# Now

Here is an overview of what I have been up to recently:

## Training

In 2025, I took a break from full-time employment to give myself an opportunity to focus all my energy on training for the Bear 100, a 100 mile trail ultramarathon in Logan, UT. This went great in the first half of the year, and by May, I was in the best shape of my life. But then I got greedy and impatient, pushed too hard and developed an overuse injury in my left knee.

I was unable to train very well throughout the summer while I worked with my physical therapist to rehab my knee. I was able to get healthy enough to toe the start line at the end of September, but I ended up dropping out of the race at mile 76.

I'm currently re-evaluating my running goals, and I think I want to take a break from racing for a bit. I need to rediscover the joy of running without any time pressure to be prepared for a specific event.

## Work

Now that the Bear is over, it's time for me to get back to work. I've accepted a job offer as a Senior Analyst on the credit team at Homestead Capital, with a start date of November 10.

I started testing the waters of my job search toward the end of September, and I'm pleased that I was able to find something so quickly without much fuss. I mostly looked for positions similar to my previous work experience as a credit/financial analyst. Instead of shotgunning out my resume to any old job listing, I focused on a couple of positions where I had a contact at the company. This turned out to be a successful strategy, as one of my previous bosses at Rabo put me in touch with one of her past colleagues at Homestead Capital, a private investment firm that is starting to do agriculture loans. The interview process went smoothly, and I'm hopeful that it will be a good fit. It will at least be something different from going back to a traditional lender.

## Piano

When I hurt my knee, I suddenly had much more time and energy available since I couldn't train as much as I wanted. I found myself playing the piano for a few hours a day, and I decided to resume taking piano lessons after a 15 year hiatus.

I'm currently working on CPE Bach's Fantasia in F-sharp minor and JS Bach's Prelude and Fugue in A minor from Book II of the Well Tempered Clavier.

I'm also challenging myself to record myself playing 12 pieces in 12 months. I made my first recording of Chopin's Prelude in A Major in October, and in November I plan to record Edward MacDowell's To A Wild Rose.

## Projects

I'm working on some website renovations, starting to use the Pelican static site generator instead of doing everything manually. I already do most of my note taking and writing in Markdown in Obsidian, and I have a hope that if I make it easy for myself to quickly publish new posts to my website, I will make updates more regularly. But if not, I'm still enjoying the process of learning how to use and customize my Pelican site.

This fall, we are working on improving our backyard. We planted new grass and want to put in some pavers and gravel in some areas. The grass is already growing decently, but we'll need to do some overseeding in the spring to fill in some of the patchy areas.

## Leisure

### Reading

Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings series. Recently finished Dragon Haven, book 12/16.

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. This was fantastic and I'm excited to dive into more of the Earthsea Cycle! Le Guin is a magnificent writer and her blog which she wrote from 2010-2017 is also worth perusing.

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix. Checked this one out from the library for a spooky Halloween read. I enjoyed it overall, probably around a 3.75/5 rating. It wasn't too spooky, but there were a few scenes that had me feeling uncomfortable.

### Gaming

Currently playing Outer Worlds 2 and finishing up act 3 of Dragon Quest XI after a long break (2-3 years).

Recently finished Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a fantastic turn based RPG.

I fell off of Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader because I didn't like the mandatory space battles. Bounced around Fire Emblem Three Houses, Star Wars: Jedi Survivor and Hollow Knight a bit as well.

### Music

I've been listening to lots of Baroque, Classical, and Romantic piano music. Here are a couple of my favorite recordings I keep returning to: