The site
December turned out to be a surprisingly productive month. I published eight posts here and there, and aside from a few pieces about everyday life, most of them were practical Raspberry Pi build notes.
A couple of things are still unfinished, though. The long troubleshooting log I had planned is still not updated as of today, and the post about building my own x86 NAS is also still being refined. Both will probably have to wait until next month.
That troubleshooting series feels more important than a routine post. I see it as a kind of guide or index to everything I have learned this year around a particular mix of hardware and software. Because of that, my expectations for it are fairly high, so I would rather take my time and polish it properly than rush it out.
Work
With the year ending and the broader economy still looking rough, it is hard not to think about job changes. Even if layoffs are not the immediate issue, a role transfer can be a reasonable option, so that is something already being put into motion.
If things can be talked through, then fine, keep going. If not, then things will unfold however they have to. At this stage, the only real hope is that everyone involved lands well afterward. Adult work life is rarely as peaceful or harmonious as people like to imagine.
In any case, staying calm matters. The calmer, the better—whether facing something frustrating or something satisfying.
Life
December was rough at home. The little princess went through both influenza A and mycoplasma pneumonia. A miserable month, honestly. She has been out of school for weeks.
Children born in recent years, or those now growing up and going to school, really have had bad luck. They have missed out on a lot.
As for the nurse and me, we got an unexpected surprise. It is good news in a sense, but at least for now, I just hope this phase passes as quickly as possible. It has also made me reflect a bit: some things really are better left to timing and chance.
Closing out the month
And that is how December came to an end. There were only a few days left in the year anyway, and writing this feels like a proper close to the monthly update. On to 2024.