During the last 15 years of my career, give or take a meeting or two, I kept a detailed account of hours worked per day. My obsession was such that I even kept an SQLite database with minute details such as longest stretches of time worked, times during the day whether I was more likely to slack off (after lunch of course), and how cycling affected my ability to stay focused. I kept the data to myself, because I learned quite early that I could be very productive with just a handful of hours, and this made me feel guilty. It wasn’t until I stopped working that I realized that my behavior was unlikely to be different than most (in my field anyhow). Continue reading My 3 hour work day was a myth! →

I’ve always had a flexible relationship with work, working myself to the bone, and then taking off large chunks of time to recharge. More often than not, though, I end up realizing that I absolutely love my job, and come back early from sabbaticals to go at it again. This has frustrated the Mrs in the past, especially when she realized I was hacking on patches during at least one of the past two paternity leaves. However, a funny thing happened in the last leave. Continue reading Retiring for a year or two or forever. →

I never quite understood the need to procreate to feel fulfilled in life. I mean, if having kids is the best thing you’ve ever done, I must say you’ve lived a pretty boring life. Well, that was until 2.5 years ago, when my child, aptly named Mai (never in Catalan, as in I’m never having kids), was born. Continue reading Lay’s potato kids →

Parenthood is filled with decisions. Should we be sugar free? Should we pretend we’re vegan while the kids are awake? Should I keep myself from swearing in front of the kids, or at the very least keep the swearing to languages his teachers don’t speak? Because we all know, it’s ok to swear in Spanish when your kid goes to Cantonese school. Teachers don’t have a clue, and it is kinda funny to hear 3 year olds yell puñeta and “que se joda” when no one around them understands a lick of what they’re saying.

It never ceases to amaze me how we’re all alike. Regardless of race, creed, or political inclination, we all want very similar things: to be listened to, respected, and loved. There are some outliers throughout the spectrum, but they’re just that– outliers. Even though it’s hard for me to accept it, I travel with certain preconceived ideas and biases as to what people in different cultures, and countries, believe and how they act. But I’m always pleasantly surprised at how beautiful people are the world over.