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@FormalPsycho
I had forgot to respond, I do apologize. I have been terribly busy with work, it had just slipped my mind.
I'm honored you see me as introspective,
@FormalPsycho
Hi! No worries at all, I understand how things get busy. I’ve been a bit caught up myself lately with both work and some personal commitments. How have you been and what have you been working on lately since we last spoke?
At work, I tend to mask a lot with small talk, so I don’t come across as rude or too blunt. It works, but it can be tiring, and lately few weeks I’ve been a bit unsure of where I stand with myself.
Anyways, about me. I'm Suri. I have one dog named Shiro and had two cats that passed away last year. I went by different pen names - hurtlessporcupine, dogear and inkblot. I’m in my mid-30s and I’ve spent quite deal jumping career wearing too many hats. I studied mechanical engineering because I’ve loved WW2 cars, planes and bikes. I own a classic 300 cc Royal Enfield which I have stopped riding. Instead of going into specialisation in automobile, I got really drawn into energy and how power is created, how it's store and how systems work at scale with different energy. I started off designing hydro turbines, but early in my career, I began to feel stifled with too many standards and limited room for creativity.
So I took a step back. I travelled across India for about a year, trying to figure things out, and ended up volunteering. I found myself working with illiterate grandmothers building solar micro-grids to electrify remote communities - that experience changed something for me. It was my longest career stint for 5 years taking me to places and I learnt heaps. It pulled me into policy space to understand why we often miss the people that are meant to serve.
Since then, I’ve been lucky to work on some really interesting, overlapping problems and to meet some genuinely remarkable people. But I've also realised I struggle with sticking to one organisation and at the same time, I don’t have the discipline to build something fully on my own. I tend to hyper-focus, which comes with own cycle of burnout, something I’ve had to learn to manage over time. Therapy has helped a lot and I’m kinder to myself now, but there are still have difficult days.
Recently, I stepped away from that career path after feeling autistic burnout that regressed my skills and dealing with personal grief. It made me rethink again to start fresh. I quit the job I knew all about to work at a bookstore, helping with book clubs and writing book reviews. It’s a quieter pace which feels grounding in a way I didn’t expect.
- The Kaua’i ‘ō’ō species of bird that got extinct around 1980s from Kauai Island of Hawaii -https://youtu.be/b4_dq_e4KGs?si=3A5y8the5KR7KV4X I really appreciate the artwork and storytelling
- And The God Man - felt a bit like something out of Arrival movie and sci-fi series of Isaac Asimov's work. I'm sharing this since we briefly spoke about time and universe, although this one doesn't touch on time -https://youtu.be/WY9CTDM3l4M?si=n8DHdh38bc7Kx6_O
Have you come across either of these? and do you read much or consumer any digital media form?
Also, I've realised I've said quite a lot about myself this time. I'd really like to know more about you and your interest at your own pace. When life gets overwhelming for you, what do you usually turn to?
Thank you for responding. If I take time to reply soon, please bear with me.
Until our paths cross again - go gently and take care,
Frets
I do not mind how short or long a message may be, but to be honest, I found it pleasant getting to know more about you.
I won't spoil every detail about me in one message, I prefer there to be a flow of natural discovery. To learn new facts about each other one topic at a time.
As for the Kaua'i 'ō'ō, I have heard of the recording before. "The world's loneliest song" or something of the sorts. I use the call as a form of XDR Tone Burst.
Since you had brought up Asimov, there is an album "based" on "I, Robot" called "I Robot." It is one of my top albums, a true experience, just skip Breakdown.
As of now, I am working on a Pioneer CT-F9191, it is a hassle, I'm in the process of recapping the boards.
Otherwise, about you, I am impressed by your background, quite an impressive career. It is nice you've settled down for now in a bookstore, sometimes I dream of having a much simpler career.
And the details of myself, my name is Johnathan Harding, I've had the same account name since I have created my account. I used to read quite often, however I have since fallen out of touch. I do consume as much media and knowledge as I can. My goal is not to be the smartest, but someone who you could take about anything with.
I suppose that is all I can respond with as of now, farewell.
-Johnathan Harding.
It took me a little while to come back to this. It was really pleasant to read your response. I prefer taking time to get to know people - it makes easier for me to stay present. It feels less like performing and more like discovering someone naturally, which I appreciate.
Thanks for sharing "I Robot" with me. I did heed your advice and skipped 'Breakdown' - it did interrupt the flow of the album a bit. A few tracks stood out to me: Some other time, Don't let it Show (the melody feels familiar, though I can't quite place where I've heard it), Nucleus, Day after Day and Genesis Ch 1 V32 felt like the cherry on top. Have you listened to Speak No Evil by Wayne Shorter or Heavy Weather by Weather report?
I don't know much of electronics, but it feels like there's some patience to sit with a problem until it's understood rather than putting it aside. I was wondering what the first thing you tinkered with was, and what got you into it?
As for my career, I don't really see it as particularly impressive, just where I've ended up for now through exploring but thank you.
And more often, I think it says a lot about someone when people find it easy to talk to someone more than anything else. That kind of presence matters and quite rare.
When you mentioned 2falling out of reading, I was curious -did you have any favourite author that you enjoyed? And do you miss it now or other things have quietly replaced it?
It was good to hear from you.
Until next time
Suri
