Read to the end for a post about a Rambo typo.
Thank you to everyone who has become a Time Traveler and those who tossed me some "coffees". It helps a ton and I appreciate it. I'm going to be unemployed for a while. If you want to help me out, consider a TimeMachiner membership. If membership is not for you, leaving me a tip (AKA "buying me a coffee") is a one-time way to help.
Finally, if you know of open QA roles wherever you work, please let me know. I have 10 years of experience (this is my LinkedIn) and would be happy to talk.
I have been making sure to keep a good balance in my newfound situation, mainly keeping a schedule of job hunting and also working on taking care of myself. Even though two weeks have passed with my financial security gone, I have made the best of it. And that requires staying organized.
In a weird way, the timing worked due to the weather. It's finally gorgeous outside here in NY and it is a nice breath of fresh air to go outside & take walks whenever I want. Where I live consists of two loops in an infinity pattern. Walking three of them takes about 30-minutes and clocks in at just over 2-miles. For clearing my head, it has been a wonderful respite.
Walking is an interesting excercise. It doesn't have much of an impact on joints and doesn't require much effort. Yet the effects it has mentally and physically are well-established. Of course my Apple Watch loves seeing me "work out" even though I'm only getting my heart rate to a whopping 120 BPM during a walk. But, it all adds up.
Walking ends up being one of the most-used workouts I do with Apple Fitness+. Specifically, their Time To Walk series is my go-to companion. These 25-40 minute audio programs feature a notable person talking about their experiences and obstacles in life. Some talk about mental health while others talk about struggling in their careers prior to making it big. In each one, there is insightful stories and some inspirations. Of course, being Apple, there's music interspersed within it too. The episode's host plays 3 songs that have meaning to them.
This hit home for me when I listened to Brendan Hunt's episode. Hunt plays Coach Beard on Ted Lasso and spoke about the timing and importance of The Beatles' classic song Hey Jude. Hunt connects it to his mother, the birth of his children, and points out how, for him, the song is supremely important. So, imagine my surprise when the song took on signifigance in a Season 3 episode of Ted Lasso. Hunt is one of the writers on the show, so I caught the reference right away. And the song wasn't playing for only a few seconds. Hey Jude went on for at least a minute while multiple characters were in different scenes. The song played an important part in that episode and I am sure it was Hunt's wink & nod to his mother.
Therein lies the magic of music in our lives. Whether through a walk or a drive or watching a TV show, we find stories and melodies from music we link to those moments. There are times in our lives where a song comes on and we link it to that moment forever. We can recall how it felt, how it smelled, how it moved (if we were in a vehicle), and a myriad of sensory recall.
I have songs of my own that do it for me. I hope there are ones that do the same for you.
MEMBERSHIP PERK UPDATE
The audio book edition of my short story Chrono Virus is now available to ALL members here. It is an mp3 audio book and can be loaded onto any device. There's no DRM or any hoops to jump through. Listen anywhere.
-Aaron
PS: If you're enjoying my work here on TimeMachiner please forward this email to a friend who'd like it too. It helps me grow. Thank you. 😊
TODAY'S RANDOM FACTOID
Oxford University is older than the Aztec Empire. Source