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Leadership Philosophy - A Software Engineering Manager's Manifesto

I lead software engineering teams with a philosophy built on trust, autonomy, and intentional structure. My core belief is that talented people do their best work when they are equipped, empowered, and protected from unnecessary friction — not monitored, micromanaged, or buried in low-value urgencies. I keep teams small by design, act as a buffer between developers and business stakeholders, and treat blocker removal as my highest-priority function. I hire deliberately and collaboratively, prioritizing cultural fit and intellectual curiosity over narrow technical experience, because adaptable people outperform specialists over the long run. I create space for my team to take risks and occasionally fail, calibrating conditions so that failure is recoverable and instructive rather than catastrophic. Knowledge sharing and documentation are non-negotiable expectations — not nice-to-haves — because a team where information lives in one person's head is a fragile one. I communicate openl...
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Book Report - Kindle Paperwhite and Acquiring Books

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I'm getting a new Kindle for my birthday and I wanted to detail how I've been preparing for that. I had a Kindle 4th Generation that a coworker gave me back in April 2020. His family recently upgraded to Kindle Paperwhite devices, and since nobody was using that old Kindle, he offered it to me. I've picked up a lot of his hand-me-downs through the years, but that one was one of my favorites. Thanks, Matt! While I had that Kindle, I would frequently  sync library books from Overdrive  and then turn on airplane mode so I could keep those books indefinitely. It was a convenient system for hanging onto books for longer than an intended checkout period, but it wasn't perfect. I would occasionally check out large batches of books, sync them all at once, and then go offline so I could have some options available. If I ever wanted a different book, however, I had to resync and I would lose the books that had expired at that point. Alas, it did give me the capability to hang ont...
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Thirsty Thursday Eve - Mint Julep (April)

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If there is a drink better associated with late April and early May than the Mint Julep, I couldn't find one. Whether you watch the Kentucky Derby or not, this time of year is dominated by the event, and the Mint Julep is the official drink. When planning out posts for the year, not only had I never watched the Kentucky Derby, I had never tried a Mint Julep. Some time around then, I picked up a mint plant to grow in my bathroom windowsill. It was mostly intended to make a Mojito, but hey, mint is mint. Plus, the Mint Julep is classic enough, I felt obligated to try one. Recipe ( Original ) Ingredients 2 oz. Woodford Reserve® 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup 3 Fresh Mint Leaves Crushed Ice Preparation Express the essential oils in the mint and rub them inside the glass.  To the same glass, add simple syrup, bourbon and crushed ice.  Stir. Garnish with more ice and fresh mint. Easy enough. Other recipes I read suggested muddling the mint directly into the glass, which is the route ...
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