Brian Ball @brianball

Coffee & Cookies. Level 1 rhyme.

Brian Ball last shared their writing From a visit with the muse.


“It’s so dark, I thought to myself as I pushed myself up out of bed and stumbled toward the bathroom. What time is it? What day? I know it’s the new year, 2022, but man this is starting off weird.”

TS: Jan 4, 2021 04:12 p.m.
...
Brian's Pantry
🥟 3 Dumplings
🍺 4 Beers
🧇 1 Waffle
🍪 1 Cookie
🍵 4 Teas
🥃 2 Whiskeys
🥓 1 Bacon
🍊 3 Tangerines
🥚 2 Eggs
🍍 2 Pineapples
🍫 1 Chocolate Bar
Collections

Back on the Bike

After a joyous 30-minute descent, we were treated to the tailgate of a truck in a dirt parking lot. 

... the thing you might not be thinking, unless I point it out, is that to get a 30-minute descent on a bike, you have to have climbed a really long way....
2021-01-16 01:50:39

Trust & Agreement: Life Experience Required

The title carries two strong terms: Trust & Agreement. I'm not sure I actually know what they even mean. However, I am going to try and write through my understanding.

As I observed my life and the events happening to myself, my friends, and the political process. I realized a distinct...
2021-01-13 09:30:11

Things can't be different.

You know what's hard? Being a beginner. I don't mean starting is hard or the beginning steps of a project. I mean, being an adult and feeling like a child as you work on something you're not skilled at.

Impostor Syndrome - you never seem to be able to know it...
2021-01-12 22:14:39

What's in a job?

Paperboy - my first job.

It was a daily slog that started early in the morning. The paper was expected to be on a subscriber's porch before they awoke. If I could get it there by 7am, I felt pretty good. Then, I could head off to school by 7:40 and...
2021-01-12 02:53:53

Persistence & Reality

If you've ever wanted to engage in an activity that enforces the idea of persistence, two come to mind. Rock climbing and programming. You only reach the top of a rock if you persist. Likewise, the computer will only succumb to the will of the programmer if he persists long...
2021-01-11 04:33:27

He sat tapping his pencil.

As he watched the rain slide down the gray window, he noticed how warm and cozy it was in his little office. His desk was clean except for some concept sketches on single sheets of letter-sized, graph paper. He sat tapping his pencil hoping she'd call or text. It wasn't...
2021-01-09 08:23:07

API and DevRel

There's a job in tech called Developer Relations.

They're the first line of defense between the angry software user and the engineering team responsible for the unusable applications we all make today.

Of course, those applications work fine internally, and we didn't do extensive enough research to understand crazy edge cases. So,...
2021-01-08 23:56:50

Decision.

On my way to bed last night, I pondered the chemistry behind decisions. I quickly came to a conclusion that action is a better determinant of decision than thinking. It's easy to tell yourself you'll have just one more cookie or play one more game. That easily becomes one more...
2021-01-08 16:07:46

Get clarity. Feel good. Focus.

Focus hasn't been my strength. I flit around from idea to idea both in work and in my browser. YouTube algorithms probably have something to do with it, but natural curiosity and the joy of learning are also to blame.

In college, I'd go to the library to study. While learning...
2021-01-07 23:55:21