Justin Wong

From: Justin Wong
To: Jarrod Blundy
Subject: PenPals, Jarrod & Justin - May 2024
Date: May 1, 2024

Hey Jarrod,

Happy May 1! I’m excited to be your penpal this month. It’s so cool to connect with internet strangers this way. Personal, inspiring, raw, and opposite of the rest of the internet. My first exchange with you was about how I struggle to put personal content on my developer blog, and how you have a great balance of topics on your website (funny how your other penpal Jose said the same thing). I know this month will be a good source of inspiration and a big step for me towards the personal web.

I’ve never penpalled (?) before. You must feel like a pen-pal-pro by now. I wanted to familiarize myself with the shape of this penpals project, so I counted: 8 penpals, started 1 year ago, each writing ~3 emails, with an average word count of ~750. I hope it keeps growing into everything you want it to become.

I guess I’ll start by sharing a bit about me and asking a bit about you.

I’m born and raised in Florida. It’s a big part of me, and I love it. The warmth and sunshine and wildlife are hard to beat. Only since I’ve started traveling recently have I realized how cold and drab the rest of the USA can be. It makes me appreciate Florida even more. There’s always little lizards outside my window, and squirrels bouncing around, and birds chirping, and plants everywhere. Nearly always, like 11 months of the year. Lots of insects too - ants milling around, and beetles, spiders, and mosquitos. There’s some deer and bears and wildcats. Most lakes have an alligator or two. There’s lots of possum and armadillo roadkill, sadly. And the squirrels. We call them suicide squirrels. They sprint to the middle of the road, wait a second, and decide if they want to keep going or turn back. You’d think they’d learn by now, or tell their families: “don’t cross the road if you hear cars - and if you must cross, don’t stop halfway!” Alas, there’s always a couple squished squirrels in my neighborhood. It’s sad of course, humans developing the land and taking the animals’ homes, but roads and cars are just the reality for now. At least there’s plenty of squirrels to go around.

We have a lot of sprawling oak trees covered with hanging moss. And there’s a lot of palm trees. (fun fact - palm trees are actually a type of grass. The trunk of a palm tree is closer to celery than a woody tree trunk. It’s bendy enough to survive high winds, instead of snapping or uprooting) There’s short, stubby palm trees, crooked palm trees, palm tree nurseries, fun little ponytail palms, and tall, springy palm trees.

There’s not much dirt. I think most states have an earthy brown/black soil. We just have a lot of gray sand. And yet grass and weeds still manage to grow here. The sandy soil makes home gardens difficult, though. We need more fertilizer, or bagged soil, or pots and planters. I started a compost bin during the pandemic, and it’s remarkable how dark and earthy it gets. Are you growing any plants right now? And I guess I should’ve asked earlier - have you ever visited Florida?

I’m trying to outgrow some Florida habits and cultivate some more global life skills. Like jackets. I wear as little as possible here, on account of the heat and sweat. But there’s this whole mysterious world of style and layering available if you live in a place cool enough for jackets and pants. I own 2 casual hoodies and 0 long-sleeved shirts. Cold-weather wear eludes me. Also, I have to remember to bring lotion when I travel because my skin dries up without tropical humidity. And I don’t know anything about fireplaces or furnaces. I guess I’ll learn these things naturally if I ever leave Florida, so I shouldn’t worry. I just feel like Florida is such an alien planet compared to the rest of this country, and it didn’t prepare me well. At least I know how to stay safe during a hurricane!

And other things about me, instead of just yapping about Florida: I’m in-between jobs right now. I was an assistant home inspector for the past ~2 years, but now I’m looking for a software development position. I’m a little nervous to see how it plays out. I’ve done hobby projects for years, which is a lot different than business software. Hopefully I find the right role that suits my strengths, and hopefully I can maintain a nice work-life balance. I want to keep taking care of my mental, physical, and spiritual health.

I make an effort to eat lots of veggies and whole foods, and to avoid overly processed food and things that make me feel yucky. Many days I don’t have the energy to cook, and I’m buying more meals than ever. Of course, the quality places and ingredients cost more, but I think investing in my health now will save me money later. Nutrition advice is so confusing these days - carbs or no carbs, all meat or no meat, fasting, not fasting, gluten, GMOs, dairy, fats, salt, … if you read too much, it feels like you’re not supposed to eat anything. How do you food these days? It seems like every body is different. I kept a food diary for a month, but that was inconclusive. I’d like to see a nutritionist one day and figure out what’s best for my body.

900 words! I’m not sure how to end this message. I’m curious to hear what your life is like.

Til next time,
Justin

From: Jarrod Blundy
To: Justin Wong
Subject: Re: PenPals, Jarrod & Justin - May 2024
Date: May 9, 2024

Hey Justin,

Thanks for being part of this project! I’m thrilled to get to know another new friend across the internet! It’s funny called me a “pen-pal-pro” when I feel like I’m still just getting started with this venture. Just this morning, I was thinking about how I’ve not done a great job with keeping up on replying to emails and getting things up on my site. Ah well, all we can do is our best, right? (Oh, there’s no pressure to fit any sort of mold with these letters. In fact, I’ve been trying, but mostly failing, with trying to shorten them down to make them easier to read and respond to. 😅)

Thanks for sharing so much about Florida! I love hearing about people’s enthusiasm for just about anything. If you’re excited about it, I’m excited about it. I have been to Florida many times since I’ve had family who has lived down there for…gosh…probably over 15 years now! They live in the Lake Wales area, if you’re familiar.

Alas, I don’t think I could ever live in Florida full-time. The heat and consistency of the weather, I think, would wear on me. I prefer to have a full four seasons, as there are activities that I enjoy that can only happen in each one! Skiing and ice climbing in the winter, autumn color peeping in the fall, climbing and swimming in the summer, and hiking and biking in the spring. I suppose some of those overlap, but you get what I mean. Plus, when it’s cold you can always put more layers on to warm up. When it’s hot, there are only so many clothes that you can take off to cool down! And I think I’d prefer dealing with fireplaces and furnaces to hurricanes. 😂

Speaking of layering, you’re totally right about there being a whole system to it. Most days, up here in the Northeast, I’m wearing a long-sleeved sun hoody as a base layer and usually a light fleece jacket on top of that. And if I won’t be moving around much, often a warmer vest on top of that, and I always take a rain/shell layer with me in case of unexpected showers or wind. Granted, my job as a guide requires that I can handle any weather that comes my way, but it does mean I’ve got a lot of layering options with me at all times. If you look at my closet, you’ll see that I have a jacket problem in particular. Too many options!

What a fun fact about palm trees! I knew they were unique, but didn’t realize they were essentially massive, beefy grass stalks! You opened my eyes to the diversity of wildlife in Florida too. I don’t think I would have guessed that there are bears anywhere in the state. When would they hibernate!?

Best of luck as you seek out a development position. Based on your website, I would have guessed that you’d done commercial development before. I expect you’ll have an interview lined up in no time. 🙂 But big career switches can be as stressful as they are exciting. Hopefully, you find more of the latter and less of the former. I’ve done a few of those moves myself, and am on the verge (🤞) of another soon.

My philosophy around food is about as basic as it gets. Everything in moderation, and I skip the second helping if I’m trying to lose weight. I’ve tried calorie coating, learning more about food groups and nutrient-dense foods, and done the occasional fad diet — none of it has stuck. As my metabolism slows and my body bounces back slower from foods it disagrees with, I take note and try to eat less of those things in the future. But I can’t say that I’ve cut anything out entirely, and I think I’d find it pretty difficult to do so long-term. One thing that I am interested in trying, though, and I discussed this with Valerie a couple of months ago, is essentially overnight fasting. Except I wouldn’t think of it as fasting, more just a rule not to snack after 9pm or before 7am. We’ll see. But going to see a nutritionist can’t be a bad thing! Cutting down on super-processed foods sounds like a reasonable thing too. Hope it works well for you!

Welp, here we are, edging up on 800 words again! I told you it’s difficult to keep these concise. Here’s a prompt for next time (and is my favorite thing to ask people in general): What are you most excited about lately?

Thanks again and take care,

Jarrod

From: Justin Wong
To: Jarrod Blundy
Subject: Re: PenPals, Jarrod & Justin - May 2024
Date: May 15, 2024

Hey Jarrod,

• Thanks for the job well wishes.
• I have no ideas how the bears hibernate here. Google says they semi-hibernate 🤷‍♂️
• I’m glad you have a reasonable food philosophy. Snackless nights sound smart. You can do it! The mind and body are so adaptable.

What am I excited about lately? Such a great question. I’ll give my first gut answer, and a second mundane answer. I have trouble narrowing it down 😅

I’m excited to learn about writing/design/UX this year. I’m reading blog posts on those topics, watching videos, and experimenting with a few pages on my site. It’s unlocked a joy I haven’t felt since first learning programming. With programming, you can make anything, but with design, you can make anything easy to use.

It’s a whole new way of interpreting the world. Take the classic example of bad design: doors where you aren’t sure whether to push or pull. You know, the ones with bars that look grabbable but also wide enough to be pushable.

So much software today feels like those confusing doors. It really frustrates me. Maybe it’s a static site generator with too many options, or maybe it’s text that looks clickable but isn’t, or maybe it’s just a poorly organized website. Learning design principles means I have an expanded toolbox to make computers easier for people, and that’s quite satisfying.

For web design, it starts with writing. I’m excited about writing for the first time in my life. It’s amazing how these words I put on the screen make thoughts pop into your head. And the words I choose in a sentence, and the order I arrange those sentences, and the nuances of tone and style among those sentences, will affect those thoughts.

I’ve never been much of a writer. Partly because I found writing difficult, and partly because writing education in school was so useless - five-paragraph essays and such. But I recently heard someone explain that “in school, teachers were paid to read your words. Now you have to write for people that don’t want to read your words.” So now I view writing as a communication game, sorta like charades or pictionary or the telephone game. Trying to get the right thought into people’s heads with the least confusion, all while giving them a reason to read my writing in the first place. It’s a fun challenge. And it gives me a whole new respect for professional writers. Maybe I’m overthinking it. You seem like a strong writer - is it easy to get your thoughts out? Maybe the secret is just lots of practice 🤔

As for other areas of design, like layout, hierarchy, spacing, visual feedback, etc, those are cool too. I’ve had lots of “aha” moments. Like learning how spacing sizes look best when scaled by the golden ratio. Or realizing how hover states, button shapes, and every little detail quietly indicates how a piece of software will behave.

Lastly: it’s exciting to create again. I had several months of burnout and personal issues where I had no desire to be near the computer. So it’s nice to get back to coding and making things. Something something creative outlets…

non-tech/non-work thing I’m excited about:

I’m looking for an apartment. Big life changes bring a certain excitement. I’d like to tailor a place to myself. I’ve been mulling over some ideas:

• experimenting with a hammock, or a human-sized dog bed, or maybe no bed.
• ultra-bright home office lighting. Like photography equipment, obnoxiously bright
• growing a little plant collection
• buying like 8 snuggies and having movie nights with friends. Overloading on cozy things
• specific kitchenwares, like having a huge cutting board
• being really minimal otherwise and having more open space

Just things that are difficult in my current circumstances living with family. I’m trying to have realistic expectations, though. I might need a roommate anyways. A few friends recommended getting a roommate because being alone all the time might be tough. Something about accountability and mental health. And I figure apartments come with lots of neighbor-noise, which I’m not used to from the suburbs. I’m only semi-excited. Have you ever rented a place on your own? If so, how was your experience?

And of course, I have to boomerang your question - what are you excited about lately?

Cheers, Justin

From: Jarrod Blundy
To: Justin Wong
Subject: Re: PenPals, Jarrod & Justin - May 2024
Date: June 5, 2024

Hey Justin,

Please accept my apology for basically ghosting you for the last month. I hit a wall when it came to writing and getting back to people, and that included you. I’m sorry.

(If you’re up for it, I’d love to extend our conversation through June so that we can chat some more. I don’t know if that works for you, but let me know!)

I loved hearing about your fervor for writing and development. Creating things that other people will read or use is exciting indeed. It sounds like you’re taking a solid approach, thinking about how the decisions you make will directly affect how your intent, or the intent of the software, is communicated.

Leadership as a concept has always been central in my life, through Boy Scouts, being a leader in school programs, and eventually studying it as a minor for my college degree. And always it was emphasized that everything is communication. Body language, tone, and what you do or don’t say, all communicate things to your audience. Your job as a leader and communicator is to wrap up whatever message you’re trying to get across in the easiest-to-understand package that you can. I think about that a lot.

It’s awfully kind of you to say I seem like a strong writer. I’m just making it up as I go along, just like everyone else! Sometimes the words come easy, and sometimes (like for the last month) they come hard. It’s absolutely true, though, that the hardest step is the first one. Going from zero words on a page to one is so much more difficult than going from one to two. I’m trying not to put too much pressure on the writing, since it’s supposed to just be fun, so if the motivation isn’t there, I’m trying not to force it. That said, if you want to get good, yeah, just making yourself practice is going to help the best.

Apartment shopping is a big undertaking! I wish you the best of luck. I really like your ideas about bedding and coziness. Experimenting with stuff like that is super fun and will give your place a distinct personality. For a few months in college, I slept in a hammock strung beneath my roommate’s bunk bed. I slept so well and recommend for everyone to try it at least once.

There’s been only a couple of times in my life that I lived alone. One summer, I worked at a camp in Alabama and was the only intern when they’d usually hire half a dozen. So I had the bottom floor of the Intern House all to myself. It was cool for a few days, and then I got pretty lonely. I was in a new state and knew nobody. Then again, for a different internship in Colorado, I lived on an Army base with a handful of other interns my age. We had a great time, but then they all left while my internship was a bit extended. It wasn’t as bad then, but I much prefer living with other people. I even think I would love living in a senior home when that time comes. So many activities and people to hang out with!

As for my own excitement lately… I’ve been pretty jazzed about reading books lately. My to-read list is ever-growing, and I’m starting to make the choice more often to read those rather than blog posts. Of course, that means my Pocket list of read-later articles is (literally) thousands of items long now too, but I think I’m finding a better balance. I’m also excited about summer outdoor adventures. I just got out kayaking for the first time this year, and plan on doing a lot more of that, camping, hiking, and climbing this summer. Let’s just hope the weather is more agreeable than last summer when it was so wet all the time.

I’m interested to hear about any software projects you’re working on and ideas you’re cooking up. Anything you can share?

Take care,

Jarrod

From: Justin Wong
To: Jarrod Blundy
Subject: Re: PenPals, Jarrod & Justin - May 2024
Date: June 15, 2024

Hi Jarrod,

I’d love to keep writing through June! No worries about the gap. Pre-internet, pen pals probably waited weeks for snail mail. Two months of writing feels less rushed anyways.

Thanks for sharing some of your adventures and your insight on communication. Seems like you learned a lot about yourself during those years. Hopefully you have many more years of activity before the senior home, haha.

Outdoors! Hope it goes well and the weather cooperates. I haven’t done many nature trips recently. I would love to try a weekend camping trip - a solo retreat, no tech, no amenities, in the middle of the wilderness. But I have no survival skills. And I think bringing a partner is safety-smart, even for experienced adventurers. Do you have any tips for being safe in the wilderness? Have you had any safety scares while outdoorsing (injuries, getting lost, etc)? I’ve never had the chance to ask this of an eagle scout.

Books! Much respect for people with a healthy book habit. I wish I read more. I know what you mean about to-read lists… I have a hundred books on my to-read list, and hundreds more webpages waiting in browser tabs. One day I’ll prune them, Marie Kondo-style (“will this spark joy?”). Any good books that you finished or that you’re looking forward to? My recent favorites have been “The Paris Review Interviews” and “Programmers at Work”. The interview format is quite personal and authentic.

Software! So many ideas, and so little time. I have three projects simmering:

I’m revisiting my notetaking app after discovering the Bepop app by Jack Cheng. It’s all about note capture rather than note management. I’d like to streamline the notemaking process, making saving text snippets as easy as taking a screenshot. Right now, there’s not much to show - I was just happy to get a prototype running. But I look forward to having a notes app that checks all my boxes: low-friction, offline-first, bring-your-own-sync, plaintext data, thoughtful design.

My second project is a fanpage for notebooks, the pen-and-paper variety. It’s a playful webpage where I experimented with doodles and typography. I’m collecting pictures of messy notebook pages, if you have any :) And it’s almost finished - just gotta buckle down, fix some CSS, and edit some sentences.

My third work in progress is for the command-line. There’s a library that converts images to terminal graphics, kinda like ASCII art mixed with pixel art. I’m packaging that library into a newer language so I can make a video editor for the terminal. I’ve always wanted a quick way to trim videos without booting up a typical video editor GUI. So far, packaging the low-level library code has been challenging, but I’ve had some friendly people help.

It’s enough to keep me busy! My RSS should ping when I finish each project. Or I’ll just shoot you an email whenever I finish something you find interesting.

Best, Justin

From: Jarrod Blundy
To: Justin Wong
Subject: Re: PenPals, Jarrod & Justin - May 2024
Date: June 28, 2024

Hey Justin,

Thanks for understanding. Maybe if I were writing snail mail I’d get back even quicker because it wouldn’t be mixed in with all my other email!

Oooh, talk about camping? Don’t mind if I do! Definitely I think you’ll have way more fun if you go with a buddy for your first time out. Not that I think you’d get hurt or anything, but it’s just nice to bounce ideas off another person, get another set of eyes on things, and hopefully not feel too lonely in the dark. Some rapid-fire camping tips? Carry a small first aid kit, bring more food than you expect to need, always have a headlamp and backup batteries, one set of clothes is enough but bring multiple layers, nothing beats a book read outdoors, and you can get a whole lot done with a small multi-tool. Don’t overthink the safety thing, just use your best judgement and try not to leave anything behind in the woods.

Looking back, there are certainly many times that I’ve been scared on outdoor adventures, but never to the extent that I thought I was in mortal danger. There’s a big difference between getting off your expected route and actually being lost. It pays to pay attention to trail junctions and make a mental note of what lays in each direction. I’ve never personally experienced a major injury while on a trip, but I’ve attended to folks with minor (blisters) to moderate (low blood sugar, epi-pen) events. No rescues necessary so far, and fingers crossed it stays that way!

Is your book list full of more fiction or non-fiction these days? I’ve got a pretty healthy mix of both, I think. My general rule is to alternate a fun fiction book with a professional, self-help, or biographical non-fiction work. But my two best recommendations of the last few years are a (long) book called The Name of the Wind, and a (shorter) book called Piranesi. Both are fiction, but have stuck with me. In fact, I just started relistening to TNOTW again last night.

Those sound like three really fun software projects! “Snippets as easy as screenshots” is a really catchy marketing phrase. Nice one! File that away for later. I’m afraid I left physical notebooks behind long ago. I do have one on my desk just in case I need to doodle or jot something down quickly, but it gets very little use. I’m glad other people enjoy those physical products though. Please do send anything you finish up along — I’d be delighted to test them out. 🙂

Summer is in full swing in my neck of the woods, and I have my sister, brother-in-law and niece and nephew coming to visit next week. Pretty stoked for that. Any big summer plans on your end?

Take care,

Jarrod

From: Justin Wong
To: Jarrod Blundy
Subject: Re: PenPals, Jarrod & Justin - May 2024
Date: July 8, 2024

Hey Jarrod,

Best wishes for your family time! I appreciate the project feedback and camping tips. Hopefully I’ll find some time for those activities soon. No big summer plans on my end. I think I’ve got my hands full with enough life changes. So much has happened recently.

• I landed a written job interview for technical writing. That’s been stressing me a bit, just because there’s a bit of pressure and there’s so many questions. I always overthink and overedit my writing. I’m overthinking this email!

• I took my first apartment viewing. I realized how cold and intimidating a bare apartment feels, so now I’m binging interior design and houseplant videos. I’m slowly planning an IKEA trip and wondering if I could make any furniture by hand. I don’t want to blow tons of money on new furniture, but I also don’t want an underfurnished space. Maybe I should try thrifting? I also watched too many tours of millionaires’ houses, so now I have unrealistic expectations 😅 I gotta refocus on neat, clean, and functional, and unfocus on dream houses.

• I took a hike in the Orlando Wetlands for the first time. It was beautiful! There was a mysterious island full of loud birds, alligators within feet of the trail, water, fish, lots of plants, and lots of sand. I went a couple weeks ago as I was recovering from bronchitis. Now I’m getting back to full activity with soccer and basketball. Feels good to move around.

I might take a weekend trip to visit friends in Long Island or North Carolina. I feel like this is the best time to travel, being a young guy with few responsibilities. And I wouldn’t mind escaping the Florida heat. It’s been brutal. I’m also excited to hone my one-bagging skills, just packing whatever fits into a backpack. I like how liberating it feels.

My book list is mostly non-fiction. I try to alternate with fiction just like you, but I end up quitting most fictions books before the halfway mark. I’m not sure why. I read oodles of fiction as a kid. These days, I find myself interested in the history of software, or random history retold by talented writers, or memoir-style writing. Maybe I just don’t have much patience for dialogue. But thanks for your recommendations. I’ll definitely give them a try in my next book batch.

It’s been great emailing you! I’ll be staying in touch.

Sincerely, Justin

From: Jarrod Blundy
To: Justin Wong
Subject: Re: PenPals, Jarrod & Justin - May 2024
Date: July 24, 2024

Hey Justin,

Thanks for being part of this project! I’ve really enjoyed talking with you, and especially all your enthusiasm for the things happening in your life.

Congrats on the job interview! I hope it went well, even if that just means it went well as a way to shake off those interview nerves. 😉 I’m also happy to hear that you tried something new with that hike in the wetlands! One of my regrets is that I didn’t make the time to do a trip to the Everglades with my aunt before she passed. It probably wasn’t a realistic goal considering her health, so now I hope to get down there for a trip in her memory sometime.

I’m totally with you on the liberation of one-bagging. That’s a huge part of my love for backpacking through the mountains. The self-reliance that comes from the planning and execution of a trip where all you have is what you can carry on your back. As I like to tell my hiking clients, “If you don’t have it, you don’t need it. Even if that means we have to improvise from time to time.”

I hope you have a great rest of the summer. Thanks again for being a PenPal. My inbox is always open. 🙂

Jarrod