As I told you in one of my recent videos, my war against bloat is over. This does not mean I intend to start using KDE Plasma again, since it would not match my workflow, or that will endorse web bloat, since it is a real problem that I tend to see as different from the one I am describing now. However I do intend to be more realistic with the programs I use. Let me give you a concrete example which I have already cited in previous videos.
Another Attempt At Defining « Bloat »
First, I would like to attempt at defining the concept of bloat. Nowadays, we all use it too freely, when in reality it only means one simple thing: the program you have in your hand is too powerful, it has the potential to do more than is actually necessary. It does not mean that such a program is bad, just that they might need to be lighter. Thunderbird is an excellent example. An email client does not need to be a calendar or an RSS feed reader. There are other more-efficient programs to do those jobs, such as calcurse or newsboat, although they are terminal-based.
My qtile configuration
To some of you, and even to me at a certain point of my learning curve, Qtile probably is bloat. This mostly is because it is written in Python, a programming language which is considered rather slow by more than one professional in the business. It might be an interesting argument. When you compare performance however, Qtile is not much bloater than a fully-configured – or fully-patched, if you prefer – dwm. Indeed, most people who install dwm will configure it to have a lot of bloated options which will unnecessarily consume their RAM, since they will not even use them most of the time. Plus, most of us will not even see a difference if a program takes one more millisecond to load or if it burns a few more megabytes of RAM.
In fact, most people who rice their desktop environments or window managers especially do it for the satisfaction of doing it. Of course, it can also be useful but it would not be my first reaction to associate the term ricing with usefulness. You can be more than efficient enough without a fully riced window manager. Take the default configuration of i3 and it will do the job if you are looking to be more efficient.
Satisfaction is one reason why I have chosen to try out Awesome Window Manager: A program which I have long considered too bloat. As we go on, you will see that it is an extremely powerful window manager. Certainly much more powerful out of the box than most window managers out there. It also is rather easy to configure it. I say « rather easy » because it still is more oriented toward power-users.
My awesome configuration: moc, vifm, htop, st (fair layout)
The Default Configuration & Themes
If this awesome fork of dwm is written in C, its configuration file is in Lua. It makes Awesome fully scriptable. I have not had the opportunity to explore this feature yet, since I only tested awesome for about 2 weeks and I am also still going back and forth between awesome and dwm. I tend to live a few days in one and then go back to the other.
There are too many themes to discuss them all in one video. However, I would like to point out to all of you that, contrary to other window managers, you can simply pick a theme on GitHub among the many that are offered and be content with your configuration. The default key bindings are more than decent. They would not necessarily be the ones I would set up for myself (since I removed most of them already) but they are not bad at all. In fact, you might be perfectly happy with them if this is your first time using a window manager.
Regarding the theme I have chosen, it is called gtk. It is a light theme, which is pretty strange since I have a history with dark ones. I did not like the default configuration however and I found the gtk theme really well-designed. You will have to be content with that, because there is nothing rational behind this choice.
My awesome configuration: the brave browser & tabs in the bar (max layout)
Keybindings
The mod key already is “super”, which matches my personal preference, so I have already been bought out… As for my custom keybindings, they are pretty much the same as for Dwm and Qtile. The bindings which change a bit are the ones regarding the layouts.
Custom bindings:
Super + v: Vifm
Super + p: Alacritty -e mocp -T /usr/share/moc/themes/yellow_red_theme
Super + t: Thunderbird-bin
Super + b: Brave-bin
Super + d: Dmenu
Super + r: Awesome default prompt
Super + a: Anki
Super + n: St -e newsboat -r
Super + s: Pavucontrol
Super + o: Libreoffice
Super + c: Calcurse
Super + g: Game launcher script
Super + u: Usb mounter script
Super + z: Zeal
Brand new bindings:
Super + shift + d: Show keybindings
Super + shift + p: Show menu bar
Super + left/right arrow key: Switch workspace
Super + m: Maximize or unmaximize a window
Super + f: Toggle full screen
Super + tab: Go back
I also have a lot of tmux and screen bindings but I currently have no use of them. Am I wrong? Should I use tmux more? Tell me in the comments below!
System bindings:
Super + w: Close a window
Super + Enter: Open a window
Super + Control + q: Quit Awesome
Super + Control + r: Restart Awesome
Super + [number]: Switch workspace
Super + shift + [number]: Move a window to another workspace
Super h/j/k/l: Move from one window to another
Super + shift + h/j/k/l: Switch focus to another window
Super + space: Switch layout
Super + shift + space: Switch layout (backward)
Function Keys
The function keys work exactly like on dwm, qtile or any Windows system. I set them up to mute, decrease and increase the sound volume but also to decrease and increase my screen brightness.
The bar
The bar depends on your theme and personal configuration. It is important to specify that it relies first and foremost on your theme, because I expect that most of you will not rice Awesome WM and be content with the various default configurations which a man may enjoy. Even I have kept something rather default-looking, since I merely picked the gtk theme, changed some system bindings, added my custom ones, added a bunch of icons and… Voilà! That is pretty much it. The rest I had already configured when setting up dwm.
By the way, have you noticed that, unlike my qtile and dwm configurations, I have kept the bar at the top? This is another irrational decision of mine. I really like it there and cannot imagine what it would feel like if I moved it to the bottom of the screen... What about you? Do you keep the bar at the top or the bottom?
Questions To You
One task I do not expect my window manager to take care of is the setting of my wallpaper. I would rather leave this job to my .xprofile and a program called feh. So I removed the code which does it in my rc.lua configuration file. What do you believe? Does this feature make Awesome WM better than other window managers or is it useless?
It is your turn now. Tell me:
How do you like tabs in the bar?
What do you think about the menu bar?
Is it helpful to have a keybinding to print a reminder of your keybindings or is it just another piece of bloat to show off?
Regarding the layouts, I have only kept 3: fair, magnifier and max. They are the only ones worth using in my opinion. The others might be beautiful but neither do they match my workflow nor do I believe that you can be efficient with them. What about you? How many layouts do you use?
I removed several system bindings (regarding the layout) which I had no use of: super+n or super +t (to minimize a client or move to a screen). They were only annoying since they were also conflicting with my custom bindings. Would you have kept them?
Conclusion & Sign-Off
In case you did not know, I am a HUGE fan of How I Met Your Mother. Whether I feel down or happy, I always find comfort watching Ted, Barney, Marshall, Lily and Robin (and the mother). This is one of the reasons why this legendary window manager has not only technically conquered me… its awesomeness has taken my heart and soul.
You know what?!
Whenever I’m sick, I just stop being sick and [startusing] Awesome instead!
Take care,
Phil.
P.S: Originally, I only installed Awesome as a back-up. I wanted to have an extra windowmanager in case my main one failed me. It seems like my plan B has become my plan A, however, and vice versa...
Before I begin, I would like to thank all my YouTube subscribers. We recently hit 100 and I feel flattered to already have so many people listening to my rambling. I would also like to thank every one of you reading this blog, since we are about to hit 200. None of this would be possible without you, so THANK YOU!
After several months of living in this window manager, I finally feel ready to present my dwm’s final configuration. If you are looking for something rather minimalist, with only a few applied patches, but yet that still has a pretty thrilling design, you should not be disappointed.
My Latest YouTube Video
In case you preferred this format, I also added the video to this post:
https://youtu.be/ZX61Qj8UjQQ
My Dwm configuration can be broken down into 3 main key components:
Dwm: Dynamic Window Manager
St: The Simple Terminal
Slstatus: Suckless Status
Here is a list of the patches which I applied for Dwm:
Dwm-alpha
Centered-window-name
Color-bar
Iscentered
I used to have a lot more, which you could notice if you had the curiosity to look into my patches/ directory. It is full of unapplied patches, essentially. Patches which I applied and then removed because I was not happy with the result.
As for my St config, only has 2 patches:
Transparency
Scrolling: Press [Shift + PgUp] or [Shift + PgDown]
I am currently not using St. I recently installed Alacritty to test it out, along with another window manager which I will reveal at the end of this article.
Finally, here is how I configured Slstatus:
I installed font-awesome for all icons to display as expected.
I got an item to look over my first battery (bat0) and my second battery (bat1). In case I would not be paying attention to the power level displayed in the bar, I also set up a cron job which checks for me every 1 minute whether my battery level is higher than 15%. If not, it warns me that I should plug my computer to a power source. Needless to say, I won’t get any alert if my bash script running in the background notices that my computer already is plugged in. Do feel free to check out this script, by the way. You can find it in Dotfiles/.local/scripts/batteryinfo.
I have 4 more items: one which checks the sound level; one for CPU usage; one for RAM usage; and finally one which gives me the current time and date. It is all rather convienent but it remains the bare minimum one could ask, I would say.
Keybindings [mod = super key]:
Most of my keybindings will remind you of my Qtileconfig, for those of you who remember that video. Click on this link, if you have not seen it.
Custom bindings:
Super + v: vifm
Super + p: alacritty mocp -T /usr/share/moc/themes/yellow_red_theme
Super + t: thunderbird-bin
Super + b: brave-bin
Super + d: dmenu
Super + a: anki
Super + n: st -e newsboat -r
Super + s: pavucontrol
Super + o: libreoffice
Super + c: calcurse
Super + g: game launcher script
Super + u: usb mounter script
Super + z: zeal
System bindings:
Super + w: close a window
Super + Enter: open a window
Super + Control + Q: Quit dwm
Super + [number]: Switch workspace
Super + shift + [number]: move a window to another workspace
Super h/j/k/l: move from one window to another
Mode bindings:
Super + shift + o: floating center mode
Super + shift + u: awesome mode
Super + shift + t: tile mode
Super + shift + m: monocle mode
Super + shift + f: floating mode
Super + shift + b: the bar disappears
Super + shift + space: locks screen
Super + shift + s: scrot (take a screenshot)
Function keys:
As any Windows system, I set up my dwm to respond to function keys. This way, I can manage the sound level and the brightness of my screen with the function key and then F1 (mute), F2 (lower volume), F3 (increase volume) and finally F5 and F6 to respectively decrease and increase the brightness of my screen.
A Refreshing Sign-Off?
As promised, let me tell you which window manager I have recently been exploring: Awesome WM! Something much bloater than what I usually deal with, right?! Anyway, if you wish to have a look at my dwm configuration, you may find a link to my GitHub on my about page. Since you have been patient to read until the end, I will also reveal something to you: I rarely use St anymore. The terminal emulator I have replaced it with is Alacritty. Not because it is written in Rust, calm your enthusiasm!
I have been absent for quite a while. This is not because I was out of ideas, certainly not, but because I was not able to find the motivation within me to create content and publish it. The current sanitary situation, as for most of you I would suppose, has seriously been getting on my nerves. I have had to force myself to get back to writing this. Do not misunderstand, I still love blogging and making videos. We are only living the beginning of this adventure all together. My return should be proof enough! Anyway, let us dig into the subject of this video. A lot has happened in almost 2 months and I cannot speak forever, so I will summarize.
A Quick Update
I have drastically restructured my GitHub page. I was in need of tidying all my computer files, projects, and website accounts the other day. I then decided it was time to remove most of the work I have on GitHub and archive it offline.
I have been working on a services page which will summarize all the professional services I wish to offer. It also has taken time some time, but I officiallyam the owner of a company. This essentially means I can legally earn money with my online activities such as blogging, writing, translating, teaching…
As surprising as it might be, I am still a Gentoo user. My system is not perfect but it will certainly never be. I am rather happy where I am, to be honest. This does not mean I will not test out SlackWare and Void in the future, or even a BSD system. However, I have no intention of changing OS at the moment. Have comfort and laziness gotten the best of me, I will let you decide…
For those of you who would be curious about my language learning journey, I will say this : I have grown much better at Italian. One of my main activities these days is to watch shows in Italian and learn vocabulary. I have not been able to go back to Italy however, and I seriously doubt I will go back this year, at least as an au-pair.
I decided to delete my Patreon account for the time being. I see myself more as a hobbyist than a professional blogger and YouTuber and it may remain this way for some time. In my opinion, it would not be honest to ask more than punctual donations from my readers and viewers.
My War Against Bloat Is Over
I recently fought the last battle in what I like to call “my war against bloat”. Obviously, bloated software does exist and I would not love Linux so much if I did not believe it was a real issue. It suffices to play around with Windows 10's desktop environment for a few hours to realize that bloatness is a reality. However, I am no longer absolutely convinced that this quest has no end. We, as users, should be the ones to set some limits. Would you not agree?
At some point, bloatness only is an illusion of the mind!
It does not matter so much in what programming language your favorite piece of software was written. Take Qtile for instance. I was happy with it but left it because it is written in Python instead of C. It worked perfectly and I had nothing to complain about. I probably switched away from it because of peer-pressure and this is ridiculous. Even though I learned a lot and would never regret my previous decision, I am now taking a step back. I am open to using Qtile again and, prepare yourself, desktop environments.
Overall, I believe our problem has several origins: the first one has to be peer-pressure, but I would be refusing to see the obvious if I stopped here. Underneath this pressure, there is something else hiding which is much more vicious: identification. You did read well.
People identify with the tools they use, and computer programs make no exceptions. Programmers identify and then define themselves with whatever piece of software they like most. All the memes circulating on Reddit are living proof of my words: Python is for beginners (or data scientist) C is synonym for efficiency, Rust is the most recent popular kid in school, Ubuntu is for noobs, Arch is for nerds without a life... This is only one side of the coin, but you get the overall idea. We let these tools define ourselves when one should merely use them as a means to an end.
Strive not to identify with the tools you use!
You would only end up hurt. This does not mean you should be a jack of all trades and never master anything but it does make it easier to use the tools you have for what they are and switch to another more appropriate tool when you need to reach another goal.
My Latest YouTube Video
https://youtu.be/48oCSzAA8FE
Sign-Off
As a conclusion, I would like to say that I still do not intend to close a blind eye on actually bloated software. Those who accuse programs such as sudo or qtile to be bloat might be extremists, but they still are right in the sense that we need to keep striving for better performance. If we all consume less, our planet might thank us for it someday. Do you not agree?
I hope this article helped you understand what I recently understood. If you agree or disagree, feel free to share your opinion in the comments.
I was recently asked a question which all of us should always be capable of answering, as Linux users and opensourceadvocates: Why should you even bother installing Linux in the first place? What does Linux have which Mac OS and Windows 10 do not offer? Let us find an answer together.
Reliability
If you come from a Windows environment like I did, there is certainly one thing which upsets you. Over time, your computer gets slower and slower, updates take more and more space on your hard-disk and, the icing on the cake, there does not come a day when your computer does not become slower and slower... Well, if this is your case, your have rung the right door! It is time to back up your personal data on an external hard-disk and install Linux. Then you can forget Windows sluggishness and its updates which usually come bothering you when you are in the middle of a crisis. If you wish to revive an old computer, you could install Linux too. It is very lightweight and will never betray you. Once installed, you can update the system whenever you want and it never takes too long. I must also have forgotten to mention that it boots up too quickly for you to even begin brewing your coffee...
It Is Free & Opensource.
Are you not worried about your privacy? Are you not tired of big companies collecting your data to always better influence your behavior? Are you not fed up of being the product of consumerism instead of a responsible individual respected for who they truly are?
You should be!
This is probably why people would switch away from Mac OS. You cannot trust Apple, like you cannot trust Microsoft. To me, a Mac is nothing more than a big deuce, except that it is nicely covered in chocolate, so that you do not realize what you are buying. It looks amazing from the outside but if you look under the cover of you-know-what-I-mean, then you will soon realize that it stinks and you should never have purchased that unreliable capitalist sack of spyware.
It certainly is the same reason which would make you doubt Zoom, Skype, Hangouts and any other proprietary piece of messaging software: Privacy. You see, there is no Microsoft behind Linux to collect your data. With Linux and the opensource movement, you do not need to trust anyone, because there is no one entity behind it.
What is opensource?
Glad you asked! It literally means:"whose sources are open". In other words, you can access and read the code of your favorite programs online. If you fancy verifying whether or not there is something fishy in the code, you are welcome to do so.
You can find an opensource equivalent for all the proprietary software which you are currently utilizing on Windows 10 or Mac OS.
Let me list down a few opensource programs so that you get my point:
Google Chrome -> Firefox, Brave, Iridium, Falkon, too many others...
Google Drive -> Own Cloud / New Cloud, an external hard-disk
Google Hangouts, Zoom, Skype -> Jami, Tox
Gmail -> Anything else would be better.
Google Docs -> LibreOffice Suite + E-mail.
Microsoft Word -> LibreOffice Writer, LaTeX
Amazon Web Services -> Linode
Adobe Photoshop -> Gimp
Mac OS shiny desktop -> KDE Plasma, Deepin, etc...
Windows and Mac shiny login manager -> Light DM
Linux Is Difficult: Such A Meme!
Linux is only difficult because the ones who introduced it to you showed you the most complicated things they knew to blow you away. This is their fault if you have not made the switch yet. Okay, okay! I confess... I am guilty of doing it too... But I am doing my best to change!
Alright, let us be clear: Linux is only as difficult as you make it. If you install Linux Mint, Ubuntu or even Manjaro, it is literally easier to maintain than a Windows system. Literally. It certainly was much less accessible ten or even fifteen years ago, but it has changed A LOT. Most normies would not see a difference between Linux, Mac and Windows if someone installed it behind their backs. You would be surprised to see how some distributions of Linux look like Windows and how much you can customize your desktop and make it look like Mac OS.
Anyway, since people nowadays only know how to use a web browser and open Microsoft Word, it should not require too much effort. Old Firefox is still the same and LibreOffice looks just like Word. I said Firefox, by the way, not Google Chrome. You read that correctly. If you switch away from proprietary software, you should do it completely.
A World Of Customization & Distributions...
Linux is so much more customizable! Even if you only stick to modifying your desktop, you almost have an infinite number of possibilities.
There is one thing which thing which new Linux users must understand: On Linux, there is one program for every small task and it fulfills its mission efficiently, instead of one huge program which does everything. To manage your login screen, you have a login manager, for instance. To manage your desktop, you have a desktop manager. To manage your windows, you have a window manager. To manage your... Well, you get the idea!
What truly is wonderful when you jump down the rabbit hole (alert: recycling an old metaphor), it is that Linux is distributed in a myriad of different versions, which one calls distributions, because anyone can distribute Linux. A distribution is merely a version of Linux (configured in a certain way) with a community and a philosophy. Another fact which certainly is just as wonderful is that there are probably as many desktop and login managers as there are distributions and... there are hundreds of them. Do you still feel limited?
It may be a tad more advanced (but really only just a tiny little bit), but I would also like to say that everything is a file in a Linux system. This means that you only need write a few lines in a file to configure a program. Nonetheless, if writing in a file scares the devil out of you, you still are free to use a Graphical User Interface (aka GUI) which sucks up all your RAM just like on Windows. I told you:
Everything is up to you on Linux!
It Has An Active Community.
This make it so much easier to get help. Whether it is from the community of your own distribution, Ubuntu forums, the Arch wiki, Gentoo's wiki... You can also read the documentation of your distribution, ask a question on slack-exchange, join a discord server, read the man-pages with the "man" command in your terminal, join a mail list, etc. There are so many ways to find the solution to one of your issues that even I cannot list them all. Simply put, you will never have to call Apple customer service again when you get a virus on your machine because... Well, first off, because you will not get viruses. Seriously, you do not even need an antivirus running as a background task and stealing your data because it is not profitable enough to target Linux users for hackers. They are too few...
It Is More Secure.
As I was just saying, you will not be the main target of hackers anymore. There are too many distributions out there to target everybody, and I would be surprised if you really needed an antivirus on Linux. You can find opensource ones, obviously, but I do not believe it necessary as long as you remain careful. In over 5 years, I have never had a virus on my machine, whether it be with Linux Mint, Manjaro, Arch, or Gentoo.
It Is Much Easier To Manage Software
Speaking of security, this one point actually makes your Linux system more secure too. Let us compare the behaviors of our two different (yet so similar) species:
When the Windows user wishes to install a new vir... I mean a new program, they open their web browser, Google it up, and then download it from the official website of said program. Only for the geeky ones though, because installing programs on Windows actually is rather tricky (to say the least).
When the Linux user wants to install software, they simply open the bloated python program which handles their package manager and then they install the required packages (or programs). There only is two or three buttons to click on, at most, and then you are done. Without forgetting that you need to enter your password. Then, everything is automatic. Same to update your system. Same for entirelyremovinga program. It not only is a piece of cake but it is much more secure since all packages are verified by an active community of opensource enthusiasts.
Respectfully dabbing on Windows and Mac users.
This one is worth it. Just for this one I can never go away from Linux. Of course, always be respectful. Do not be like these pubescent teens who think they have understood the meaning of life because they installed Arch Linux for the first time and feel like posting their rice of KDE Plasma on Unix-porn makes them look smart. It does not. It only hurts a community of passionate people. On Linux, everyone is equal, whether you prefer Gentoo or Kubuntu.
Never Stop Learning!
When you are done bragging about using Ubuntu with a graphical installer, perhaps you will consider returning to your leaning path. Windows is all about being comfortable, just like Mac OS. Everything magically happens behind your back, most of the time without asking your preferences.
Comfort is the enemy of success!
Do not look for comfort in your life. Comfort does not rhyme with happiness. It is not synonym with new experiences either. It rather means the end of curiosity and of your learning path. Strive to be curious and you can never go wrong. If you choose Linux, it will be a great ally to learn more about computers, operating-systems, and everything which you may imagine that could be even slightly related to modern technology. It is crucial that you all know more about IT.
It is crucial that you all educate yourself, because big companies are making billions out of your ignorance!
A More Efficient Workflow.
As a developer, you can only love Linux for the workflow you can have with it. Everything being configurable, you can create the workflow which is right for you. Automation, scripting, optimizing performance, window managers… All of this is only the tip of the iceberg.
If you are not a developer, this certainly does not mean that you should not switch to Linux. All the reasons I mentioned earlier still are valid, and I am absolutely certain that you will be able to work more efficiently with a Linux system in most cases.
Countless other wonders await down the road you if you should choose to change and embrace a new way of using your computer. A more honest way in which you will neither be a sheep stupidly following the herd, nor a product in the eye of the company controlling your system.
Sign-Off
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post! If you liked it, feel free to let me know via email, by subscribing, liking, and/or commenting. You may also check out some more of my work. I also have a Patreon page, a YouTube channel, if you wish to support me there, and a GoodReads account.
I hope you all spent a merry Christmas with your family. The year 2020 has probably been the most peculiar one has ever known, with the pandemic of covid 19, the several lockdowns people have had to withstand, the many terrorist attacks which interspersed the year, and countless other events I must have forgotten or which simply could not take place.
Yet, it is no time to lose faith!
Our future depends on your vision of it. The vision that each one of you has of it. It does not yet exist, but every one of us is creating it in our mind at this very moment. It is our mission to make it as joyful as we can. It is our mission to build something for future generations, instead of always destroying with our negative thoughts or bad habits inherited from consumerism.
Think positive people, and create what you will!
My Year In Review
So many things have happened for me this year, it sounds difficult (if not impossible) to write it all in one single blog post. I would not be able to list out all the books I read or re-read; all the movies I discovered, loved, or hated; all the experiences I have enjoyed through traveling on my own or accompanied; all that I have learned, for I still am so ignorant...
Achievements I Am The Most Proud Of
I got my bachelor's degree as a software engineer. The choice of studying computer-science is the one I am the proudest in my life, because it was the toughest to see through. Thank God I was helped and supported along the way!
I purchased my first domainname and started a blog which has ended up much more time-consuming than expected. I also started a YouTube channel. Shooting videos is one of the biggest and most exciting challenges I have ever faced. I may proudly say that I published 100 articles this year and 15 videos.
If 2019 was the year I timidly began learning Italian with bits and pieces of Duolingo and YouTube, 2020 is the year I pushed myself to study it seriously and become fluent.
In 2019, after purchasing my first personal computer, I switched from Linux Mint to Manjaro. In 2020, I turned my back on it to go back to Arch Linux and i3wm. I then lived a few happy months in qtile, but I decided to move to a more efficient program in October: dwm. Written in C, it is a perfect match. That same month of October has seen yet another major change: I switched over to Gentoo.
Some Honorable Mentions
I reflected a lot on new technologies and what I should use or not. I am thinking more and more about removing or replacing some things from my life: I do not want a smartphone anymore, just a normal phone will do. I would also like to keep reducing my use of Google services.
I read and re-read many books, among which:
The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien
Fire and Blood, By George R. R. Martin
Mistborn (2 trilogies), by Brandon Sanderson
Since the Layoffs, Iain Levison
The King killer Chronicles (first 2 books), by Patrick Rothfuss
The Jumper saga, by Stephen Gould
I watched too many movies to count or cite them all here and signed up on Netflix to maintain this terrible behavior of mine and benefit from it, since I can actually learn a language with this almost-healthy addiction.
I wrote the draft for my second book which will probably take me the next 10 years to finish.
I recently purchased a Raspberry Pi 4B. I want to have my own home lab and this implies have several machines...
Failures?
Striving to live life to its fullest necessarily involves making a lot of mistakes. Only the man who does naught never fails. I believe it is only right to add to my list some facts about me which I evidently cannot see as successes. I have no regrets regarding them, nor do I consider them mistakes or failures. I merely did what I deemed necessary at those particular moment.
My trip to Italy did not last as long as I expected.
I have not been as physically active as the years which preceded. I went running from time to time and did some mountain biking and walking, but not as much as before.
I have not started riding horses again. It would rather be a dream I have given up on, for the time being, having other priorities which make more sense to me at the moment. You see, after believing for such a long time that riding was my life's purpose, I did not quite expect that blogging would take so much space in its stead.
I have not yet found a stable job. I see it both as a success and a mistake, for it is a mistake I needed to make. After what I lived in 2019, I was not ready to commit to an employer again in September. Being an au-pair was the perfect situation and I hope I will be able to go back to Italy soon. I love that place and the people I have met there are truly amazing. I miss them.
I met a lot of people and lost touch with as many others.
I unpublished my first French book: A collection of short stories named Les arcanes obscures de l'imaginaire.
Conclusion
This is the new year, hence not a time for an uninspired sign-off. I might be the only one saying it, yet I will find comfort in the fact that the majority is always wrong:
2020 was an amazing year!
Despite everything that happened, I sincerely believe that this statement is true. It was a messy year, I can concede this much. It was quite as messy as any other year, however. The only difference that, this time, you are not living these events through the telling of a history teacher. I cannot wait and see what 2021 holds in store for all of us!
Finally, I have a tiny favor to ask of you:
Liberty|Curiosity|Generosity
Try and apply these words in your daily lives. Also, follow your heart. This way you cannot go wrong. This world is capable of great good. It only needs to realize it!
