Hobbies

I spend my working life on systems nobody can see. Outside of it I make things I can actually pick up and hold, which turns out to be the counterweight I needed.

Building electric guitars #

Mostly Stratocasters and Telecasters.

What I like about it is that a guitar doesn’t care how confident you are. The neck either sits right in your hand or it doesn’t. Shaping, fitting, dialing one in until it feels correct is slow work with no shortcuts and no way to fake the result - which is a pretty refreshing change of pace from software.

The farm #

This is where most of my non-guitar attention goes right now:

• Orchard work
• Forestation projects
• Dairy goats
• Hens

Goats and fruit trees operate on their own schedule and are completely indifferent to sprint boundaries. The feedback loop is measured in seasons instead of minutes, and you can’t automate your way out of the parts you’d rather skip.

Drones #

Still love them, even though they’ve been quiet for a while. It’s a hobby I keep close and come back to in seasons rather than one I’ve given up on.

Why any of this #

Building physical things keeps me grounded and connected to tangible progress. I’ve spent a career on infrastructure that’s invisible when it works - there’s real value in ending the day with something you can hand to somebody.