - 11:13: Discretionary - Productive - Writing2025-04-29 10:20 - 10:33: Discretionary - Productive - Drawing2025-04-29 09:50 - 10:20: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-04-29 09:37 - 09:50: A+ - Childcare2025-04-29 09:06 - 09:37: Discretionary - Productive - Emacs2025-04-29 09:06 - 09:06: Discretionary - Productive - Music2025-04-29 08:16 - 09:06: Discretionary - Productive - Music2025-04-29 08:01 - 08:16: Discretionary - Productive - Emacs2025-04-29 07:10 - 08:01: A+ - Childcare2025-04-29 06:51 - 07:10: Discretionary - Productive - Emacs2025-04-29 05:58 - 06:51: Personal - Routines2025-04-28 21:56 - 05:58: Sleep2025-04-30 23:16 - 06:39: Sleep2025-04-30 23:01 - 23:16: Personal - Routines2025-04-30 22:59 - 23:01: Sleep2025-04-30 22:31 - 22:59: Sleep2025-04-30 21:34 - 22:31: A+ - Childcare2025-04-30 21:04 - 21:34: Personal - Routines2025-04-30 19:38 - 21:04: A+ - Childcare2025-04-30 19:08 - 19:38: Personal - Routines2025-04-30 18:38 - 19:08: A+ - Childcare2025-04-30 18:28 - 18:38: Personal - Routines2025-04-30 18:08 - 18:28: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-04-30 13:14 - 18:08: A+ - Childcare2025-04-30 12:41 - 13:14: Discretionary - Productive - Emacs2025-04-30 12:25 - 12:41: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-04-30 12:16 - 12:25: Personal - Routines2025-04-30 11:14 - 12:16: A+ - Childcare2025-04-30 10:32 - 11:14: Discretionary - Productive - Coding2025-04-30 10:23 - 10:32: Discretionary - Productive - Gardening2025-04-30 09:18 - 10:23: Discretionary - Productive - Writing2025-04-30 09:13 - 09:18: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-04-30 09:12 - 09:13: Personal - Routines2025-04-30 08:22 - 09:12: Discretionary - Productive - Music2025-04-30 07:06 - 08:22: A+ - Childcare2025-04-30 06:45 - 07:06: Personal - Routines2025-04-29 22:25 - 06:45: Sleep2025-05-01 22:26 - 06:55: Sleep2025-05-01 22:13 - 22:26: Personal - Routines2025-05-01 22:08 - 22:13: Personal - Routines2025-05-01 20:38 - 22:08: A+ - Childcare2025-05-01 19:41 - 20:38: Discretionary - Play - Other2025-05-01 18:58 - 19:41: Personal - Routines2025-05-01 18:41 - 18:58: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-05-01 18:16 - 18:41: Personal - Routines2025-05-01 17:46 - 18:16: Personal - Routines2025-05-01 17:15 - 17:46: Sleep2025-05-01 14:50 - 17:15: A+ - Childcare2025-05-01 14:45 - 14:50: A+ - Childcare2025-05-01 14:02 - 14:45: Discretionary - Productive - Writing2025-05-01 13:51 - 14:02: Discretionary - Productive - Coding2025-05-01 13:50 - 13:51: Discretionary - Productive - Coding2025-05-01 13:30 - 13:50: A+ - Childcare2025-05-01 12:47 - 13:30: Discretionary - Productive - Writing2025-05-01 11:00 - 12:47: A+ - Childcare2025-05-01 10:32 - 11:00: Discretionary - Productive - Writing2025-05-01 09:59 - 10:32: Discretionary - Family2025-05-01 09:53 - 09:59: Discretionary - Family2025-05-01 09:38 - 09:53: A+ - Childcare2025-05-01 09:29 - 09:38: Unpaid work - Laundry2025-05-01 09:24 - 09:29: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-05-01 08:15 - 09:24: Discretionary - Productive - Music2025-05-01 07:16 - 08:15: A+ - Childcare2025-05-01 06:39 - 07:16: Personal - Routines2025-04-30 23:16 - 06:39: Sleep2025-05-02 22:35 - 00:24: Discretionary - Play - Read - Fiction2025-05-02 22:15 - 22:35: Personal - Routines2025-05-02 21:10 - 22:15: A+ - Childcare2025-05-02 20:48 - 21:10: Discretionary - Play - Other2025-05-02 19:55 - 20:48: Personal - Routines2025-05-02 19:38 - 19:55: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-05-02 19:07 - 19:38: Personal - Routines2025-05-02 13:25 - 19:07: A+ - Childcare2025-05-02 13:03 - 13:25: Unpaid work - Cook2025-05-02 12:56 - 13:03: Unpaid work - Clean the kitchen2025-05-02 12:46 - 12:56: A+ - Childcare2025-05-02 12:28 - 12:46: Discretionary - Productive - Writing2025-05-02 12:22 - 12:28: Business - Build - Paperwork2025-05-02 12:04 - 12:22: Personal - Routines2025-05-02 11:05 - 12:04: A+ - Childcare2025-05-02 10:30 - 11:05: Discretionary - Productive - Coding2025-05-02 10:21 - 10:30: Discretionary - Productive - Gardening2025-05-02 09:53 - 10:21: Unpaid work - Errands2025-05-02 09:37 - 09:53: A+ - Childcare2025-05-02 08:29 - 09:37: Discretionary - Productive - Music2025-05-02 08:14 - 08:29: Personal - Routines2025-05-02 07:37 - 08:14: A+ - Childcare2025-05-02 07:05 - 07:37: Sleep2025-05-02 07:00 - 07:05: A+ - Childcare2025-05-02 06:55 - 07:00: Personal - Routines2025-05-01 22:26 - 06:55: Sleep
View org source for this post

Mentoring

| teaching

Text from sketch

Mentoring https://sach.ac/2025-05-01-01

Sometimes people ask me for career advice or mentorship. I'm comfortable admitting I know very little.

  • I don't know what it's like to study coding because I've always loved it. I've been focusing things that come easily to me.
  • I don't know about the current industry, or getting a job, or advancing in your career. My experience at IBM from 2007 to 2012 was unusual:
    • met lots of people through my internal blog
    • they helped me find a well-suited position for consulting + code
    • blogging & presenting gave me unexpected reach, so I got to help with fun stuff
    • free/open source experience let me work on charity projects
    • I decided I wanted even more time and self-determination
  • So I started my experiment with semi-retirement, which hit the ground running because people read my blog & helped.
  • I have no recipes. So much of it is other people's kindness.
  • I guess I can say that this particular path exists and that I like it so far, but n=1 and it's not even a trail that people can follow.
  • Maybe it's okay to illuminate this tiny part of the space of possibilities. Then people can decide for themselves which aspects look intriguing and which don't, as they experiment with their own paths.
  • (Also, I tend to be slow at e-mail.)
  • Things I'm currently figuring out:
    • Fun
    • Experiment
    • Parenting
    • Life
  • ? can't really mentor people on those either, but I can try to share my notes
  • Even the way I use Emacs is pretty idiosyncratic.
  • I suppose, if there are things I want to encourage more people to try, they'd be:

    • Explore your curiosity
    • Be kind to yourself
    • Take notes

    … but all that is pretty basic, so… maybe share your questions and we can see what resonates?

I like good questions, especially ones that bounce around in my head and nudge me to write or draw or code. Occasionally I end up pointing people in the rough direction of somewhere they can find their own answers. I'm pleasantly surprised when I can actually answer a question, or when I can make sense of something in the process of putting into words. It can take a while for me to go from the initial stimulus to a post, though. Sometimes it takes a while to link up all the thoughts I want to connect. Sometimes it takes even longer to get around to my e-mail. This particular post evolved from an e-mail I received on April 22, which is relatively fast for me.

I like the side-by-side learning I see in both Emacs meetups and parenting conversations at the playground. It's not so much "This is the right way to do things," it's more like "this is what I've been thinking about lately…" "Oh! Me too! I've been trying …?" "Mmm, what did you think about it?" Learning together, knowing no one's gotten anything fully figured out.

Playground conversations are particularly apt, I think. We're all used to stopping and starting again as our respective kids need cuddles or a snack, and we're used to the way conversations drift and reform.

I also like how blogs work for this because we can muse out loud. There's no pressure on a specific person to reply. It's okay if it takes a while for an idea to bounce back and forth between blogs in conversation. Sometimes other people get drawn into it too. E-mail is a little lower on my priority list. E-mail feels contained and private. It's easily forgotten and lost. At least with blogs, there is that tiny chance someone might stumble across it again and learn more. Might even be me. I've forgotten and re-found a lot of posts.

At 41, I am not very old. I think I know less than I did when I was 30. I have fewer answers. I've traded them for questions, and I like that. I have notes, maybe, and I'm happy to share them. I used to speak at conferences and events, but I don't think that's for me at the moment.

I'm open to other people's questions, like the way someone might look over someone's shoulder and point out this cool thing that the speaker has completely forgotten to explain because they've taken it for granted. If you point something out, I may or may not be able to explain it. But I don't know enough yet to say, "Learn this, and then do this, and then do this, and you'll get to your goal." I am still preoccupied with my tiny life and don't know about much beyond its bounds, but it can be fun to explore its quirks and adjacencies.

The Internet is full of people who will give advice. I've been working on learning how to not give advice. It will be an important skill as A+ grows in independence. It is hard to learn and I want to keep other situations consistent so that I don't get confused. I'd like to eventually get better at active, reflective listening, and then wondering out loud about good questions someone might ask themselves, or sharing observations in a declarative but not didactic sort of way. I don't have the time right now to schedule conversations or be more responsive when it comes to e-mail, as there are other things I want to make time for.

I will probably not make a very good mentor, but maybe people can still wonder out loud somewhere within hearing, and maybe some of those questions will roll around in my brain, pick up related thoughts, and come out as a katamari of ideas.

View org source for this post