Now

Updated 3/9/2025

Getting back into writing

I took a few weeks off from writing in general. One of those weeks was when I was sick. I mentioned before that it can be hard to make time for this blog with my other life priorities, and that was the case with this break. I am now feeling refreshed and called to the creative outlet of writing.

Daily focus on exercise

Because of getting sick, my respiratory capacity was impacted. I took a break from running but have continued to lift 4-5 times per week. In April, my wife and I plan on running a 5k that we ran at the same time last year. I have a Runna account and am set to do two weekly runs at roughly 5k distance.

Creating a personal CV website

I am in the middle of creating a personal cv website. I like the idea of having a place to keep all my experiences and projects. I have some experience with Jekyll and Hugo which are static site generators. I found a theme for Hugo that is perfect for what I wanted, and I am in the middle of getting everything set up. Eventually, the new site will be put up on my personal domain https://iambrandoncole.com.

Currently Reading

I have taken up the call to always have a book available to read regardless of the situation or where I am. This means that I need to embrace being able to consume books in several formats. I have a physical book, ebook, and audio book that I can read at any time.

Physically, my current fiction book is "Mistborn" by Brandon Sanderson. This is the first book I am reading of Sanderson's. At this point, I am 55 pages in and enjoying the story building.

Also I have decided to start reading "No-Drama Discipline" by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson. I am reading this book as I have a three year old. I think my approach to discipline is okay but I am very interested in learning additional techniques.

On ebook I recently go a O'Reilly subscription. I am reading through "Python Crash Course, 3rd Edition" by Eric Matthes. I love working on python projects and I needed a method to keep my skills fresh since my day to day does not give me many opportunities to put my knowledge to use.

On audiobook I am reading "The Oxygen Advantage" by Patrick McKeown. I read and enjoyed "Breath" by James Nestor. I am hoping to get more information from this book that will be easy to digest in audiobook format. Audiobook tend to be the format that I consume the least.

Cold plunge/Ice Baths

I am starting a new experiment where I do a cold bath plunge right after my normal shower. I am testing the benefits of cold plunges on recovery, focus, and cardiac health. I plan on doing this for 30 days at least and keep track of my findings along the way.