When you first move somewhere new each face is a stranger. But over time you get know your neighbors and they're no longer strangers, but your neighbors. You become familiar with their routines. And some of those neighbors stand out a bit more than the others.

Those neighbors have a particular quirk. They do something different. These neighbors, these... characters, are what make a neighborhood a neighborhood. And sometimes we're that character. But something is lost without their presence.  My neighborhood too, indeed, has a couple of characters worth sharing.

One is a neighbor about 10 houses down. Like most older men in my neighborhood he's retired and I'd often see him come back from a walk when I 'm walking Sophie.

But one day I noticed he looked to be slowly stalking a cat. Odd. And a few days later, stalking a cat... after a brief chat I realized he wasn't stalking the cat, but he "walks" his cat. The cat's not on a leash, but he kind of guides it up and down the street. My neighbor, the cat walker.

Like many Japanese neighborhoods, mine has tori and little shrines spread throughout every so often. Each shrine has a kami. It's a holdover from when this was all farmland. 

Which brings me to our next character. You can't miss him. I've seen him out running at various times. A running neighbor is nothing special, but this neighbor's route is particular. He runs from his house (I presume, I'm not sure where he lives) past each tori and to the local shrine.

When he passes each tori he stops and bows to pay his respects. I probably wouldn't have noticed this routine or payed much attention but not for his attire. He runs in dark blue jeans and a white button down shirt.

Who are some of the characters in your neighborhood?

Don’t like filling up at 5 bucks a gallon?

Fuck the Oligarchs, Get off Gas! ✊

Stressed by all your time in a metal box?

Fuck the Oligarchs, Get off Gas! ✊

Want to stop the countless wars perpetrated  by petrostates?

Fuck the Oligarchs, Get off Gas! ✊

Want real energy independence and security?

Fuck the Oligarchs, Get off Gas! ✊

Want a healthier and more vibrant local community?

Fuck the Oligarchs, Get off Gas! ✊

One more time for those in the back!

Fuck the Oligarchs, Get off Gas! ✊

I've merged support for Tanzawa themes 🎉! It's basic at the moment, but it's a good springboard for future development. I'll activate my hastily built "Platinum" theme for a couple of days to show it off.

I've documented some basic instructions for building your own Tanzawa theme. The only real requirement is Tailwind 3.0. If you run into trouble, let me know.

If you make a theme for Tanzawa, please show me so I can link to it. If you wouldn't mind others using your theme, consider submitting a pull request so users can have more selection.

It's been one year since I first started using Tanzawa in public as I blogged about my daily development progress.

This post started as a scratchpad for me to figure my priorities when developing Tanzawa as it stalled for a couple of months in early November. I had intended to publish it and use it to guide me through the next couple of months. 

But writing down even a partial list of priorities energized me and gave me a sense of focus. That focus allowed me to ship some big new features like plugins, start on a refactor, and made some good progress on theme support.
 
As such I'm now re-purposing and rewriting this post to solidify my thinking for the next few months (or more) of development and lay some groundwork for Tanzawa in 2022.

Theming is my top priority at the moment. Theming while a core feature for someone to make a blog feel like home, is probably not something I'll use that much as I quite like my current color scheme. Basic color scheme changing is in progress in PR #150. It'd be great if a later PR could also allow custom layout as well.

On second thought, perhaps "theming" is a misnomer. Perhaps it's actually two independent features: color scheme selection and layout. This way you could mix and match between them?

As part of my 2022 goals I'd like to run 100 times and I'd like to track this on my website. I could do it manually, but I'd really like to own that data in my own database so I can do some custom visualizations of my runs.

There's three parts to this integration:

Eventually I'll need a way to automatically run on the management command without sshing into the server to setup a cronjob, but that'll be fine for now.

Runs page is a feature that I've been wanting since the outset of Tanzawa (similar to trips). At the outset I planned to use Runkeeper, but their lack of API made me switch to Strava.

I still haven't documented how to deploy Tanzawa for production. It's part I don't like faffing with servers and part "works for me".  The problem is, no matter how great the experience is blogging with Tanzawa, if users can't install or set it up, it doesn't matter.

As I'd like to get more people using Tanzawa, not just trying it out locally, I've got to make it easier to install. It will likely be an automated setup of a droplet on DigitalOcean. At least for starters.

When first building out Tanzawa I used Django Model Forms because they're quick to prototype with. And my micropub endpoint mostly transforms data to fit these forms and runs them as it was easiest. But this is more brittle and intertwined than I'd like.

So I plan to continue to refactor "as time and energy allow".

Propaganda Website
As part of my mission to get people using Tanzawa besides myself, I'd like to setup a dedicated propaganda website. It doesn't need to be powered by Tanzawa itself (though that would be neat). I'm picturing a site that has your standard marketing bog introducing Tanzawa, directs people to GitHub, and so forth. But as it's not just a marketing website, it should contain some pages dedicated to the cause of the open web, Punk rock style.

Native Syndication
I still manually syndicate my posts to Twitter. I'd like to remove that burden and allow Tanzawa to automatically post to Twitter and other social networks. There's been some good discussion about this on Issue #84.

Year In Review
A "year in review" page generator plugin that will use your own blog to craft yearly reviews. It would show you some fun statistics like most interacted with posts (top 3?), a map of your checkins, stats about the number / frequency / type of posts, word count (?). It would be fun to add some hooks to allow plugins to contribute to the statistics as well.

After my looking back on 2021 post, I thought I'd write about what I'm looking forward to next year and maybe set some rough goals. So I don't forget what my goals are, I'm going to put (some) of them on my Now page.

Health and running always appears on the list of stuff I'd like to do more regularly. Rather than set a distance goal, which would probably be a bit too ambitious, I'm going to set a simpler goal: 100 runs next year. That works out to about 2 runs per week. Doable. And it should be habit forming. Should I surpass it earlier in the year than anticipated, I might adjust it higher.

There's a lot I'd like to get done in Tanzawa next year. On the top of my list is strava integration (to track my runs :) ), theming, and some better instructions / deployment options. Oh and proper photo posts. It would also be great to actually get a site (Tanzawa powered or otherwise) up on tanzawa.blog, since I've owned the domain for about a year now.

I can't really say what, but I'm really looking forward to this next year at Octopus in Japan. This first year has been in build mode and this next year is launch mode.  We're going to make some big strides in growing green electricity in Japan and the team we've got is really good and getting better (We're hiring - join the fun!).

It's been a long 2 years with the pandemic. I'm hoping we can find some time to travel in Japan a bit and let Leo ride his first Shinkansen. Not sure on the destination yet. Maybe somewhere I haven't been before.

This isn't entirely under my control, but I would like to visit America. I haven't back since I moved back to Japan in early 2017. And with Leo being almost 4 and having only met 3 members of my family (my brother and mom I flew out here on separate occasions, my younger brother just happened to be studying abroad in Japan when Leo was born).

I may be starting (or resuming?)  a new tradition with another year in review post ( 2020 ).

2021 was a good year.  This post is a highlight of all of the good things that happened this year.

Tanzawa
This year started with a sprint of programming and blogging. I first showed Tanzawa to the world on January 3rd. Over the course of the next couple months, I built  it up enough to support various indieweb protocols and got it to the point where I could import my Wordpress blog data. A few months after that I worked up the courage to open source it. And since then I've been iterating on it when I have the chance to add fun features like trips and plugins.

Health
After fretting about which license to release Tanzawa under, I started fretting more about getting vaccinated. I fretted enough about this that I managed to annoy my wife, but that fretting paid off as I got myself and my family vaccinated early. Thankfully we haven't gotten sick (with covid or anything else), knock on wood.

I've never been able to keep running regularly, but this year I've managed to make it more regular. I've done this by not being as strict to myself. I don't have a set schedule, which is useful to beat yourself up with when you miss a run. Instead I just to run 2 to 3 times a week. A "missed" run this week doesn't matter if I plan to continue running for years ago.

Kindergarten
Leo started kindergarten this year. Before it started, we could tell that he was ready to start venturing off a bit. And since he's been going it's also released a lot of stress at the house. The terrible twos during a pandemic weren't fun (toddlers, amirite?). But he's adjusted to it well and we've got a good rhythm.

I've been able to take days off work and join him on field trips be an active participant in his pre-school life, which has been a lot of fun. I enjoy being able to spend time with him and see how Japanese pre-school life is.

Writing
I got an article published in Web+DB Press about getting started with GraphQL and Django. This is notable, not just as it's in an actual magazine, but that it's in Japanese. This was my second time authoring something in print in Japanese. Without the support of my old company, I doubt I'll be writing anything in print anytime soon.

Climate Change
I changed jobs and joined Octopus Energy. While I expected it to be a good change (as I wouldn't changed jobs otherwise), having a job that lets me use my Python/Django skills and lets me help in the fight against climate change in a real way has been a big positive influence in my day-to-day life.

One aspect of this change has been a new social group, a worldwide network of employees that care about climate change and fighting it. The other, larger aspect, is that I no longer feel this dread about climate change because I am helping to fight it, both in Japan and abroad everyday. Directly in Japan because my work will help increase the adoption of renewables. Indirectly because the work in Japan enables work and investment outside of Japan to further speed the renewable transition.

Joy of Cycling
I've never been a fan of driving. I resisted getting my drivers' license until I was 18 (in the Texas suburbs) and only then I got it because I was forced (no public transit and everything is miles apart). Fun fact: I never completed drivers' education. I did 1 class (of 3) with a teacher in California, which was enough to get my learners' permit. Before completing, I moved to Texas with my learners' permit and used that to convert it into a license (with the 10 minute driving test).

Growing up in southern California I used to ride my bike everywhere. This year was the year that I remembered that. First with a cross-bike. And again with an e-bike mama-chari (Panasonic) I used to putter around town and take Leo to and from Kindergarten. Not only does each ride save emissions I may have emitted from a car. But each ride, no matter the weather, I've got a smile on my face.

I can get from my house to the in-laws three different ways: by car, by subway, and by bike.

The drive from my house to the in-laws, according to the Honda app linked to my car, emits about 200g of carbon into the air. That's not including the other externalities such as local air pollution, noise, and just being traffic. It costs about ¥100 in fuel and maintenance. This is only economicaly because a neighbor lets us park on some of their land for free. Otherwise we'd need to add ¥400 - ¥600 for temporary car storage. There is no view, just narrow roads. Depending on traffic, it takes about 20 - 30 minutes and I arrive feeling stressed.

Going by the subway costs ¥252 one way and there's a 10 minute walk on either side. This is more efficient than the car because a) there's many more people riding the same vehicle, b) it's electric (though that power may be coming from coal). The view is nothing, because it's mostly underground. Total trip time is about 30 - 35 minutes.

Lastly, I can go by bicycle. It costs me nothing. It's powered by peanut butter and bananas. The view is rice fields and a river. I arrive feeling happy and calm, because I was looking at nice scenery and getting some exercise.

While the concept of a personal carbon footprint was invented by big oil,  each trip we can take that doesn't emit carbon emissions does make difference. Each trip is an opportunity. An opportunity to pick the means of less impact. Less noise. Less pollution. Less traffic. Less carbon.

But it's also an opportunity to inspire your community. It's an opportunity to be the change you want to see. At first it might just be you. But someone might see you and think "I can do that." and take their bike next time. And someone seems them riding their bike and has the same thought. It an opportunity to normalize riding a bike as transport in your community.

More people ride bikes when they see people riding bikes. More people riding bikes means more demand for proper infrastructure. More people riding bikes means less local air pollution and a happy, healthier, calmer community.

When you have the choice, take your bike.

I mostly drink two things: black coffee and water. Unless I actively think about it, I usually don't drink enough water in a given day. While I enjoy the taste of water, I have a habit of just sipping my coffee and getting a refill from the maker when it runs out.

This isn't a good habit. Sometimes when I go to sleep at night, about an hour after I fall asleep, I'll wake up with my feet feeling sore. Problems if your feet at night cause me alarm. Usually as feet problems can be signs of diabetes.But it can also be cause by having tired feet because you were on them all day and they're tired. Or, as I discovered, dehydration.

Drinking nothing but black coffee, which dehydrates despite being a liquid, is a good way to end up really dehydrated. In an effort to drink more water I've been taking my old Laken water bottle with my coffee upstairs with me when I start work. Doing so has kept me drinking more water and I can't remember the last time I my feet were sore at night.

I love my little Laken. It's forest green. I've had it for probably a decade at this point. It has a dent at the top that gives it some character. The cap has a great clip that I can use to attach it to my bag so it doesn't fall out.

But it's a bit small, only about 500ml. I often find myself needing to buy a bottle of water to refill it, which defeats the purpose. And that clip I love? It's kind of a pain to unhook when I'm walking around town and want a quick drink. The mouth is also a bit small, about the size of a regular plastic bottle, so I always spill a bit when filling it up. And it's not insulated, so it sweats as much as I do during summer.

So I upgraded today to a 946ml (32oz) Hydro Flask. It's the opposite of my first bottle. It's big. It's got double-wall insulation, so it won't sweat and drinks keep cold/hot. I can put hot liquids in it. The mouth is huge. The lid doesn't have a hook, but it does have a loop that I can use to strap it to my bag. It's  freakin' purple (technically "eggplant").  It's a tank. 

My old water bottle lasted me a decade still has plenty of life left in it. I hope this one keeps me hydrated for many years to come.

A birthday is just another day, but it’s a good opportunity to stop, reflect on the past year, and plan for the next year.

Excluding the covid doldrums we’re all familiar with, 35 was a good year for me, both professionally and personally.

Work 

Looking forward to 36, I'm not quite sure what to expect.

Work-wise, since I'll be joining a new company in a few days I can't really list any specific goals. There's too many unknowns. But what I do hope is that I integrate to the team quickly, can share what I know, learn what I don't, and have a smooth work life while having an impact on climate change.

I have no idea how many of these I'll be able to accomplish this year, but maybe writing them down like I have here will give me a fighting chance to remember and make progress these goals this year.