Add weeknote for January 17-23, 2026

Week of Inuhele convention in Atlanta, swim meet, international food
exploration in Duluth, 3D printed cormorant pendant, and meeting
MeduSirena the fire-eating mermaid.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

content/posts/2025-12-27-weeknotes.md

@@ -1,43 +0,0 @@
----
-title: "Weeknotes: December 20–27, 2025"
-date: 2025-12-27T10:45:00-05:00
-description: Slow, like the world was on pause. Everyone else off celebrating while I hung out in the quiet of home.
-draft: false
-tags:
-  - weeknotes
-lastmod: 2026-01-06T04:04:15.067Z
----
-
-_Slow, like the world was on pause. Everyone else off celebrating while I hung out in the quiet of home._
-
-## Shipped
-
-Built a pantry inventory app to track dry goods, herbs, and spices. It already proved useful when it reminded me about a bag of self-rising flour I needed to use up.
-
-Also finished a five-video series of fairy-themed foods for CONpossible (this year's theme: "Through the Fairy Ring"). Each one runs about a minute, short promotional pieces that'll also go up on the Random Recipe Project channel.
-
-## Read
-
-Honestly, not much. I've been writing more than reading lately, and I'm making peace with that. Didn't come close to my already modest 2025 reading goal, but the words have been flowing in the other direction.
-
-## Played
-
-Had a great Gloomhaven session on Sunday. We're all nearing retirement for our third round of mercenaries and deep into the main storyline. The end is in sight, which makes every session feel weightier.
-
-## Cooked
-
-The only standalone butcher shop in town closed for good on Christmas Eve. I bought two full racks of spareribs from them as a send-off and smoked them for six hours on Wednesday. First time I'd fired up the smoker in two years. I ordered replacement parts so I can get back to using it regularly. Made a big southern squash casserole to go alongside.
-
-That pantry app earned its keep when it surfaced a bag of self-rising flour, so I made buttermilk biscuits from scratch with sausage gravy. Also picked up some alcoholic eggnog for our morning coffees this week. A little somethin' somethin'.
-
-## Noticed
-
-Last week was bitter cold. This week bounced to nearly 80°F on Christmas Day. Georgia.
-
-## Thinking About
-
-Just starting a new project at work, a simple web app on a limited budget. The kind of thing I could do in my sleep. Times are slow and lean right now, though, and the temptation is to throw everyone and everything at it just to keep people busy. I'm pushing back. We need to know how to do small, lean projects repeatedly and in parallel. That seems to be where the industry is headed.
-
-## What's Next
-
-My kids were both gone this week, and my partner and I don't really celebrate Christmas, so it was genuinely quiet. Next week they'll both be here, including my eldest who's about to start their final semester of college. We'll do what we call "Second Christmas," running through the traditions on time delay. Works better for us.

content/posts/2026-01-03-weeknotes.md

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----
-title: "Weeknotes: December 28, 2025–January 3, 2026"
-date: 2026-01-03T12:00:00-05:00
-description: Our time-shifted Christmas week was really peaceful. A couple more days before going back to work on Monday, and I'm trying to make the most of it.
-draft: false
-tags:
-  - weeknotes
-lastmod: 2026-01-06T04:04:40.233Z
----
-
-_Our time-shifted Christmas week was really peaceful. A couple more days before going back to work on Monday, and I'm trying to make the most of it._
-
-## Shipped
-
-Took most of the week off for the holidays with both kids here. Still managed to nearly complete a new client project we'd budgeted the entire month of January for, in about ten hours of work. Our first status call isn't until Tuesday and I've already got something over 90% of the way there. Sometimes things just come together in a near-perfect way, and I live for those moments.
-
-On the other side, I spun down a SaaS product that never really came to fruition. There were many reasons why it didn't succeed, but it was still sad to turn off those lights.
-
-## Read
-
-Nothing this week, but something jumped right to the top of my to-read pile: _Automatic Noodle_ by Annalee Newitz. Deactivated robots come back online in an abandoned ghost kitchen and decide to make their own way doing what they know: hand-pulled noodles for the humans of San Francisco, who are recovering from a devastating war. Robots, food, post-apocalyptic city life? Right up my alley. I might shelve _Service Model_ temporarily so I can devour this one.
-
-## Played
-
-My Gloomhaven group won't be able to meet for a while, but the digital edition was on sale on Xbox for $20, complete edition. I put almost twenty hours into it this week and have only beaten two scenarios in all that time.
-
-I know how to play the game really well, but the UI of the digital edition is beyond frustrating. So many things are undocumented, and I'm still figuring out how to do simple things like see the map while planning my round. My biggest gripe is that there's no undo function, and it's trivially easy to ruin a thought-out plan with one wrong button press. The closest they have is "restart round," which can mean losing half an hour of progress.
-
-## Cooked
-
-We had our Christmas meal this week. The kids chose ham, so I grabbed a big bone-in one on an after-Christmas sale (one of the benefits of Second Christmas) and used the included cherry vanilla cola glaze instead of my usual approach. Not terrible. We're still eating it several days later, but it's mostly gone. I also made baked potatoes, a big fruit salad, and a garlic-ginger stir-fried broccoli that turned out fantastic as a baked potato topper. Oh, and gluten-free cornbread.
-
-The showstopper was the gluten-free yule log cake I largely winged and [documented on the blog](https://blog.kestrelsnest.social/posts/2026-01-01-either-way-therell-be-cake/).
-
-The following night I set up an omelette station for dinner, which reminded me of one of my many college jobs in the campus cafeteria, where I often got to run the omelette station.
-
-## Noticed
-
-Cold and a little rainy, which made for good cozy time inside gaming and cooking.
-
-## Thinking About
-
-I'm on staff for two conventions in the next six weeks. The first is a cakewalk: sole technical troubleshooter for presenters all weekend at a tiki culture convention. I can do that work in my sleep or, as is the case here, with a different rum-based drink in each hand.
-
-The other one is a steampunk-adjacent convention where I serve as costuming track director, and I'm really feeling the crunch on that one.
-
-The five fairy food videos I made for CONpossible have been going live every other day and have been well received. YouTube is inscrutable as ever, but they've netted me several thousand views and a bunch of new subscribers. The con's social media team will be posting their versions in the coming weeks.
-
-## What's Next
-
-My youngest starts back to school Tuesday, beginning the second semester of sophomore year with a new slate of classes. She turns 16 in a month, so I need to start thinking about that. My eldest returns to college this weekend, so there's lots of coordinating to manage over the next few days.

content/posts/2026-01-10-weeknotes/index.md

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----
-title: "Weeknotes: January 4–10, 2026"
-date: 2026-01-10T09:00:00-05:00
-description: The chair arrived. Buddhist monks walked through town. Fried chicken achieved maximum cronch.
-draft: false
-tags:
-  - weeknotes
-  - cooking
-  - conventions
----
-
-The chair arrived.
-
-![A reclining chair with gray upholstery and a bentwood frame, paired with a dark desk surface with pegboard holes for accessories](chair.jpg)
-
-I backed a Kickstarter back in April, maybe, from a Ukrainian woodworker for a reclining chair and desk combo. A reward for finishing the LocallyGrown conversion, I told myself. I work almost exclusively at a standing desk these days, but sometimes you need to sit for reading, ketamine treatments, or experimenting with multiple giant monitors in VR. The chair finally showed up this week, assembled without drama, and it's exactly as comfortable as I'd hoped. Quality time was had.
-
----
-
-## Shipped
-
-It was back to work this week after the holidays. Things are uncomfortably slow in general, but my role has me touching nearly every project and potential project we're engaged with. There's been lots of context switching, lots of architecture decisions, and lots of opportunities to put new dev tools through their paces. The context switching suits my brain, honestly. It's the *unexpected* interruptions that wreck me, not the deliberate pivots.
-
-## Read
-
-I started *Automatic Noodle* this week. The real world is on fire and this was exactly the respite I needed, a few delightful minutes at a time.
-
-## Played
-
-I didn't do much gaming this week. I did pick up [A Gentle Rain](https://dryad-games.com/shop/a-gentle-rain-bloom-edition/), a meditative tile-placement game where you arrange lotus blooms on a pond. It takes about fifteen minutes, there's no competition, and it's pure pattern-making. It should be a good mental reset between tasks.
-
-## Cooked
-
-It was mostly a week of working through holiday leftovers, but I made one big production: a giant pile of fried chicken using Babish's "Ultimate Fried Chicken" recipe. The process involves a dry brine, a tempura-ish batter, and a double fry. He specifies a particular flour blend for maximum crunch, but I needed these gluten-free, so I improvised my own mix.
-
-![Close-up of golden fried chicken pieces with a craggy, textured crust resting on a wire rack](fried-chicken.jpg)
-
-I achieved plenty of cronch. I'd make these again when I'm feeling ambitious. They're more involved than my usual southern style, but worth it.
-
-## Noticed
-
-It was hot and muggy this week, which feels wrong for January. That'll flip hard next week; the highs won't reach this week's lows. Our youngest cat has some Maine Coon in him and his winter coat has fully arrived. He's more fur than flesh at this point, which will serve him well come the cold snap.
-
-The bigger thing I noticed this week: Buddhist monks from the Walk for Peace pilgrimage passed through Lexington, Georgia, on their 2,300-mile journey from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C.
-
-![Monks in saffron and maroon robes walk down a rural road, led by a monk with a tall walking staff. Aloka the rescue Peace Dog trots alongside. Community members line both sides of the road, many with palms pressed together in greeting, as a police vehicle with blue lights escorts the procession.](peace-walk.jpg)
-
-My own philosophies lean more Taoist than Buddhist, but there's considerable overlap. It was a wonderful opportunity to be mindful and let them lead by practical example. I'm glad my youngest daughter and I could share a meal with these monks as they walked through our part of the country.
-
-## Thinking About
-
-I've written quite a bit lately, here and on the company blog, about using AI-powered dev tools with thought and intentionality. For various reasons I've felt the need to articulate the philosophy and ethics behind how I use them, not just demonstrate the workflows. Having it down in black and white creates accountability. It's harder to quietly drift when you've already said where you stand.
-
-## What's Next
-
-Inuhele, the tiki convention I help with, is in two weeks. CONpossible, the steampunk convention I help with, is in four. I have so much to do before then.
-
----
-
-The vibe this week: I need the coming weeks to run well above my usual productivity, and my usual has been solid. I have a suspicion this is only going to ramp up from there. It's a good thing I have a comfortable chair for the occasional sit-down.

content/posts/2026-01-17-weeknotes/index.md

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----
-title: "Weeknotes: January 11–17, 2026"
-date: 2026-01-17T10:00:00-05:00
-draft: false
-description: Everything around me seems to be in motion this week. Kids moving through milestones, colleagues moving on to new things, seasons shifting. Even the birds are starting to come back.
-tags:
-  - weeknotes
-  - cooking
-  - family
-lastmod: 2026-01-18T01:46:29.567Z
----
-
-Everything around me seems to be in motion this week. Kids moving through milestones, colleagues moving on to new things, seasons shifting. Even the birds are starting to come back.
-
-## Shipped
-
-Saturday I attended a UGA swim meet with my youngest, who's on her high school team. She's lucky enough to practice at the UGA natatorium, a genuinely world-class facility, and it was fun to watch the collegiate teams compete, including several nationally ranked swimmers.
-
-![The UGA Gabrielsen Natatorium, showing the diving well, competition pool, and championship banners under the massive steel truss ceiling](natatorium.JPG)
-
-There's something satisfying about watching people who are really, really good at something do that thing at full speed.
-
-Sunday we took the eldest back to college for their final semester. They're packed with senior-level classes to finish out a degree in computer game design come May. On the way we explored Little Five Points, one of Atlanta's iconic neighborhoods. It felt appropriate: a neighborhood that's survived by constantly reinventing itself, visited on the cusp of a big transition.
-
-Tuesday we went out for dinner, an extreme rarity for us. Half-price oysters and creole enchiladas. Both delicious.
-
-Wednesday was our monthly virtual happy hour at work, where we bid farewell to an amazing co-worker who found much greener pastures elsewhere. He came to us right out of boot camp several years ago, and it's been a joy to watch him grow into a developer as capable as any we have. Bittersweet, but the right kind. The kind where you're genuinely happy for someone even as you'll miss them.
-
-## Read
-
-I found time for a few more chapters of *Automatic Noodles*, which remains a fun and interesting read. Also had to dive into documentation for Shibboleth, a single sign-on authentication system I'll need to integrate soon. The name is appropriately intimidating for an auth system. A word you have to pronounce correctly or be identified as an outsider.
-
-## Played
-
-Not much play this week, other than with the cats. I did start cleaning the craft area, something I should have done months ago, so I can get a few things done for the rapidly approaching steampunk convention. "Start" is doing a lot of work in that sentence.
-
-## Cooked
-
-On a friend's strong recommendation I picked up the River Cottage *Much More Veg* book and made the recipe she'd been raving about: a red cabbage biryani.
-
-![Red cabbage biryani in the pan, showing the braised purple cabbage ribbons and turmeric-stained cashews](biryani-cooking.JPG)
-
-I've never made a biryani before, much less a vegan one, and it was fantastic. I still have some cabbage left and will absolutely make it again. Tonight, even.
-
-![The finished biryani plated with fresh cilantro and sliced red pepper](biryani-plated.JPG)
-
-## Noticed
-
-The songbirds are starting to return, which means I need to disinfect and refill the bird feeders and bath. They have cameras in them, and I love getting little video postcards throughout day. One of those small technological pleasures that actually delivers on its promise.
-
-## Thinking About
-
-Trying not to panic about all the stuff I wanted to do for the steampunk con that I haven't done. I wanted to have more done by now, but here we are.
-
-## What's Next
-
-It's a short work week for me so I can go help with Inuhele, Atlanta's tiki weekend. I can't wait. After a week of watching other people's transitions, I'm ready for three days of escapism and terrible puns about rum.

content/posts/2026-01-23-weeknotes/index.md

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+---
+title: "Weeknotes: January 17–23, 2026"
+date: 2026-01-24T09:00:00-05:00
+draft: false
+description: The week started with chlorine and ended with rum. In between, international grocery exploration, storm anxiety, and a fire-eating mermaid who made me want to do more with my life.
+tags:
+  - weeknotes
+  - Inuhele
+  - CONpossible
+  - 3d-printing
+  - family
+---
+
+The week started with chlorine and ended with rum. In between: international grocery exploration, storm anxiety, and a fire-eating mermaid who made me want to do more with my life.
+
+---
+
+Saturday I spent at UGA's competition pool watching Juniper swim her way through another big high school meet. She's a sophomore, solidly JV, but this was a personal-records kind of day—first place heat finishes, times dropping, the whole arc of improvement visible in a single afternoon. The older kids will graduate. She'll be ready.
+
+Sunday took me to Duluth for the last in-person CONpossible staff meeting before the convention. But the real adventure was the food. Before the meeting I wandered through a Middle Eastern grocery store down the street from the hotel. Afterward I crossed to an enormous Vietnamese shopping center, which culminated in a truly excellent bánh mì eaten in the parking lot before the drive home. Duluth is a treasure trove of international markets and I've made it a habit to explore a new one each visit. I may never run out.
+
+Monday was MLK Day—a work holiday. Some years I join one of the local service projects, but this year I put the 3D printer to work on items for CONpossible and one beautiful cormorant pendant for Inuhele.
+
+![Close-up of a 3D printed cormorant pendant, hand-painted in black and silver with blue and gold accents, hanging on a black cord against a red shirt](cormorant-pendant.jpg)
+
+The cormorant isn't Inuhele's mascot, but it's a tropical, oceanic bird—adjacent to the traditional tiki imagery but my own. I wanted something that felt both handmade and a little fancy. A few hours of printing, a few more of careful painting, and I had something I was genuinely proud to wear.
+
+Tuesday and Wednesday were my only work days this week, and by Wednesday evening the weather forecast had solidified into something alarming: a potentially catastrophic ice storm arriving over the weekend, right when we'd be in Atlanta at Inuhele. I split my attention between actual work and storm preparation—weatherproofing the house, arranging extra care for the cats, packing for what might become a longer stay than planned. Tuesday night I managed dinner and drinks with a dear friend I hadn't seen in far too long. She's been traveling internationally and in-person sightings have been rare. It was good medicine before the anxious Wednesday that followed.
+
+---
+
+Thursday morning I finished freeze-proofing the house, then we drove to Atlanta for [Inuhele](https://inuhele.com) setup day. This is one of my favorite parts of being on staff: the transformation. You arrive at a generic hotel conference space and leave behind a tropical, kitschy paradise.
+
+![Person standing next to a large Creature from the Black Lagoon statue in a hotel hallway](creature-greeting.jpg)
+
+![Golden skeleton wearing a hat and lei, seated on a wooden barrel surrounded by ropes and nautical decor](skeleton-on-barrel.jpg)
+
+![Floral arch with tropical flowers at the entrance to the convention space](floral-arch-entrance.jpg)
+
+![Main Inuhele stage with thatched roof, tapa cloth backdrop, and peacock chairs under string lights](main-stage-setup.jpg)
+
+By Thursday night the space had become something else entirely.
+
+---
+
+Friday was the first full day of the convention. I'm the A/V and general tech support person for Inuhele, but my workload this year was genuinely light. Light enough that I could do it with a drink—or two—always in hand.
+
+![Evening scene at Inuhele with string lights, colorful lanterns, and attendees in Hawaiian shirts mingling](evening-atmosphere.jpg)
+
+![Mirror selfie showing Eric in tiki toga party attire: blue embroidered fez, purple sash draped as a toga over a tropical shirt, and the cormorant pendant](friday-outfit.jpg)
+
+![Two people in matching silver space suits at a mobile bar cart](space-couple-bar.jpg)
+
+![Hand holding a cocktail garnished with a lime wheel, cherry, ti leaf, and small hibiscus pick in an Inuhele-branded cup](inuhele-cocktail.jpg)
+
+I love this convention and the people who come to it. The creativity and silliness seem boundless. People show up in elaborate costumes, build themed room parties, treat the whole weekend as collaborative performance art.
+
+My favorite new person was [MeduSirena](https://www.instagram.com/fireeatingmermaid.medusirena/), billed as "the fire-eating mermaid." Her approach to art and performance mirrors my own sensibilities so closely—but she actually goes out and *does* it, full time. I only dabble. Watching her made me want to do more. Not necessarily fire-eating or mermaid-ing, but *something*. She's the kind of inspiration that sticks with you after the convention ends.
+
+---
+
+**Shipped:** One hand-painted cormorant pendant. The CONpossible prints are still on the printer, waiting for paint.
+
+**Noticed:** Duluth's international food scene keeps rewarding exploration. And MeduSirena reminded me that "dabbling" is a choice, not a constraint.
+
+**What's Next:** An ice storm was bearing down on Georgia as Friday ended. We were safely in Atlanta with the cats cared for at home, but the forecast looked bad. More on that next week. CONpossible prep continues—those prints need painting.
+
+**Vibe Check:** A week that built from routine through anxiety and released into something joyful.